The Atomic Cafe

I just came back from a couple of days of vacation at Old Orchard Beach and my best friend and brother from another mother wanted to hang out Friday evening. I invited him over to my place to go watch the fireworks they had at La Ronde in tribute to the band Queen. Every summer starting around mid-July there's an international fireworks competition where many countries compete and you get to see a different show twice a week. Usually, the fireworks are in sync with some music and it was obviously the case with the Queen tribute, which was pretty cool.

Afterwards, my buddy was a bit hungry so I proposed we walk along the Promenade Ontario in search of an open restaurant. One of the last places to be open was the Atomic Cafe. I passed in front of it many times and it looked like a cool hangout, but I never actually went in.

It's really a nice little shop with a total 50's retro decor that sells small meals like simple sandwiches, soft drinks and beer. It's the kind of place people meet up and talk over a bite and hang out. I thought it was really cool because there were all these old retro television sets and light fixtures and some retro devices such as a classic Asteroid video game and a jukebox that plays 8mm video clips!

The menu offers different kinds of coffees and hot drinks, smoothies, specialty grilled sandwiches, cold cuts sandwiches and small breakfasts. Nothing really out of this world, but simple, cheap, tasty and refreshing. It's a nice place to chat with the barista or other customers and talk about current events. Apparently the owner of the place has a pad that looks like a 50's Bond film set. He's really got a knack for retro decor and art in general.

Additionally, in the back of the cafe is a video rental store called Le Septième. It's a repertoire movie rental place which made me jump for joy. I found all sorts of movies that have passed at previous Fantasia festivals, but could never find a source online to get my hands on them. I will definitely open an account first chance I get and rent them all!

So, if ever you're in the area and you feel a bit peckish, stop by this place for a quick lunch. Their sandwiches are very tasty. And you can take the time to talk to the people there as they are super friendly.

Classic Car Competition at the Orange Julep

Have you heard of Orange Julep? That giant Orange on Decarie boulevard? It's a greasy potato shack kind of place that sells burgers, steamed hot dogs and poutine with their signature drink. The Orange Julep drink is basically orange juice mixed with milk. Yeah, I know, what idiot would mix those two together. Wouldn't the milk coagulate? Well it turns out it's pretty tasty! It's a refreshing creamy orange drink that will help you wash down the gravy and melted curd cheese of that deliciously greasy poutine.

The Orange Julep is a hot spot for car enthusiasts. Many Montreal based auto clubs meet there once a month. Sometimes you'll have the Honda Civic club gathering there or a Jeep club get together. Yesterday was fantastic though. I was just getting out of work when I passed by and saw that they were having a classic cars competition! I immediately pulled my car across the boulevard and turned into the Orange Julep parking lot to go check out the beautiful classics, the hot rods and old muscle cars on display.

Here are a few pictures that I snapped while walking around the lot.

El Camino SS!

Low rider Buick Century 1951

This is a Studebaker Champion. Never thought I'd see one of those in real life.

This was probably the best looking Mustang on the log.

I think this might be a Mercury?
Edit: No, it's another Chevrolet Belair, 1959

This is an Austin Healy 3000! Another rarity.

I have no idea what this is, but damn it's hot!
I think it might be a Plymouth Coupe...

This Corvette is stunning! Very classy!

Another hot rod! I would love to drive one of those one day.

This is a modified Plymouth Coupe from the 1940's for sure.

PIMPMOBILE!!! That land yacht is a Lincoln Town Car.
You need a scooter to get from the front of the car all the way to the back.

Pontiac Firebird with the complimentary pin-up gal of the night.

My Favourites of the night were the Chevrolet Belair. They looked fantastic! I completely fell in love with them just because of the sheer details in the car. You definitely get a feel of the era with the aeroplane-like parts and the wings. They were in perfect stock condition too! A real treasure!

Just look at that beautiful thing!

Check out the chrome bird on the hood!

I think this model above was an earlier model from 1956. This next one is from a year later, 1957, and is in my opinion much better looking. I absolutely love the hood and the chrome front grille and bumpers. The fact that they painted the back of the car the same colour as the rest and the chrome around the headlights and the tail wings also gives it a little extra oomph. Definitely my favourite of the lot.

You can check out the entire photo album here: Walking Solo - Classic Car Competition at the Orange Julep

Walking Solo Playlist - Fists Buried in Pockets.

I was talking to my brother in law the other day about making a playlist of songs I could listen to while walking around Montreal. He immediately suggested a song to me. Now, him and I have stark differences in taste when it comes to music. He's more into energetic punk rock/heavy metal stuff and I'm more into mellow electro/hip hop sounds. But, the song he made me listen to really got to me. It's the song Fists buried in pockets by the very indie punk rock band from Richmond Virginia, The Riot Before. These guys don't even have a Wikipedia article! Sadly, I think the band broke up last November and they haven't released any more albums. That's too bad. I'm not really the indie rock type, but this band was probably one of the few I actually like.

I started walking around about three months ago to ease the pain from a recent heartbreak. I was in deep sorrow and I couldn't stand in place without the memories of my past relationship filling my head, so I walked, for hours on end, to keep my mind focused on sights and places around the city. The lyrics of Fists Buried in Pockets reached out to me in these grief-filled times of my life, because they pretty much expressed how I felt. So, I thought I'd share them with you.

The Riot Before - Fists Buried in Pockets


The venue is filled floor to ceiling with smoke
So tonight I'm walking these streets all alone
Fists buried in pockets, clenched against the persisting cold


High overhead the brightly lit billboards are advertising
Things that I can't afford
Like luxury watches, new cars and hospitals


I'm sick to my stomach with this deep fear of death
That heaven's not coming Ive learned to accept
Slowly breathe this cold air in my lungs and I circulate it


Freezing wind blowing glass in my eyes
Seems hellbent on making me deny
That I won't lead a palindrome life
Slowly exhale
Warm air 
Then I watch it rise
So I lengthen my stride


Of course, I kept on walking up until now because it was a good exercise and I discovered lots of cool stuff. I explored new areas of Montreal and rediscovered places where I never really stopped to smell the flowers and look at the beautiful sights it had to offer. I started taking pictures and wanted to share my discoveries and that's how this blog started.

Biking in my old borough

About a month ago I went to hang out with my good old childhood buddy up in Blainville, the town he calls his new home. There is a beautiful nature park there and he really wanted me to see it so he invited me to bring my mountain bike so we could go ride the trails. It was an great experience, the park was beautiful. But, the whole experience made me realize that not once have I gone biking since I moved back from Ottawa. My legs felt like spaghetti noodles when we came back after an hour. Just one hour! I used to bike for several hours on end just two summers ago! Also, that would explain why my legs lost a lot of strength. I knew then that I had to get back to it and bike more often.

So a couple of weeks ago I went bike riding in the Parc de la Pointe-Aux-Prairies in my childhood borough of Pointe-Aux-Trembles in Montreal's east-end. This park was my peace haven through school. I would just take my mountain bike and race all the way to the park, go through it, and come back. That would take me at least two hours and boy did it feel good.

Mah wheels.

Here are a couple of videos to show you what it looks like. WARNING: Mind your speakers' volume!

The Parc de la Pointe-Aux-Prairies is a nice nature area at the east tip of Montreal Island. It's a little forest spotted with marshes and a few clearings. It's probably the only area in Montreal where the air actually feels breathable, even though it is surrounded by refineries to the west, a highway goes through it and the city's water purification plant sits in the middle of it. That says a lot about the air quality in Montreal.

Riding through that park is so relaxing. It's a beautiful area with wild flowers everywhere. I always come across different animals such as groundhogs, rabbits, turtles, ducks, deer, etc. I remember this one evening, I was on my way back home and I came face to face with a small deer. It just stopped, raised its head and I stopped dead in my tracks with a surprised look on my face. We just stared at each other like two idiots and it just went on in the woods all chill like it was nothing. That was pretty awesome. There are also tons of birds there and it's a favourite spot of many birdwatchers.

The most rewarding part, in my opinion, is when I reach the other side of the park and end up on Boulevard Gouin on the banks of the Rivière Des Prairies. The view is beautiful and I always like to stop by the water and sort of meditate. Water helps me relax so much and is a way for me to empty my mind of all stress.

I eventually backtracked to head back home and I noticed that the city has worked on a new path to go to the woods of the Chapelle de la Réparation, Pointe-Aux-Trembles' go to church for local Catholics. I wanted to see the new work that had been done and that path would take me closer to home anyway.

They actually dug a trail. That was so unnecessary!
The trail was perfectly fine before!

*Angels signing in the background*

As I exited the church parking lot I finished my run through the streets of Pointe-Aux-Trembles and went back home. My legs were, once again, all wobbly and I could barely support myself, but god damn it felt good to bike again!