30 Hours in Montreal

The deal was to leave at 5:30 Sunday morning. That would get us to Montreal by noon. The drive is easy and beautiful, and I-87 North takes you just about the whole way. You hit the Adirondacks not too far past Saratoga Springs and the view is enough to shut everyone up in the car.

Five minutes after you pass through customs your cellphone is roaming. Another 55 minutes or so after that you're in Montreal.

Montreal is in Canada's province of Quebec, one that shares a unique history with the rest of the country. Many French-Canadian citizens of Quebec support the idea of seceding from Canada and becoming their own independent state. There have been two referendums in Quebec's past suggesting this, one in 1980 and one in 1995. The latter was opposed by a very narrow margin.

While the "fever" surrounding the issue has been broken, there continues to be a significant part of Quebec's population in favor of the referendum. Toronto being Canada's financial epicenter is a fact the residents of Montreal don't seemed concerned about. Montreal is like Toronto's socialist sibling 500 kilometers to the North East.