216685 Curiosities served
Pass the Poutine, SilVousPlait
Previous Entry :: Next Entry
Read/Post Comments (4)
Today, just after 5 am in the morning, I went through the "Just to Make You Feel Safe" security measures at RDU airport. Just prior to getting on the first leg of Jacques' and my trip to Montreal, Canada, I had to take off my el cheapo, fake leather, "Earth Shoe" sandals and put them through one of the X-ray security devices. After they went through the machine along with my bag, containing an R51 IBM Thinkpad, an iPod Shuffle, a NexTel Blackberry, a Nikon 995 3.3 Megapixel digital camera, and a copy of Andy Duncan's Beluthahatchie, I was allowed to walk down the concourse to my Detroit-bound flight. I have no idea how Security could let me go so easily -- those sandals are nothing less than biological weapons -- probably the smelliest footwear to ever go through the check...
Our flights, largely underbooked, both went well and were thankfully uneventful. We arrived just before 11 at Montreal, Trudeau airport and then caught the number 6 shuttle into the city, final destination the Montreal Sheraton, which - at lest according to the back of the room door - may charge as much as $575 Canadian per night for a room. (About $15 US...ugh, what an old, worn out joke. Irresitible never-the-less.) After check in with both the hotel and the EdMedia conference, we hit the streets, making a beeline for Ben's Deli to get one of those famous smoked meat sandwiches. I wonder if the joint still gets a lot of celebrities to come in, eat, and donate a headshot...The restaurant -- still THE spot to go -- seems to have suffered a bit over the years, showing some shab and dirt and otherwise showing a bit of its age. Still got atmosphere, though.
The rest of the afternoon Jacques (a colleague and a Canadian to boot) and I spent walking around the city and marvelling at just how few people were out on the streets. Activity didn't really pick up until about 7:00 when we were out for dinner. (Seems that Montreal has a well-established nightlife -- also pretty obvious that some streets were best avoided.) Jacques pointed out a couple of things that one probably wouldn't likely notice without someone pointing them out: 1.) Canadians actually advertise AGAINST smoking on the actual package of cigarettes. Graphic photos of blackened, necrotic, and/or cancerous lungs decorate just about every carton of smokable coffin nails. 2.) Billboards (and other modes of advertising, of course) are allowed to promote hard liquor. No pictures of the carnage created after a DUIer runs through an ARRET sign, mowing down a carload of kiddies in the process...
Well, the pre-conference workshops start tomorrow, and since I really haven't looked over the proceedings and hence not chosen any of the panels/discussions to attend, I need to do so. And then get some sleep. Should be a number of interesting days ahead (especially with keynote speaker Todd Oppenheimer speaking about his book The Flickering Mind.)
Word of advice before I shut the laptop lid. Make sure, whenever ordering that Canadian specialty of french fries, gravy, and cheese curd at the local "Harvey's," that you pronounce the N in "Poutine" and not do what I did (nasalize and drop the final consonant). Ah, but how we do learn from our mistakes!
And you'd be surprised: The "Poutine" tastes pretty good, not smelling a bit like my "Earth Shoes."
Our flights, largely underbooked, both went well and were thankfully uneventful. We arrived just before 11 at Montreal, Trudeau airport and then caught the number 6 shuttle into the city, final destination the Montreal Sheraton, which - at lest according to the back of the room door - may charge as much as $575 Canadian per night for a room. (About $15 US...ugh, what an old, worn out joke. Irresitible never-the-less.) After check in with both the hotel and the EdMedia conference, we hit the streets, making a beeline for Ben's Deli to get one of those famous smoked meat sandwiches. I wonder if the joint still gets a lot of celebrities to come in, eat, and donate a headshot...The restaurant -- still THE spot to go -- seems to have suffered a bit over the years, showing some shab and dirt and otherwise showing a bit of its age. Still got atmosphere, though.
The rest of the afternoon Jacques (a colleague and a Canadian to boot) and I spent walking around the city and marvelling at just how few people were out on the streets. Activity didn't really pick up until about 7:00 when we were out for dinner. (Seems that Montreal has a well-established nightlife -- also pretty obvious that some streets were best avoided.) Jacques pointed out a couple of things that one probably wouldn't likely notice without someone pointing them out: 1.) Canadians actually advertise AGAINST smoking on the actual package of cigarettes. Graphic photos of blackened, necrotic, and/or cancerous lungs decorate just about every carton of smokable coffin nails. 2.) Billboards (and other modes of advertising, of course) are allowed to promote hard liquor. No pictures of the carnage created after a DUIer runs through an ARRET sign, mowing down a carload of kiddies in the process...
Well, the pre-conference workshops start tomorrow, and since I really haven't looked over the proceedings and hence not chosen any of the panels/discussions to attend, I need to do so. And then get some sleep. Should be a number of interesting days ahead (especially with keynote speaker Todd Oppenheimer speaking about his book The Flickering Mind.)
Word of advice before I shut the laptop lid. Make sure, whenever ordering that Canadian specialty of french fries, gravy, and cheese curd at the local "Harvey's," that you pronounce the N in "Poutine" and not do what I did (nasalize and drop the final consonant). Ah, but how we do learn from our mistakes!
And you'd be surprised: The "Poutine" tastes pretty good, not smelling a bit like my "Earth Shoes."
Read/Post Comments (4)
Previous Entry :: Next Entry
Back to Top
