Thursday, June 2, 2016

Montreal: Day 1

I arrived in Montreal Friday night and checked into the hotel. Because it was already late, I ordered in room service, and read a little bit, and went to bed. I read Do-Over by Haley Walsh; which was a cute and sexy little short story. I’d recommend it for anyone who wants a quick read.

When I woke Saturday morning, I took a shower and got ready to go out.  I started to eat breakfast at the hotel, but decided to seek out a Starbucks on St. Catherine Street instead. So I hiked up the short hill to St. Catherine’s and went in search of my first Starbucks. I first went west on St. Catherine, which must have been a mistake because when I headed east, there was a Starbucks every block or two. 

St. Catherine Street is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal. It is where most of the shops and malls are. I window-shopped some as I walked down the street and headed toward the Gay Village at the other end of the street. Part of the street around the Place des Arts is blocked off for pedestrian traffic only. I continued down the street to the Latin Quarter, which is not pedestrian only until I came to the Gay Village.

You know you are in the Gay Village proper when you see the pink balloons overhead that extend throughout The Village on St. Catherine Street. The Village is filled with shops, restaurants, bars, and saunas all catering to gay men. If there were lesbian areas, I didn’t see them, nor did I see many straight couples walking around the area. I did see some lesbians and straight couples, but not many.  Once I walked through The Village and found where I would be meeting JiEL later that evening, I headed back to my hotel, but decided to do some shopping on the way. I bought an outfit (gray jeans a blue polka dot shirt, cute socks, and a pair of sneakers) and decided to go back to my hotel to rest before heading back out that evening.

I left my hotel room around 4pm (I was meeting JiEL at 5) and went in search of the Metro Station. There were two near my hotel, neither of which I could find unless you know exactly where to look. My international data doesn’t seem to work with Verizon making navigating a bit more difficult. I need to talk to Verizon about this since my plan says that it will. So I ended up walking back down to the Gay Village, where I met JiEL at Sky Bar.

JiEL gave me an extensive tour of The Village. He first showed me the major sights of Montreal from the rooftop bar at Sky.  Then he showed me the best places to go to and which ones to avoid in the Gay Village. We went into Campus, which is a nude dance bar. The men were gorgeous and there were a few porn stars there. We stayed long enough to look around and see a few dances before heading out and deciding we would come back later. We continued our tour of the Gay Village, and then found the nice Italian restaurant with the fabulous linguine pescatore I had mentioned in a previous blog post.

After dinner we went into Priape, which is a gay sex shop mega store; then back to Campus where they were having the Best Butt 2016 Contest. For a butt aficionado, I was in heaven. About halfway through the contest, one of the dancers approached me about doing a private dance. I said I would like to after the contest was over. JiEL had to leave after the Best Butt Contest, but I stayed for my private dance. I had a blast even though I spent too much money, but it was worth every dollar. I definitely got my money’s worth.  Unlike with female strippers where you are forbidden to touch, male strippers allow you to touch and play. It was loads of fun.

After the private dance, I found a taxi and headed back to my hotel. My feet were tired and would not hold out for another walk back to the hotel.  I’d already walked nearly 11 miles on Saturday. My feet needed a rest. When I got back to the hotel, I let off some sexual energy with the thought of my dancer and his wonderful smell, and then drifted to sleep.

Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow….

7 comments:

Susan said...

An excellent visual and mental tour, Joe. Meeting JiEl and having him help you maneuver The Gay Village must have been a bonus addition to your trip. Thanks for sharing.

Michael Dodd said...

Sounds like quite a day.

My favorite part of your post: "cute socks." I think cute or mismatched socks are one of the best ways to subtly assert my difference and to undermine the absurd illusions that surround me.

The most ancient legend of the death of St. Peter is that he asked to be crucified head downward so that he would leave the earth seeing it the way everyone else did -- upside down. I doubt he was wearing socks, but it strikes me as a similar point of view.

JiEL said...

I did point out to you that the «Drugstore» was a place were lesbians used to meet.
But, unfortunately it closed. Now we see them in less number at the Sky Pub.

I'm happy you enjoyed that first day. You've seen and experienced just a small part of what is in the Gay Village and Montreal.
Like from June 29 to July 3 there will be the "Mtl en Arts" (Montreal in Arts) exhibition. Lot of artists showing their artworks on Ste-Catherine St. all over the Gay Village.
http://mtlenarts.com/

At the same time near Place des Arts and on many stages there is the Montreal Jazz festival. http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/default-fr.aspx

Much to see and listen too....

Friendly yours: Jean-Luc (JiEL)

The Narrow Corner said...

Reads like a 19th Century diary.

Joe said...

I'm not sure how to take that. If you have questions, I can elaborate.

The Narrow Corner said...

It's a compliment. Reminded me of Bram Stoker (and I'm NOT being sarcastic).

Joe said...

Thank you