bixi is easy, affordable, fun

There are times when I want to get from one end of Montreal to the other, and I don’t want to go underground. I don’t want to deal with parking or spend money on a cab - and it would take too long to walk.

Enter Bixi, the city’s new bike rental program. It’s easy, affordable (especially if you’re doing lots of short to’s and fro’s), and fun.

The bikes themselves are sturdy beasts, with lightweight aluminum frames, and wide tires that make cobblestones navigable and take the sting out of stormwater grates. Seats are wide, and the padded handlebars upright - making balance easy.

Shifting is easy, too - flick your wrist to turn a ring and change the gears. Unless you’re climbing Mont Royal, you don’t need any more than the three gears provided.

And the simple system leaves your left hand free to work the bell. This comes in handy near the Science Center, where cyclists and pedestrians mix liberally, and at intersections throughout the city, where the added twist to the mix is turning cars.

The sloping down tube and chain guard make the bikes rideable in just about any attire, and thanks to a taut bungee cord incorporated into the basket, knapsacks, shopping bags and maps are securely contained.

I can’t say enough about the bike path. Over 500 km of gently sloping, paved paths connect the main areas of the city, making it a cinch to get where you need to go - and beyond.

We took two bikes from Parc de la Fontaine one sunny Tuesday morning, jumped on the bike path, and sailed down to Ateliers et Saveurs in Old Montreal for a noon-time class.

We wandered the tiny streets in the Old City, then explored Ile de Notre Dame and Parc Jean Drapeau, saw Habitat 67 up close, and got great views of La Ronde. Later, we ambled through Hochelaga Maisonneuve and saw the Olympic stadium from the sidewalk.

In most cases, we moved more quickly than we would have in a car. And knowing that we could get places under our own steam, while helping ease smog and congestion, made the experience downright exhilarating.

Our only snafus came when we tried to return the bikes - and in the end the fault was mine. If I had read the 20+ pages of info on the touch screen before renting the bikes, we would have known that if there are no empty parking spaces for a return, you can get 15 additional minutes free, while you try another station. Push the symbol with the clock and the + sign.

There is also a map at most stations, so you don’t have to memorize their locations, as we attempted. And the docks don’t all work: if you try to slide a bike into an an empty spot and it won’t lock, you’ll need to find another dock that does.

We used the bike as both taxi (short hop) and tour bus (two hours at a time). Pricing favors the former. The first 30 minutes of use is free, so our credit card was billed for each additional half hour of the longer trips.

A hardy commuter advised us to avoid the charges by returning the bikes to a new station every 25 minutes, then taking new wheels. But we figured it would probably have cost us as much to rent a bike for the day, and we wouldn’t have had the flexibility that Bixi offers.

Do you cycle in Montreal?  Do you use the Bixi system?  Share your experience!

montreal update - jazz, sales, and bikes

July is in full swing with special events - so slather on sun block (yes, the sun will return), grab a bottle of water, and head out into the streets to wander and partake.

The Jazz Festival has Rue St Catherine closed to traffic from St Laurent east, and the fun is not reserved for the weekends or big concert venues. Walking toward Place des Arts from St Laurent midweek, I found the street filled with people.

Bands played on both sides of the street, and I could hear three different free concerts at any one time. Stages were small, medium and - where 4 young men played guitar and harmonica with a cap upturned on the concrete in front of them - nonexistent.

Fans slouched on benches, perched in camping chairs, sat on striped blankets laid over the curb. Body language registered above the music: everyone was loose, relaxed.

Folks ambled by, stopping to hear a few bars and decide whether to stay put or walk on. Street performers set up for a high wire routine.

A cotton candy vendor crisscrossed the pavement, with a stack of pink poufs over one shoulder, and grilling sausages perfumed the air.

Far from the music, on Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Elaine Léveillé climbed in and out of the vitrine at ERA. July 1 marks the start of summer sales, and the owner of the three year old vintage shop was creating a new display - plus answering the phone, welcoming customers, and creating sales signs.

Everything in the store was on sale, and her staff was off for the holiday. Racks displayed halter dresses, short sleeved cashmere sweaters, lace and cotton skirts, cocktail dresses, jackets, wraps, and more - all sorted by color: turquoise, pink, saffron, crimson.

In the Plateau, sale signs covered the windows, and I went into shopping mode. At Retromania, I learned they no longer sell vintage - but I found a white V-neck top from Rayure (one of my favorite Paris shops) at 20% off.

Cyclists were all over the bike path - and I do believe more are wearing helmets.

For my part, I was going to rent a Bixi (no helmet, I should be ashamed) - but I soon learned that the handlebar baskets are open shells. I had umbrella, two small bags, a notebook and camera - which would not be contained without a knapsack or equivalent holding everything in check.

So I walked some more.

sidewalk sales, street fairs, and more

Yesterday was a glorious day to be out and about in Montreal. After four days of rain, the sky was blue, and the city sparkled. I wandered with friends in The Main, the Plateau, the Botanical Gardens, and Vieux Montréal…aahh, what a treat.

The Main - closed to traffic between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal for the first of three summer sidewalk sales - was in its glory. Street food included chow mein, hot dogs and espresso (with chocolat chaud as a holdover from the preceding rainy days) - supplemented by café terraces, filled to overflowing.

Friends chatted in groups, couples walked hand in hand, and just about every breed of dog padded through the happy crowds. In sidewalk sale tents, prices plunged - and we got two swingy, Georges Lévesque nylon skirts at Scandale for half off.

Ex-centris had a free viral/visual project going. Apparently, there is still confusion about whether the state-of-the-art complex is still open. To promote the still intact Cinéma Parallèle, a friendly, goateed young man invited passersby to peer through a hole in a painted board, kind of like they do with Mickey Mouse at Disney. A professional photographer recorded the images.

I can’t say I understood the visuals (at first glance, a donut, with a bullet on trajectory toward the participant’s head), but I love the place - a cultural treasure, full of fun and surprises all year long.

In the Plateau, it was all about biking. Folding bikes, hybrids, and faithful old road models rolled along with the cars on Ave Mont-Royal. Bikes (and calmly panting dogs) waited in front of stores and cafés as their owners enjoyed the confluence of free time and good weather, shopping, brunching, and hanging out in puddles of sun.

Every BIXI station in and around Parc la Fontaine was empty - and the bike path between the park and the Botanical Gardens streamed with riders. At the gardens, bike parking was easy to come by; cars, packed with families and poussettes, were not so easily accommodated.

We saw a black tandem bike locked to a post, and imagined the couple who owned it: middle aged, helmeted cyclists wearing slim-fitting Pearl Izumi jackets, who had once toured Ireland, Italy and elsewhere under their own power.

Near the entrance, a pair of twenty-something cyclists leaned duffle-laden steeds against a tree, while he took her picture with a disposable point-and-shoot. Not in front of the joyously spattering fountain, or the ruffled yellow snapdragons - but in front of the Olympic stadium, with her left hand raised to shoulder height, and held flat, as if she held the white stadium tip in her palm.

In Vieux Montréal, a long line waited at Musée Point-à-Caillière, in honor of the city-wide Free Museum Day. On the grass near the science museum, aerobics instructors led warm ups for a walk benefiting Alzheimer’s patients.

We watched a parade of snare drummers wearing tri-cornered black and gold hats, and wandered through a food festival featuring lobsters and sugar on snow.

Finally, we staked out a table at Café Serafim, soaking in the sun, nursing lattes, and admiring Chapel Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.

Across the street, wearing period dress, the Musée Marguerite Bourgeoys staff announced the free tour. Eventually we succumbed and climbed the 69 steps to the tower - breathing in the blue sky and the view of the harbor, watching our fellow revelers from above.

summer festivals celebrate jazz, fashion, comedy, cycling

Get out your calendar, and start planning your summer weekends now.  Jazz, fashion, comedy and cycling festivals are all on the horizon.  Here is a primer, so you’ll know what to expect and how to learn more.

MONTREAL BIKE FEST, May 31 to June 7, 2009. Montreal celebrates the bicycle for eight days, in the best cycling city in North America, according to Bicycling Magazine.

The festival kicks off with a group ride along the Châteauguay River. The Metropolitan Challenge, Sun May 31, has 75, 100, 125 and 150 km options.

Operation Bike to Work takes place June 1-5, offering workshops on and incentives for commuting by bike.

A fun way to see Montreal under the lights is Un Tour La Nuit - Fri June 5. Twenty thousand participants will ride 20km of trails, leaving from Blvd St Joseph at 8:30pm.

Join the Tour de I’lle as it celebrates its 25th anniversary on June 7, 2009. This family-oriented event is a great way to explore the city’s neighborhoods. Cirque de Soleil participates in the send-off, which takes place on Ave du Parc at 9:15am.

The Bike Fest has extra support from the city’s new green initiative, BIXI.  This hop-on-hop-off bike rental program, inspired by the popular Paris Vélib, makes 3,000 bikes available at 300 stations in areas of the city served by bike lanes. Once you’re registered, you can take a bike, pedal free for the first half hour, and return it to any station. Bikes are available May - Nov (stations are removed for the winter.) Starts May 12.

Fashionistas flock to Montreal for events like the Festival de la Mode, with street activities and special
presentations that pay tribute to fashion and design, with special focus on Quebec designers. June 17 to 20, McGill College Avenue

Not sure if it’s for you?  Watch a video.

June 13 kicks off the 25th anniversary of the L’International des Feux Loto-Québec - international fireworks festival. The schedule consists of ten Saturday night performances, each featuring 30 minute fireworks shows, with talent from a dozen countries - including Canada on July 25.

You’ll need tickets to watch from amusement park La Ronde, where the fireworks are launched and set to music. Or watch for free on the Jacques Cartier bridge. Festival runs through the grande finale on Aug 15.

Festival International de Jazz de Montreal – the largest jazz festival in the world - takes place July 1 to 12 at Place des Arts.  There will be over 500 shows, including 350 free outdoor concerts. The program of ticketed concerts will be unveiled Tuesday, May 5th, at 11am, with the full program of free concerts to be unveiled June 8.

Just for Laughs Festival is a premier comedy event featuring gala performances, theater, club acts and outdoor shows, with galas hosted by John Cleese and Whoopi Goldberg. July 3 to 26, 2009 Quartier Latin.

Hope to see you on the streets of Montreal!