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Vacation Day 5 - Montreal
Aug. 2nd, 2007 08:47 pmIs there a more boring drive than the one from Toronto to Montreal? It competes with anything the I-5 offers, I assure you. But at long last, I arrived at the Maison des Jardins around 4PM. Mabel, my Garmin GPS, did a terrific job although I think its innards were smoking as it tried to pronounce all the French street names. My bud Thierry (also not on LJ, I'm beginning to see a pattern here) showed up shortly thereafter. To my surprise, it turned out that Montreal was celebrating the first of its two Pride weekends, this one had the parade (which I missed) but the festival was still in full shout. Why Pride occurs on two weekends here defies explanation. Let's just say that it's sponsored by two different gay organizations and you can assume the rest.
The main drag (no, don't go there) had been closed to traffic (happens just about every week according to Thierry). Restaurants and bars extend tables into the street adding to the festivities. No booths, just gay folk of all types enjoying the day. As we walked, Thierry pointed out a former post office that is now a legally recognized sex club. A bit further down the street was the bar "Stock" which Thierry insisted we drop into. And why? It's one of the few places in North America that permits totally nude dancers (one black gentleman could put out your eye!). Funny that here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, none of this is possible. And let's not forget legalized gay marriage. It shows just how far we in the US need to go.
The Stud, the local bear/leather bar was hopping as you'd expect on a Pride weekend. Friendly folk, some eye candy, a great way to end the day.
One final observation. When I returned to my B&B, I noted that the room across the hall was the playroom, sling and all. Fortunately, no late evening activities were planned by the guests that night.
And off to the Lake George Region of New York on Day 6.
The main drag (no, don't go there) had been closed to traffic (happens just about every week according to Thierry). Restaurants and bars extend tables into the street adding to the festivities. No booths, just gay folk of all types enjoying the day. As we walked, Thierry pointed out a former post office that is now a legally recognized sex club. A bit further down the street was the bar "Stock" which Thierry insisted we drop into. And why? It's one of the few places in North America that permits totally nude dancers (one black gentleman could put out your eye!). Funny that here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, none of this is possible. And let's not forget legalized gay marriage. It shows just how far we in the US need to go.
The Stud, the local bear/leather bar was hopping as you'd expect on a Pride weekend. Friendly folk, some eye candy, a great way to end the day.
One final observation. When I returned to my B&B, I noted that the room across the hall was the playroom, sling and all. Fortunately, no late evening activities were planned by the guests that night.
And off to the Lake George Region of New York on Day 6.
