Sample/Inventory Sale!

Friday was a rainy and dreary day, so I headed down to the Old Port of Montreal to attend a fashion sale. It was Day 2 of "The Big Fashion Sale by Quebec Designers".  In search of some good deals on some local fashion I headed to this huge old building called Bonsecours:

The sale was pretty crazy. There was three levels to explore of clothing, accessories, jackets and shoes.  There was all different kinds of styles to look at! Super classy ladies wear to organic cotton hippy yoga wear.

Most of the vendors( if not all) were waaayyy out of my price range! Even at the sale prices of 50-80% off things were still pretty pricey.  It was still fun to look. I had heard about sample sales but had never been to one until now.  It is a rare chance to potentially buy one-of-a-kind designer items!!! This sale was pretty large in scale, so it included a lot of old inventory as well.

Some of the designers that stood out to me are:

Véronique Miljkovitch

I was kinda surprised that I liked her stuff.  I think it was mostly because it reminded me of my friend Alicja's design style

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 Eve Gravel 

Super cute dressers. There was a really nice white (with tiny grey hearts) cotton shift dress, with super delicate pleating in the front that I loved by this designer.

Anne-Marie Chagnon

Her jewelry really reminds me of an old co-worker/friend in the Yukon who creates beautiful stained glass works and jewelry.

Soia & Kyo

 I have always loved this brand. Their jackets are AMAZING! 

That is about all I can remember... One thing that really stood out to me at the event was the range of quality/styles of product! There was a good mix of emerging designers and well established brands so it was neat to see them all in one place.  It was inspiring to see.

"You're just a riddle in the Sky"

Recently, this musician was brought to my attention: The Tallest Man On Earth




He just did a show here in Montreal, but unfortunately I found out about him a little bit too late.  It would have been a really awesome show to see live!

Since this song I decided to post is about birds, I feel I have to bring up my little escapade into "birding" today.  I saw this really beautiful bird in my back yard and I had to know what it was!!!  The only thing I have found to be similar is the "Red-winged Black Bird".

But I am not 100% convinced that it is the same one because the bird I saw today had much cooler looking markings on the wing...  and apparently these birds are really common to see... so I got all excited for nothing.  The tree in my current backyard must be a sanctuary of sorts for birds because I see so many birds all the time. OH and hear them "singing" all the time. 

"She has the voice of an angel"

That's bold. You can't just throw that out there about someone unless you really mean it.  Not that I really even know what the voice of an angel would sound like... but it sets some high expectations.

These expectations were met last night by the lovely and oh so mesmerizing Katie Moore.  What a babe too!

 Hands down, I have to say, that it was one of the best shows I have been too.  And yes, I realize that is a bold statement to make as well... Boldness seems to be every where in this post.  Maybe I should just write this whole post in BOLD.. I made a joke? haha Funny...?!

She played last night at the Casa De Popolo, which is a really nice intimate venue.  The bar is split into two with one side being a cafe/restaurant vibe and the other side being just for shows.   The place was packed and usually at such capacity there is bound to be someone who is talking obnoxiously or not playing attention, but not at this show! Every single person in the audience was captivated by Katie Moore and her back up band.  Even the bartenders were whispering. 



Isn't she awesome? She had a violinist that accompanied her as well and who played so hauntingly beautifully.  The violin, combined with Katies voice, was almost too much. It tugged at my heart strings.  I don't really know what else to say about her, other then I am so glad I got to see her perform and I will probably end up going to see her again soon. She is from Montreal after all...

Unintentional Brewery Battle

Last night a friend and I were walking downtown on Saint Catherine's Street in search of some where to have a pint of beer and/or cider.  We walked past all the pubs on Bishops and Crescent Streets, which are both well known to be where all the stereo-typically college scene bars are and kept walking until we saw "Les Trois Brasseurs".

Les Trois Brasseurs (or The Three Brewers in English) is a chain Brewery Pub/Restaurant. 

They have four establishments in Montreal and one in Toronto I believe. So, since we were kinda running out of options we went in.  It was huge! And busy! Even so, we didn't have to wait that long and got seats at the bar.  I wasn't really in the mood for beer so I asked if they had any cider on tap and the bartender in the rudest tone ever told me "No, this is brew pub. We brew beer".  I was really offended because I am not dumb, I knew where we were and I have been to "brew pubs" before that make cider or just have some other companies cider on tap... He then left and took his sweet time in coming back to us, so we decided to just leave.  Not worth our time or money. The place was way too commercial, the music was terrible and obviously the service wasn't too great either.

We made our way up to the Plateau in search of better service and were pleased to find it at "Dieu du Ciel".  I had been there before so I knew what the place would be like. It is fairly small and even on a Tuesday night it was packed! We easily found a table and our server was quick and friendly. She also didn't front on me when I asked for a pint of cider!!!  I was tempted to order a beer from their interesting looking menu. They had about 15 different varieties on the board for that day! One I want to go back to try (when I am in the beer drinking mood) is their Maple Scotch Ale:

Equinoxe du printemps (Spring equinox)
Maple scotch ale - 8%

A variant of the Cornemuse, the Équinoxe du Printemps offers a melody of caramel and maple. At the first draught, the mouth is overcome by woody, malty flavours, sustained by a discrete symphony of sweetness. The aftertaste brings about the warmth of alcohol and flavours of maple toffee. Very well balanced, this beer will surprise even the most experienced beer enthusiasts. The maple taste is sufficiently present to be appreciated, but never overwhelming the traditional flavours of a Scotch Ale.

Équinoxe du printemps is brewed only once a year, in January. It is aged for two months in order to attain a perfect balance in taste. Then it is sold starting March 21st, and is available only while stocks last!

The Spring equinox was born in our Montreal brewpub in February 1999

Sounds yummy!  On a bonus note, Dieu du Ciel is a quick walk away from where I will be living this summer.  Maybe I will become a bit more of a connoisseur....

In conclusion:
Les Trois Brasseurs-FAIL
Dieu du Ciel-WIN

Underground

Well, most posts (if not ALL posts) to date have been about Montreal on ground level, so just to mix it up how about one about below the city!

Last night I went to an event called "Envol Underground":

It was in an old abandoned tunnel that goes under the Lachine Canal.  It was quite spooky in there. 

First of all, we had to meet at a cafe nearby so we could get directions from the host. We waited in the drizzling rain for about 45 minutes before being lead into a dark tunnel illuminated by tiny little tea lights. It is a good thing that cell phones can work some what like a flash light...

Once inside there was music, video projections, live art/graffitti and fire dancers.  There even was a snack table. Twizzlers? Yes, please!

It was a pretty cool set up, but I was too cold and creeped out by the place to really enjoy it all. We left before midnight, but I am sure that things probably picked up as the night progressed further into the wee hours.

I came across this website about Urban Exploring in Montreal.  Seems like an exciting hobby to have but a bit too sketchy for me, so I think I will just stick to exploring their website.

Work when you need to - maybe

Old Man Luedecke... if you like banjo, you will like this man. 

This past Friday I got to see him play at the Green Room.  It was my second time seeing him play. Which is fortunate because we were pretty late getting to the show and only got to see the last half of his set! Nothing could ever compare to the first time I saw him at the Palace Grand though during Dawson City Music Festival. I think that place spoils any bands following performances for me.  It is just so magical there!

From what I saw of the show, it was really entertaining.  I got to do some good ole foot stomping for a few songs, so I think it is safe to say I was having a fun time!

Here is one of my favourite songs that he plays:

I want to ride my bicycle!!!

I want to ride my BIKE!!

Well, I guess first priority would be to purchase said bicycle... which hopefully will be remedied very soon. Thank you tax return! Woot!

Now that it is spring time the city has become more alive and bustling.  It seems like everyone has gotten their bike out of storage and are making use of the many bike paths that Montreal has to offer. And... I am jealous. I can not wait to get back pedaling.  The spin classes I have been going to at the YMCA are just not the same.

First up when I find a bike I want to take the Lachine Canal bike path.  It is a really nice bike path that is close to 30 km round trip and I think there are a bunch of other connecting paths you can connect to as well.  On a nice day it is so busy! I've been out jogging on the path a lot lately and some days you have to be aware of all the cyclists and rollerbladers. I thought Kelowna was bad for its roller bladers, but they are by far out numbered here (which for some reason I find surprising).

Right now I live close to the Atwater Market, which is right on the Canal.  It is pretty neat how there are bike paths that can take you all around the island!!! Yep, Montreal is an island didn't you know?  "The island is approximately 50 km long and 16 km wide at its widest point".  The geography of this city always makes me laugh for some reason. A mountain? On an Island?

Once I do get out for a ride, I will be sure to post an update! But until then, watch this: