It started out as a bit of a joke. At least I think it did. I was in Montreal in February and unexpectedly had an extra day to explore the city. And so I asked the online world what I should see and do with my time.
Some of the answers were expected. I was quite happy, for example, to find the famous Montreal bagels and compare them to my regular New York version. My verdict: Too sweet, and definitely more dense, though I do not mind the latter bit all that much. Also, much smaller which is probably a good thing.
Some of the answers were less helpful. I’m not sure how many of my “friends” were just trolling me suggesting that I explore some of the great parks which Montreal has to offer when the high temperature was only 8 degrees Fahrenheit. That is not park weather.
And then there was the seemingly random suggestion that I explore the Montreal metro system. I love a good transit adventure as much as (okay, much more than) the next guy, but riding around on the subway all day seemed a strange option. So imagine my surprise when, after an hour or so outside in the frigid cold hunting for bagels, I settled in to a seat on the train with no particular destination in mind. I was riding mostly for the opportunity to thaw out, but also to explore the stations and trains. And it was awesome.
I ended up spending an hour or two on the train, mostly just taking pictures and not really caring where I ended up. I’m intrigued by the consistent color palette used throughout the stations and how that carried through to the art installations and other facets of the experience. It was definitely not quite as “in your face” as the art of Mexico City’s metro system, but still a fun way to come back up to a normal temperature.
Related Posts:
- Art and the Mexico City Metro system
- A Few Thoughts on the Bombardier CSeries CS300 First Flight
- Five Ways Home from Montreal
- The bump I didn’t mean to take
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