I ♥ Montreal

I arrived in Montreal around 8:30 p.m. yesterday and after getting acclimated to the area where I'm staying (downtown near the beautiful Parc du Mont Royal), my friend and I headed towards Boulevard Saint Laurent to check out the club scene. And all I have to say is: Why the HELL is this my first time in Montreal?

First off, it is a straight shot up the interstate to get here. A few tolls, pass a few farms and a couple of McDonald's and it's "Bienvenue Canada!" Secondly, despite my dorky display at the border ("Can I get my passport stamped?!"), the process of crossing into Canada was as easy-peasy as stopping to pay a toll. Actually a bit faster. Toll people, get on that!

And finally, Montreal (or what little I've seen of it between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am) is easy to walk around, bars and even restaurants stay open until 2 am (sometimes 3 am). There's lots of people walking and you feel very safe. And there's a beautiful mix of cultures and languages. Of course, I'm here in the summer so I haven't experience a major flaw of the city: winter. But I'm willing to summer here in Montreal. And maybe all the rest of it makes enduring winter worth it.