montreal: where bagels and student loans collide
okay so montreal is... a lot. like, i came here for school but i think i'm just going to live in the student union building and eat free pizza for the rest of my life. or maybe i'll actually try to see the city? who knows. the weather today is feeling like a damp sweater, hope you pack accordingly. i just checked the app and it's 18.47°C but feels like 18.17°C because of the humidity, which is at 69%. not exactly beach weather, but hey, it's not snowing so i'll take it.
so the city is spread out, but the metro is pretty cheap and gets you most places. if you get bored, Ottawa is just a short drive away. but honestly, why would you? montreal has bagels, poutine, and a million little shops that you can wander into and spend your entire student loan in.
someone told me that the bagels at St-Viateur are life-changing, but then I heard that if you go on a weekend the line wraps around the block and they're out of everything by 10am. so maybe go early? or just stick to the ones from the corner store that are 99 cents and still pretty good. also, i overheard a local warning that the plate lunches at Schwartz's are legendary but you'll probably wait an hour and then eat it in a cramped alley. worth it? maybe.
i've been taking these long walks along the river because it's free and the views are... okay. sometimes you see a boat, sometimes you see people feeding ducks. it's a vibe. i found this local board that's actually pretty helpful for finding free events and stuff. and if you're into festivals, there's always something going on.
the other day i tried to go to the botanic garden but i got lost and ended up in a residential area where every house had a garden gnome. i think i saw like 12 gnomes in one block. anyway, the garden was cool but i spent more time taking pictures of gnomes. they have this yelp page that lists all the free attractions too. super useful.
oh and don't forget to check tripadvisor for the top 10 things to do, but honestly, sometimes the best stuff is when you just wander. like i found this little park that had a free concert and it was amazing. just follow your ears. and your nose, because the poutine smells will lead you to the good stuff.
so yeah, montreal. it's expensive but you can do it on a budget if you know where to look. just avoid the fancy restaurants and stick to the student specials. and maybe buy a water bottle because the tap water is fine and you'll save like 10 bucks a day. that's 70 bucks a week! you can buy a lot of bagels with that.
okay i think that's enough. i have class in the morning and i haven't done the reading. oops.
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