I love my iPhone, I mean I really LOVE it! When I got my first iPhone in the US I quickly learned what all the hype was about. No more carrying around an iPod AND a phone. I became quick to adjust to finding information out instantly. What is the name of that wonderful Greek restaurant?? Oh, I can Google it and make a reservation while standing in line at the pharmacy!
When I came here to Montreal I just HAD to get one. So, I dragged my friend along to the Apple store. The place was packed. The mayhem that I witnessed looked like double coupon day in Bagdad. They have a waiting list which I have yet to figure out. They took my name and put it in an iPhone. All the employees had an iPhone and they used them constantly. It turned out that one person had a list for repairs, another for computer purchases, another for software, etc.. So you become very aware of who will eventually call you and you start to follow them around, but not so much to be annoying, you just want them to still be aware that you are waiting. So, hundreds of people flock and separate like spawning fish trying to get their chance to mate. "Oh, she's over there now on the other side of the room! I'll never hear her call my name, I should go to that side of the store and wait!" "Oh no! Now she went upstairs!!! I'll never hear her call my name from there! I should go up there to be sure I'm within ear shot!" The spawning continues.
Ok, so I get to see a representative and he goes over the plans with me. Unlimited internet??? Doesn't exist! Do I want caller ID? Um....how about yes? Caller ID is extra. Oh, so if I don't pay the extra amount I'll only see people in my phonebook?? No, if you don't pay the extra charge you will never know who is calling-period. Do you want voicemail? Um...another yes? Cha-ching-extra charge. Visual voicemail? Cha-ching! One good thing is that the Apple online store has a wonderful app that gives me a US phone number forwarded to my cell here, so friends can call me. Oh, and in the US now MOST cell phone companies consider the entire country "local". Gone are the days of roaming fees in the US. Not here. I asked Rogers Wireless for a map of the local calling area and they said that they did not have any. Hmm...
The SAQ (Société des Alcools du Québec) is the Quebec version of the liquor store. The stock of items available are meager compared the gigantic liquor warehouses. I want a bottle of vodka, the big one. All they have are the small ones. "Excuse me, where are the big bottle" "Why would you want bigger than that?" OK, no biggie. I get to the checkout and pay. "Um, can I have a bag" "We do not have plastic bags or paper for that matter, you can buy this burlap bag (with HUGE SAQ logo on it to boot), it can be used over and over again" Yea, so every time I go to the grocery store or pharmacy I have a big advertisement saying "Look at me, I'm a raging alcoholic! WHEE!!!!!" So I have to carry a glass bottle down the street cradled like a baby.
Montreal is not a liquor city. Montreal is a beer city. I generally don't like beer. I will, on a very rare occasion, have a beer during a BBQ or when eating a burger. When I go out I like a cocktail. I'll take a martini over a beer any day. Up until a few years ago, I am told by locals, that a cocktail bar was unheard of. They are slowly coming around, however you pay a price for that drink, "$12.00 for a cosmo?? Are you serious?" I was told that I should carry a hip flask to the bar and bring my own liquor, then I can sneak into the stall and make my own drinks. Hmmm... had I known that I would have to perform chemistry on the back of a toilet tank I would've paid more attention in high school science class. Anything that you have to do on top of a toilet tank lid probably would be frowned upon by authority figures. Wine is offered more, but when I order it locals say "oooh.. look at you Mr. Fancy Pants ordering your fancy drinks". No, they don't really say that, but you get that look when everyone orders a beer and you ask for a Grey Goose lychee martini with just a splash of Chambord and a cranberry garnish.
Not that I am complaining, I really am not. Every city whatever country it is in has its pluses and minuses. If you didn't know it, I am from Pittsburgh originally. In Pittsburgh you are considered fancy if you wear socks.
I am told, by others who have moved from the home country, that I am going through a phase called "homesickness" in which you compare everything to your home country and why it is not as good as back home. I am not sure about that, maybe it is true. I do compare things, but I also find things about this city better than the one I came from. Here there is more than two subway lines, and you can actually get to the most locations without having to switch from a train to the bus and then to a trolley, oh and transfers are FREE. People seem more relaxed, I suppose, in part due to the fact that they never have to worry about getting sick and health insurance, or that they seem to drink capacious amounts of beer during their lunch break ( walk past any bar at lunch time, you'll see).
Oh, and one more thing.... they have St-Hubert here. The best damn chicken for a chain restaurant I've ever tasted. Chik-Fil-A tastes like canned cat food by comparison.
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