Alouettes 38 Blue Bombers 24

It was a historic night at Molson Stadium on the campus of McGill University last night. It was a perfect night, really. Yesterday was one of those days that reminded me why we keep coming to this city and why I love it so much. Perfect summer weather (in my books that's sunny, mid-70s and breezy), a relaxed vibe, the hum of creativity from music and arts festivals and then the slow build to a good party.

Only in Montreal do the beer girls take a victory lap after they've finished serving. The Mrs. scored us front row end zone tickets for the game so we had a perfect view of not only the game but of the beer vendors zooming back and forth through our bleacher section. Our little area of several hundred must've run through, well, several hundred 20 ounce Molson Exs just on its own and these girls were sprinting (when not being accosted by a guy in a giant inflatable eagle costume). They worked it until about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. At five minutes to go they came out with beers of their own, toasted the crowd with a loud "Merci!" and got a standing O from a lot of the patrons. In all the sporting venues in all the cities and countries I've visited I've never seen anything like it.

I also dug that the referee-shirted tambourine girls seen at the Habs games in the winter work the Als games in the summer. They were holding up signs that said "vague" on one side and "defense" on the other. Apparently "vague" is the Quebec translation for "wave" so that's how they get the wave going in the stadium. Personally I loved the idea of cheerleaders waving a sign that said "vague" around. It was very Monty Python-esque, like next they were going to whip out signs that said "doubt" or "whatever" and wave them around. Existential-crisis-ridden cheerleading. Perfect for the 21st century.

After the game thousands of people streamed into downtown and dispersed into buses, cars and bars. We hopped to a few pubs and had a few beers before retiring for the evening to watch the end of the late game with a few room beverages. I had a stupid smile on my face for most of those activities. Well, except for when the Mrs. and I had to shout to hear each other over the loud music they're playing in the Peel Pub these days. We're not wild about the atmosphere of their new location but the food was still good solid pub food so we dealt with it for a short while.

There's a new sports bar on the corner by the hotel. $3,50 Keith's 20 oz drafts in the evening, kitchen open until 2am and they open for breakfast at 7am. The in-laws took adavantage of that this AM and reported they got a ton of food for only six loonies. Looks like we have a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Have I mentioned I love this town?