Full set of photos here
Monday
-mental soundtrack--->Purity Ring
-TSA agent who stopped me for a random boarding pass check: "Oh, Montreal...it is the most beautiful city!"
-a very-much-appreciated pick-up at YUL by Jorden
-my 11th-floor room at the hyper-designy Hotel Zero 1, steps away from Chinatown, cool artsy venues, and um the red light district
-a pile of veggie chow mein and a Tsing Tao at Beijing
-neon and bright lights and beautiful architecture
Tuesday
-mental soundtrack--->Piney Gir
-a rustic Benedict with wild mushrooms and Ste-Paulin cheese at Fabergé (at Khris's suggestion)
-street art and public art everywhere
-the Biosphere in all of its Buckminster Fuller glory, appropriately filled with ecotechnology exhibits
-a BBQ hempburger at Lola Rosa
-marveling at Montreal's non-stop art and culture maelstrom at La Vitrine in Le 2-22
-wishing I could buy every last book and zine at Formats
-Sven Augustijnen's exhibit Spectres about the assassination of Patrice Lumumba and a man obsessed with the story at Vox
-dinner in the Portuguese part of town means I'm eating fish, delicious grilled sardines at Jano to be precise
-a St. Ambroise cream ale while watching Kalmunity set up at Les Bobards
-a single-malt Suntory whiskey at the speakeasy-esque Big in Japan
Wednesday
-mental soundtrack--->The Mary Onettes
-so smitten with my warm sesame bagel from St-Viateur Bagel that I immediately went back for another
-perusing the fascinating Chinese herbs and remedies for sale at Quoc Te
-awesome graphic design and delicious cure-alls at My Cup of Tea
-a giant steamer basket of mushroom and bok choy dumplings at Qing Hua
-exploring the dozens of galleries in the Belgo Building
-a tightly-edited group show at joint spaces Galerie Christian Lambert and Galerie Roger Bellemare including sculpture by Mathieu Gaudet, photos by Geoffrey James, paintings by Jérôme Bouchard, and works on paper by Martha Townsend
-chatting with Geneviève Saumier herself while admiring her paintings at Visual Voice
-John Player paints the military-industrial complex and Glenda Leon snorts money at Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain
-coveting the entirety of the stock at local boutique Three Monkeys
-ditto for the accessories (omg shark purse) at Little Burgundy
-friends!
-a gorgeous veggie burger topped with gruyere and eaten al fresco at Cafe Souvenir
-Magnum ice cream bars, Éphémère apple beer, and a purring kitten in my lap
-a Blanche du Paradis at Dieu du Ciel
-a Ramos Fizz at Baldwin Barmacie
Thursday
-mental soundtrack--->Cold Pumas
-housemade granola, bananas, and a dollop of yogurt at Le Cagibi Cafe
-pristine fashions of yesteryear at Citizen Vintage
-an entire flea market under one roof at Monastiraki
-old machine parts and such at Style Labo
-goodies for my beau from Drawn & Quarterly
-one more bagel from St-Viateur
-a vegan Thai rice bowl with peanut sauce at Aux Vivres
-a quick turn through the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, with stops in front of Picasso's Embrace, Jean-Paul Riopelle's Austria, and the many new-to-me Canadian and Québécois artists in the Bourgie Pavilion
-a caramel-doused drinking chocolate and a tomato/pesto/mozzarella crepe at Juliette et Chocolat
-red wine, Brillat-Savarin cheese, ripe pears, good conversation on an Outremont porch in the gloaming