Montreal rules, Toronto drools

Trapped in the T-dot escaped the T-dot this past weekend and ended up in Montreal.

Ooh la la!

I suddenly have a better understanding why Quebec has been wanting to separate all these years. It's simply cooler than the rest of Canada.

While Montreal is an even colder city than Toronto, it is vibrant in the summer, with stretches of outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants even outnumbering those in New York. You would think the T-dot would take some notice and try to copy Montreal. All this time, I have been noticing Toronto's inferiority complex to New York. I now wonder why it doesn't also have an inferiority complex to Montreal. Because it should.

Instead of wasting time coming up with uncool names such as the T-dot, Montreal builds cool outdoor stuff its residents can enjoy in the summer months. The number of outdoor establishments on most Montreal streets easily surpasses the number in Toronto's entire downtown. As a result, the number of residents frequenting Montreal's streets seems to easily topple the population of the entire GTA. Montreal residents need not say "Wow, there are so many people out" every time 10 people are out on the street, as often happens in Toronto.

Montreal's charm is clearly the result of its French/European influence. One would hope Toronto - which prides itself on its diversity more than any city I know - would also tap into its European population to build a couple of cute outdoor cafes. Would it really be so horrible to be able to have a slice of pizza outside if you're not within the 2-block Little Italy? Why must one go all the way to Danforth Street to experience outdoor coffee that is not Starbucks? I mean seriously, stick some tables and umbrellas on the sidewalks, T-dot. It's ok, really. The world will not come to an end if the streets are used by people.

Selling perogies at a stand in front of the Sky Dome just doesn't cut it.