My Pre-Grand Prix Week in Montreal
If you told me a year and two months ago that I would be attending the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, I would not have believed you.
I had spent months searching for affordable tickets but unsurprisingly, I had no luck. It wasn’t until I subscribed to the official site for the Canadian Grand Prix that I finally got my big break.
When I subscribed to GP Canada’s newsletter in March, they had a bunch of remaining tickets that they were releasing sporadically until the Grand Prix. I was unsuccessful with the first two drops but on the third (and final) one, I managed to get two 3-day General Admission tickets.
I will never forget the relief and excitement I felt when I got the confirmation email. Just know that tears of joy were shed that day.
I had initially planned to go to Montreal with my dad exclusively for the Grand Prix weekend. But, when my friends got word that I would be travelling to a new city, they desperately wanted to join.
Since my friends didn’t have tickets for the race, I decided to make a compromise. Instead of a weekend getaway, I went on a weeklong trip to Montreal where I spent the first four days sightseeing with my friends and spent the remaining three days with my dad at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
I couldn’t fit my entire trip into one story so this part will cover my days as a tourist in Montreal. The second part will be about my experience at the Grand Prix.
Table of Contents
· MONDAY: “The Arrival”
· TUESDAY: “The Guest Star”
· WEDNESDAY: “The Hustle”
· THURSDAY: “The Demise”
MONDAY: “The Arrival”
We arrived in downtown Montreal on Monday afternoon with bright eyes and bushy tails. But, little did we know, that everything was about to go downhill.
We were staying with an aunt in the suburbs so we had to navigate the STM (Montreal’s metro system) to make our way there. But after buying our tickets, we got lost trying to find the subway. If not for the luggage and backpacks we were carrying and the stairs we had to climb and unclimb, this mistake wouldn’t have been so taxing.
When we finally found the staircase that led to the subway, my friends scanned their passes but mine didn’t work. Just my luck. The Montrealers — who are rude by nature — were very annoyed that some tourist was holding up the line. After struggling for what felt like ten minutes, a man kindly scanned his pass for me and let me walk through.
We boarded the train successfully but when I was about to take my seat, the train took off. I lost my balance and toppled over the guy next to me! Thankfully, he took it like a champ but I was still very embarrassed because my friends laughed at me the entire ride.
When we reached our station, instead of lugging our suitcases up the stairs, we decided to take the elevator. This proved to be a terrible idea because the elevator smelt like stale pee! We got off the stinky elevator huffing for air but we quickly carried on and hopped on our bus… or so we thought.
The bus was pretty full and sadly, there was no air conditioning to mediate the heat. Not only were we packed like sardines roasting in the sun, but the bus was filled with yet another foul aroma: body odour.
“Certainly nothing else can go wrong today,” I thought to myself.
But after about 15 stops, my friend, who was sitting further back, called me saying: “We got on the wrong bus, we have to get off NOW.”
Turns out we got on the right bus number… but we were going in the wrong direction.
We were hot, hungry, sweaty, tired, and we just wanted to go home.
We gave up on Montreal’s transit system and decided to order an Uber. Our Uber driver came swiftly but, he refrained from turning on the AC or rolling down the windows. So while our driver seemed to relish the scorching heat, we were left sizzling in the backseat with our dying portable fans.
After 20 minutes in the Honda Sauna — I mean Civic – we FINALLY reached our home for the week. We were so drained from our journey that we decided to officially start our trip the next day.
TUESDAY: “The Guest Star”
If you have never been to Montreal, there is so much to see and do. With just three days to see the city, we made a jam-packed list of attractions to accomplish.
On this day, we had three sites on our list:
Jean-Talon Market
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Mount Royal Park
Unlike the day prior, we got on all the right buses and successfully figured our way around the STM. Although we had a rough first encounter, we ended up falling in love with Montreal’s speedy and clean metro system — qualities that our transit system back home fails to replicate.
Pro Tip: There aren’t any washrooms in the subway stations, so be sure to take advantage of the washrooms in the places you visit.
If you are in a pinch, your best bet is a Hotel washroom.
We arrived at the lovely Jean-Talon Market where we were greeted with beautiful street art, delicious-smelling foods, and an array of produce and flowers. We bought some maple goods and ate some delicious empanadas and pastries before we made our way downtown to the Museum.
At the Fine Arts Museum, there was a particular room we visited where you could watch and listen to the art being projected onto the walls. It was a cool and cinematic experience that was also quite relaxing! Needless to say, we had a great time enjoying the different forms of art and the very comfy bean bag chairs.
Because we got to the Museum around closing time, we didn’t have time to use the washrooms. We realized that the Ritz-Carlton Hotel was just two blocks east so we made a pit stop for the ladies’ room.
As we were leaving the hotel, we saw Carlos Sainz’s cousin (Caco) and his former trainer (Rupert) walking in the lobby! Most of the drivers stay at the Ritz for the week so it wasn’t exactly surprising to see them there.
“Imagine we see Carlos today,” we said jokingly as we walked to our next attraction.
Our final attraction for the day was to see the Montreal skyline from Mount Royal Park. One of my friends had been there before, but what she failed to disclose was how many steps it would take to get there…
From the Ritz, you have to walk up a steep incline to get to the park. Once you get to the park, you have to travel up 300+ steps to reach the lookout point. As someone who doesn’t exercise, the hill walk was bad enough on its own so, I was in for a real treat.
It also didn’t help that we had spent the entire day on our feet so we were already feeling the pain before we even tackled the steps. It was also another hot day in the city and I was wearing the worst possible outfit for hiking: a raincoat, a pair of jeans, and flat sneakers.
Pro Tip: The weather in Montreal is very unpredictable, so if you visit, be prepared for anything!
This journey was easily the worst experience of my life. The stairs felt ENDLESS and I hated every second of it. How I made it to the top, I truly don’t know, but the lookout was incredibly beautiful.
After admiring the view, we went up a short flight of stairs to the public building to cool down and rest our feet before heading back down to Earth. After about 10 minutes, we stepped out of the building, and my heart dropped at the sight of someone in the distance.
“Oh. my. gosh.”
My friends looked at me with confusion and asked me what was wrong.
“No,” I said shaking my head, “it can’t be.”
But as we walked down the steps of the public building, I realized that my eyes were not deceiving me.
At this point, my friends are begging me to spit it out. But I physically couldn’t get the words out.
I shyly pointed ahead of us and finally said, “Guys. LOOK.”
They followed my gaze and one of them went:
“Is that…Carlos Sainz?!”
After getting a closer look we confirmed that it was in fact, a Mr. Carlos Sainz. He was stretching at the lookout railings with Caco and Rupert — the two people we saw earlier at the hotel!
We really didn’t want to disturb them but after seeing a woman approach him for a picture, we realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we could not let slip by.
My friend mustered up the courage to walk up to Carlos and he agreed to take a photo with us — well, two photos actually because I wanted one on my film camera!
“Wow, this is a nice camera,” said Caco as I handed him my vintage Minolta F35.
After our photos, both of my friends thanked Carlos for his time and wished him luck on the weekend. Unfortunately for me, I did not get a single word out! I was completely starstruck! And so, we walked away with our jaws dragging on the floor.
If you read my previous story, you would know that Carlos Sainz was the driver I cheered for when I watched my first Grand Prix on TV two years ago. Looking back now, it’s kind of crazy how I got to meet him in person almost exactly a year later!
All I can say now is that the dreadful walk up the stairs was definitely worth it!
WEDNESDAY: “The Hustle”
Despite my strong aversion to those nightmarish stairs, both of my friends insisted on revisiting Mount Royal Park as a form of exercise (as if the amount of walking we do daily wasn’t enough).
We wanted to beat the heat so we got to the park at around 8 AM. Although it was still a tiring trip, nothing compares to the view from above.
We ventured back to the suburbs afterward and prepared for another long day in the city. Here is our Wednesday itinerary:
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Botanical Garden
Montreal Biodome
St-Viateur Bagel & Café
We had 6 hours and 4 sites but by the grace of God, we managed to do it all.
Pro Tip: Most tourist sites close at around mid-afternoon to early evening, so plan accordingly!
We first visited the Holocaust Museum which was a very solemn yet educational experience that we greatly appreciated. If you are ever in Montreal, I recommend taking the time to visit the Museum to learn about Jewish history and the depth of their suffering during World War II.
Our second stop was the botanical garden. Unfortunately, since time was of the essence, we didn’t have enough time to see it all. We walked through the Chinese garden (as pictured above) and we even saw a tortoise crawling amidst the rocks! Even though we were only there for an hour, it was nice escaping all the buildings and city noise to frolic around in sweet green serenity 🧘♀️.
Across the street from the garden was our next stop: the biodome. This place was amazing. Each room had a totally different ecosystem. In one room, for instance, you had a chilly Antarctica-esque environment of penguins and in another section, you had a tropical forest with macaws, capybaras, and a bunch of other animals!
The biodome was a 10/10 in my book!
Although we wanted to stay in the air-conditioned biodome forever, we still had traditional Montreal bagels to find. So we ventured off to Avenue du Mont-Royal which is a blocked-off street filled with restaurants, boutiques, patio dining, and a whole lot more! After we grabbed a bunch of bagels from St. Viateur’s, we dined at Mai Xiang Dumpling for a quick bite.
Even though we were extremely tired, we decided to spend the rest of our evening strolling through the city with our bagels in hand. It was quite a busy night in downtown Montreal since everyone was preparing for Grand Prix festivities. We happened to pass by the Ritz again but unlike the day prior, there was a whole crew of fans waiting for drivers to arrive and sign autographs.
As we were walking down the street, one of the security guards jokingly asked if he could snag a bagel from us. Believe it or not, he was the third person who asked us for a bagel that night! The lovely fellow’s name was Francesco and he so kindly gave each of us a bottle of water from the hotel.
“Maybe Montrealers aren’t all so grumpy,” I thought, but then he said he was actually from our home city!
We conversed with him for the remainder of the evening and until our Uber came for our final night in Montreal’s suburbia.
THURSDAY: “The Demise”
For our final day of sightseeing, we had three more places to visit:
Pit lane walk at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve*
Old Montreal
Saint-Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal
*I will save the details of the pit lane walk and the pictures we took for Part 2.
After the pit lane walk, it began to rain. We still had Old Montreal and the Oratory to visit but without raincoats or umbrellas, we weren’t sure if proceeding was the right option. As a result, we stopped at a cycling cafe to figure out our plan.
As we sat in the cafe drinking our matcha lattes, we realized that we were miserable. It became clear that the early mornings, busy days, and late nights finally caught up to us. Our bodies were physically drained and strained, so we decided to call it a day. Even though we missed out on two of the best attractions in the city, we needed rest more than anything — me especially since I still had three more days of extensive walking.
Regardless of how tiring the trip was and how sick we got of each other, we absolutely LOVED Montreal and vowed to come back someday to finish what we started. It was the best week of my year — maybe even my whole life!
With that said, if you are wondering what place to tour next, I highly recommend the beautiful city of Montreal! Just make sure you don’t cram all your attractions in just three days!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my trip, where I talk about all things Canadian Grand Prix!
