Montreal: Buried Bikes and Euro Sneakers

Oh yes it is, it really is winter here. Today it snowed all day, adding another 6-7cm layer onto the ice-encrusted city that is Montréal.



One thing I have never understood about Montrealers, is how they leave their perfectly good city bicycles locked to a fence or a post, only to get buried in snow for 4-5 months of the year. Why not just bring it inside or ask a friend if you can keep it in his garage? Do these bikes work in the spring or are they just discarded for new ones?

(Granted, I do remember back in the day, I had an excellent 3-speed that I left locked outside my apartment on Avenue des Pins. There was an unexpected snow storm in October, and a sidewalk snow-plow (yes, they have them for sidewalks here) came by and hit my bike and crushed it. So I just left it locked to the post for eternity, thinking it was the city's problem since they wrecked it in the first place.)



This is my new gym! It's called L'Optimum, and everyone at this gym speaks French. It is a fairly nice facility, but the people in it are the most un-gym-like people I have ever seen. It is completely refreshing. The funniest thing is the shoes. I am obsessed with checking out these peoples' shoes! Instead of really "athletic" sneakers, like we would wear for running or aerobics or whatnot, they wear... fashion sneakers.

Do you know what I mean? Blue, green, maroon... Euro sneakers with black socks. Or even black boot-looking things with culots! I SO want to send you photos of this phenomenon, but I can't figure out a clever way of taking pictures of peoples' feet and trying to explain it in broken French. Possible translation: "I am making photo of shoes of different style for making my friends laughter in California and elsewhere!" That might make me fewer friends than I already have.



This is just inside the door of the entrance to the gym. Everyone is very good about removing their wet, salty boots and putting on their Euro-sneakers right away so that the facility doesn't get sullied. Don't you just love Canadians? French or Anglo, this is one of their fortés!



And this is the metro stop closest to the production office. I am glad they wrote the graffiti in English, because somehow "La viande est le meurtre" doesn't work as well.