Old man winter seemed to have it in for Canada this past winter. Several different records were broken in various Canadian cities, for the most part related to the cold. This no doubt plays into the fact that myself and my friends have been talking about just how great this summer was going to be.
Most of my travel recently has been to visit family. I had a chance to visit some of Louisiana a while back but never got around to discussing it on my blog. Despite summer being a few months away at some point in April I purchased a small portable charcoal barbq, The Weber 18″ jumboe Joe which can be seen below:
I had watched a few reviews on youtube prior to making the purchase. Based on this specific review I decided to add two modifications to the barbq itself. The first was that I added the small handle at the base of the barbq which makes it easier to open and close the vent. Without this handle you’re risking small burns.
The second addition was that of a small thermometer. Although perhaps not sensitive enough for some individuals, I enjoy having a general idea of the temperature inside the barbq. One of my favorite aspects of the barbq is the fact that it’s portable. There’s a small metal lever which when raised “locks” the barbq and the hood together for transportation. You can see all of the above mentioned items in the gallery below:
Most of our barbq’ing happens along Montreal’s Lachine canal which runs from downtown Montreal almost to the end of the west island. We’ll normally have one person carry the barbq, another the cooler and a third the charcoal and liquids (usually beer).
We’ve got a favorite spot along the Canal we visit. They have multiple picnic tables, a few large tree’s for shade and plenty of room to throw around the frisbee. We’ll get to the spot, light the charcoal and let the barbq warm up. While that’s happening we’ll have a few beers, talk and throw the frisbee around.
Most Montrealers know this but some of you who visit this blog might not be aware so I’ll make a point of mentioning it: Montreal has a very laissez-faire attitude (live and let live). Police will not bat an eye at a group of friends sitting around the picnic table with a barbq and beers in hand. As long as you’re not being loud, obnoxious or a bother to other people in the park they’ll most likely just keep on walking or bicycling when they see you. That same attitude also prevails in regards to marijuana. I’ll come back to this in another post about Montreal summer activities.
There are two things I also need to point out: Please note that you’re not allowed to bring your barbq around some of the historic Lachine canal locations. The second slightly sadder aspect of the Lachine Canal is that east of the Atwater market they’ve begun construction of several large condo buildings directly on each side of the canal. I’m of the opinion they’re a blight to the landscape and are going to be ugly once completed (large square building along an an-otherwise beautiful canal with tree’s.) I’d hate for any of you to visit this part of the Canal only to see condo building after condo building.
So there you have it, part 1 of my favorite summer activities in Montreal. Hanging out with friends on the Lachine Canal. Slowly cooking some food on the barbq as we throw the frisbee, enjoy a few beers and talk about the world. You can find more information about barbq rules and facilities on the city of Montreal’s website.
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