High Value, Something Missing

My first trip to Montreal in years, and decided to stop into what looked like the most obvious tourist trap in the city. With the Stars and Bars emblazoned on their sign, it seemed obvious that this club caters to Americans, particularly given the 1.3 : 1 USD/CD exchange rate. Entering in and going up some brightly lit, tacky stairs, I paid the $5 cover and was escorted to a seat by an enormous juicehead bouncer who looked like he was itching to fight someone.

Despite the baseball on the TV, everyone there (as with everyone in Quebec in general) was speaking French. Fortunately, everyone I met was also fluent in English, so my mono linguistic limitations weren't a problem. The place is quite clean if a little cheesy, and certainly feels very secure with a huge security presence. If anything, having multiple steroid-chomping goons there actually REDUCED my feeling of safety, since I wondered if there was a track record that suggested a need for so many gorillas or if they were just hoping to break the boredom by pounding a few patrons that skip over the line a hair.

A Coors Light was $8.25 (!!), and was served with a smile by a spectacularly beautiful bartender. Easily up there with the best looking girls in the joint. The dance area is a private, blocked off section in the back with curtained booths that has multiple lighting options. Contact seems to be Montreal standard, which is fairly high.