montreal

allen levine

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12,344
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new york city burbs
by far, the worst drivers ever put on this earth.

I wondered why I see cops on every corner downtown handing out tickets(and it aint rented cars or out of town plates),

I sat on rue sherbrooke in bumper to bumper yesterday, and twice people bumped into the car in front of them. what is wrong with them?
I was going 120 in a 100 km zone, and more than one person drove within 2 feet of my car and flashed me their brights, and I was already in the right lane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the good stuff, all the people Ive encountered so far are super friendly, bilingual, canadiens I met spoke several languages, something americans dont do, not the norm, but montreal, everyone speaks 2 languages.

prices are steep, taxes seem a bit high, and if you dont have your gps working, like Ididnt, you are in a lot of trouble. alot of trouble.

street signage is poor.

one thing that did disturb me, is the amout of graffiti. the cityy is very very clean, b ut its infested with graffiti, even on residential buildings. they seem to have a real problem with it. its everywhere, not only in the less desirable areas, its all over.

but I like the place. they have funny looking money, and I didnt enjoy their casino experience too much.

after vegas and atlantic city, montreal casino is nothing at all special.

food is good in montreal, not that Im a foodie, but service is good, servers are friendly(and Im from ny, I tip heavy), and food was good whereever we ate so far.

just checking in.
 
yeah your on the edge where they wont speak english unless that absolutely have to in Quebec they act like they dont know it and make us Americans suffer because of it.. at least it was like that about 5 yrs ago
 
by far, the worst drivers ever put on this earth...

I take you've never been to Paris? :D

I spent a week in Montreal on business back in the '90s, and I really liked the city. (Even though it was in February and seriously cold.) My stay was centered around the downtown area and I was on foot or taking a cab places. The places I saw had a very European feel.
 
yeah your on the edge where they wont speak english unless that absolutely have to in Quebec they act like they dont know it and make us Americans suffer because of it.. at least it was like that about 5 yrs ago

I think its changed, cause I was in montreal 30 years ago, and I wasnt thrilled with the way I thought they were treating us. totally different this week.
 
Until about 2 years ago I used to have to go to Montreal about every 6 weeks. I didn't like it at all. I found the city folks arrogant and drove they like absolute maniacs. I felt that they wanted to be more French than Canadians.
Quite a difference between Toronto. Toronto is a wonderful city and one of the best places I've ever had to do business in. Made some great friends up there.
 
ive been up to toronto a bit more since my daughter went to school near buffalo, we went over the border whenever we visited her.

I dont think I like toronto more than montreal, but I dont recall the insane drivers in toronto.

I went to pier one imports today with my wife, she wanted a few candles, we were just walking down stopping in for coffee, and the sales person asked us where we were from, the first thing she said to me, how do you like the drivers in montreal? we both laughed, I thought it was hilarious thats the first thing she mentioned and shes lived here 40 years.
 
...but I dont recall the insane drivers in toronto.

Hmm, I bypassed Montreal on a trip out east back in 2010. If the drivers are worse than Toronto, then I'm glad I did.
Actually my problem with Toronto is sheer volume. Rush hour starts at 2pm. The 401 -- 8 lanes in each direction in the central areas -- is jammed and nervewracking to drive.

Lots of folks here wish that there was a highway that went around/past/through Toronto with not a single exit, just so we could get past it. That's probably a common fantasy around most large cities.
 
long island traffic is the same thing, as is manhattan traffic rush hour.

after 9-11, for years getting through the tunnel or over the bridge into manhattan was alot tougher. they inspected every truck, looked into every suv, stopped me twice from bringing boxes of toys in my truck through the tunnel, made me go over the bridge, held up bumper to bumper traffic to get me out of the inbound lane, and warned me never to try to drive through with all the boxes again. things have relaxed these days, but it was a horrible commute for a long time.

and montreal, like NYC, has a homeless person or lazy person(alot of young 18-25 sitting with signs asking for money) on almost every corner downtown.

I dont mind the street performers, strumming guitars or blowing a sax looking for small tips, I dont see a problem with them other than Im sure the montreal cops hate that they block a portion of the sidewalk.
 
I left montreal and canada today, and ended up with one 5 cent canadian coin, now thats good planning.

there was very little wait at the crossing, and no traffic and we decided to stop in woodstock for the evening and go for dinner.

still alot of hippies walking around, me and my short hair was out of place here.

after visiting some art galleries and window browsing, my wife agreed to let me make anything I want(wall art out of wood) to cover our downstairs room wall. weve been looking for a painting or picture we both agree on, hasnt been easy.

so this trip and all the visits to montreal art galleries, and the montreal musuem of modern art, gave me a bonus since I can start a project as soon as I get home, and hold off on the boring wall paper ripping, carpet ripping and painting.

all in all, montreal is a great place, and I think my next visit to canada, Id like to bring my children and enjoy some of the finer dining establishments, as my kids are foodies.

not sure why I posted this thread, mainly as a vent because of the driving habits, but I finished it. sorry if I bored anyone.
 
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