Shooting Myself in the Foot!

posted by Odin on Jul 26, 2009

'decarie-evening' by afternoon_sunlight, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Am I really doing this to myself?  Am I some sort of masochist?  Fifteen months ago, right before leaving Montreal to work in Paris, I had sold my 10-year old car.  I didn’t know how long I was going to be away from Montreal, so I figured “why leave this car to sit around and lose value indefinitely?".  Plus, I live in Westmount, and have always either worked downtown or from home, so I thought I really wouldn’t need a car when I returned.

Now I am back and working from home again.  I have easy enough access to anything I need.  I have a bus stop for the 24 line right in front of my building, and the Atwater metro station is ten-minutes away on foot.  I can go to Supermaché PA on du Fort for groceries, and get them delivered for $1.  For almost anything else, I can go to Alexis Nihon (Pharmaprix, Canadian Tire, Zellers …).  Therefore, obviously I don’t “need" a car.

However, after lulling over the issue for a bit, I am starting to want a car again.  There are many things I got used to when I owed one before.  How else am I going to get my favorite groceries from Adonis in Ville-Saint-Laurent?  Or visit my in-laws in Candiac?  Finally, I have come to enjoy a number of restaurants scattered around the island, but that are difficult to reach using public transit.

This blog entry isn’t just about cars.  It is also another jab into the Montreal public transit system (or the lack of it).  Had we had a better, more connected grid with more metro stations, maybe I could have done without a car.  During the fifteen months I spent in Paris, I was really able to go anywhere without too much complication or distance to walk.

So now that I have actually started to look at car prices and what sort of deals are out there, my hate of all automotive-related professionals is coming back to me.  Am I really going to put myself in a situation where I have to deal with all these clowns again?  The SAAQ, dealers, mechanics, insurance agents!  They’ve all given me a hard time in the past!  Not to mention all the costs associated with owning and maintaining a car!  And what about being stuck in traffic and not finding a parking spot?  Do I really hate myself this bad?

Finally, there’s the whole “environment" issue.  I consider myself eco-conscious to some extent, so I do feel a little bad owning a car for non-necessities.  Maybe I can get a hybrid to feel better about myself, but they’re pretty expensive and the choices are few.

At this point, I still haven’t made up my mind for certain: do I get a car or not?  However, of all the disadvantages, the one that worries me the most is having to deal with mechanics (especially at the dealer): their high prices, their “invented" problems with your car, their pressure tactics …  Man, do I hate this bunch!

Ain't Nothin' Like a Good Haircut!

posted by Odin on Jun 17, 2009

'Barbershop' by Steffe, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

I knew I wasn't made for blogging.  I haven't blogged in over a month now.  It's really a combination of (1) I don't always have something to say that's relevant to SeekOdin, and (2) I don't really have the time right now, what with major changes in my life (new job, lots of vacation travelling and finally coming back to Montreal after fifteen months in Paris).

Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago I was in Montreal for five days.  I needed a haircut before my brother's wedding in Nashville, Tennessee.  I have always hated going to barber shops and salons, and so I spaced my visits out as much as possible, which usually means my hair is way out of control by the time I actually decide to get a haircut.

For the past twelve years or so, I have been cutting my hair really short.  I almost always go to a barber shop or non-fancy salon, and tell the hairdresser to just do my hair with the machine (down to number 3 or so).  I just didn't want to bother with my hair in the morning.  Keep it short and simple.  By the way, I have very rough and wavy hair, so it's not like I can do much with it.

However, since I've been in Paris, I've been going to (slightly) more upscale salons, mostly because that's all there is around where I live, but also because my wife kind of forced me to.  I definitely see the difference, I have to admit; I now cut my hair much longer than I used to.  These guys really took their time, listened to what I wanted and, for the first time since I noticed my receding hairline, I actually liked my hair.

What was really annoying, on the other hand, was how much these places try to push and force you to buy their products.  They always have a way to make you feel bad if you didn't buy this or that hair treatment.  They almost convinced me that my hair was damaged and badly in need of repair.  For a few months, I actually caved in and started using their expensive crap.  But then I woke up, resurrected my old scrutinous nature, and put a stop to all that non-sense.

So now I am back in Montreal, and I needed that haircut.  I decided against going to my old barber shop, and instead walked in to La Coupe (I happened to be parked in the area for something else entirely).  Man, did I enjoy that experience!

First of all, you get a really long and relaxing shampoo/massage.  Next, my hairdresser really took his time, used techniques I have never seen before, and produced a pretty good cut.  Finally, even though they carry tons of their own products for sale, not one person mentioned anything about how "bad" or "damaged" my hair was, or that I should use this or that treatment.  That was the cherry on top of the cake for me.

Bottom line, it's really worth going to an upscale hair salon, even if you have to pay more.  And, to be honest, it's really not THAT expensive ($45), especially after Paris prices (€40 for an average place, nowhere near as nice as La Coupe).

One Blunder After Another

posted by Odin on Apr 30, 2009

'bixi' by ApollineR, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Just when I thought the city of Montreal couldn't make any more mistakes, I am proven wrong!  Just when our public transit options couldn't get any worse, they actually do!

The Bixi public bicycle rental system is due for launch next month.  The idea is simple; you pay an annual fee in order to access a network of public bicycles, parked at given stations.  Various European cities, such as Paris, Munich and Barcelona, have had similar systems for a few years now.

The concept is great.  Lord knows that during the year I've spent in Paris, I have used the Vélib system quite often and am now a devoted fan.  What's not to like?  Lots of bikes, lots of stations, incredible city coverage, cheap membership (30€ for the year)…

The Montreal system, on the other hand, seems riddled with problems from the onset.  To start off, the annual membership fee goes for $78.  This is no astronomical amount, but to keep things in perspective, you can buy a used bike for around $100.  Also, how can the system cost way less in Paris, a much more expensive city?

Second, the distribution of the Bixi stations leaves much to be desired.  A quick look at the map on the official website shows a massive network of stations scattered around downtown and the Plateau area.  This raises two issues.  First, do you really need THIS many stations next to each other?  Seriously, some stations are actually only one block apart!  Second, what about the rest of the city?  I would have decreased the density a bit to provide some stations in surrounding areas such as Westmount, CDN, NDG, which seem to have been completely neglected.

Finally, we live in a cold city, where you can really only bike for a few months a year.  I'm just not too sure it's wise to invest time, effort and money for an activity that will only benefit certain people during a short time window.  There are supposedly 300 Bixi stations to start off.  What exactly did we lose to provide for all of this space?  Is it parking spaces?  I sure hope not!

I am not a fan of cars, and would love to see fewer cars on our island.  But, unfortunately, cars are everywhere and are here to stay for now.  With all of the parking lots transformed into condo projects and the hike in parking meter rates, it has become very hard to find parking anywhere in our busy districts.  Does it really make sense to take up even more spaces for Bixi stations?  It just seems like we're benefiting the minority bikers at the expense of the majority car drivers, which by the way, need those parking spots ALL year long!

Once again, it seems our officials want to do well and head in the right direction.  It just seems they fall short on almost every occasion.

Airport Rail Shuttle? Really?

posted by Odin on Apr 24, 2009

'VIA Train 60 entraining' by Bobolink, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

So I read an article a few weeks ago by Andy Riga from the Gazette about the proposed train shuttle between Trudeau airport and downtown, and I thought to myself "what a waste!"

I have always thought that Montreal lacked a lot when it came to public transportation, whether it was to the airport or elsewhere in general.  And it definitely sounds like a good idea to add a fast way go get to the airport from downtown (something that most large cities of importance, especially in Europe, have always had).

BUT, at what cost?  And to serve whose interests?  Expected to cost $800 million, one wonders whether it's worth spending that much of our money on something that's only meant to serve commercial interests rather than your average Montrealer.

For let us not kid ourselves; the winners here are not the citizens of Montreal, who will undoubtedly pay this costly bill, but rather the conglomeration of corporations, hotels and businesses scattered around our commercial hub located around Central Station.

Businessmen and some tourists may find the shuttle a cheaper and faster alternative to getting to their office or hotel downtown.  However, as a Montrealer, this new shuttle doesn't really help me out that much, unless I lived close to downtown or a metro station that is within reach from Central Station.

The question is; how am I supposed to take advantage of this new line when the rest of the island has such little metro/train coverage?  Suppose I just got back from a trip, and I took the new line downtown; am I supposed to take an interminable metro/bus connection with my luggage to get home?

If you really think about it, it is only a small area lying in the middle of the island that can really benefit from this shuttle.  Everybody else will still have to take a taxi or have someone drive them, since from Central Station you can only go so far by metro.

In Paris, for example, I can understand the need and benefit from a direct train ride from the airport to the middle of the city (which exists, by the way).  From Châtelet-Les Halles, where the shuttle drops you, you can pretty much get anywhere by metro and/or RER (a crossover train-metro system that covers both the city and its suburbs).

We live in a relatively small city of only 2 million people.  We really do not need to go all out and spend like crazy just to join the ranks of cities with 10+ million citizens.  I say, increase our on-island coverage first and fix most of its current problems, then maybe we'll talk about this project.

To summarize, I am not against such a shuttle service; I'm just not sure if taxpayers should pay for it, since it will be mostly serve corporate and commercial interests.  Why don’t THEY get slammed with the bill?

The End of an Era

posted by Odin on Apr 19, 2009

'bens' by viewfromthemoon, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License

By now every real Montrealer knows that the Bens deli has been closed for a while.  This restaurant, established in 1908, has been a true landmark for Montreal for nearly a century.  After a long standing employee strike, the owners sadly decided to close the institution for good.

The Ville-Marie borough recently issued a construction permit to a developer to demolish the building and erect a sixteen-storey hotel in its place.  This took place despite calls from heritage groups to preserve the structure.

Personally, I have only been to Bens once, around fifteen years ago.  I am not a big fan of its type of food and/or ambience, but, in my opinion, its 1940s art-deco style is a relic of a lost era.  Asides from Beautys in the Plateau, I cannot think of any other remaining diner that captures this period and keeps it alive in our collective minds.

Bens has been frequented by celebrities from all over North-America.  Their autographed pictures used to adorn its walls in an attestation for its fame and once-found glory.  It is sad to think that the hotel that will replace it will not bear a single resemblance to its predecessor (maybe it could have carried its name?  Or it could have been built in a neo-art-deco style?).

For those interested, the McCord museum will be exhibiting the photos of celebrities along with other collected memorabilia.

What Montreal has truly lost is not just a restaurant, but a representative and reminder of a bygone era.