Timmy Gets Fancy

Well, Tim Horton might be feeling some competitive pressure. Not from Starbucks, which is mostly shut out from Canada, but from "the Maple Leaf Chain;" namely the great Canadian colossus sometimes known as "McDonalds" and their popular "McCafe." Lattes? At Tim Horton? What will come next; biscotti?

Personally, I'm not sure that Timmy's got all its marketing right. You get free wifi at McDonalds and that lets me text under the new Apple iOS without paying the exorbitant AT&T foreign data rates. Just remember: "McDouble, sans ketchup; ici; sandwich seulment, s'il vous plait."

Yup, I'm in Quebec once again. Somehow, I find that -17C in Quebec seems a LOT warmer than 2F would in North Texas. I'm not sure why this should be so...

Montreal Bike Observation and Tim Horton's Little Secret

DFW Airport Bike Parking Facilities. Your Tax Dollars at Work

I was in Montreal again last week. I kept a careful eye out for bicycles and things bicycling there. Unlike last winter, there wasn't a lot that I had to see that was of note, at least until I got back to the DFW Metroplex, where I was struck by the DFW World Class bicycle parking facilities shown in the photo; taken adjacent to the DFW Airport "Long Term Parking" Entrance. I've concluded it would not be wise to ride my bike to the airport if I were flying. Even the best of locks would not resist a thief that knew he/she might have a week or more to collect the bike. Just forward of the bike, some of the chain link may be seen to have been cut away. FWIW, it is illegal to ride a bike along the main terminal road at DFW because there is a posted minimum speed that precludes it.

I was reminded of the dirty little secret of Tim Hortons while I was in Montreal, however. Their motto, associated mainly with their donuts is "always fresh." Well, once upon a time, that was how donuts really were at Tim's. Nowadays, the only "fresh" aspect to their donuts is that the donuts are freshly defrosted and are made by a Swiss company. The story may be found here or here, along with photos of their sign. Despite that, I was told by my co-travelers that their sandwiches are good all the same. Myself, I stick to Tim's coffee - grande, avec une creme.

Tim Hortons in St Sauveur Quebec - No Bike Rack in Evidence

Tim Horton and a Cyclist's Impression of Quebec

Tim Hortons, Saint Sauveur des Monts, Québec. The Closest Tim Hortons to Dallas is in Kentucky. I Wish it Was Otherwise
The Ski Hill is Up on the Right. Québec Snow in Late February is Much Icier than BC Snow at the Same Time

OK, OK, it isn't enough to talk about Tim Hortons in comments about a post that actually SHOWS a photo of a bike rack at a restaurant of a chain that has its world headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois. Tim didn't have bike racks. I looked. Tim also didn't have free wi fi, as did that place with the maple leaf grafted on to its arches. Free wi fi is highly desirable when you get a message from ATT telling you that your unlimited data does NOT apply and you'll get stuck for  $15.36/MB.

In many ways, Québec was infused with bicycle indications. The first of these came when I arrived at Montréal's Trudeau Airport. Right in the area where we arrived at customs, there was - a bicycle cop. She was outfitted much the same as the Fort Worth bicycle police officers, but I'm not sure exactly how useful a bicycle would be in a crowded terminal. About as useful as a Segway, I'd guess. Do Segways have locks? Regardless, the bike would be good to get to the other end of the terminal but then you'd capture the scofflaw on foot, or so I'd imagine from having watched too many movies.

The airport was lacking in some other bicycle amenities, however. There was no place to rent a bike at the terminal, nor did they seem to know where I might go locally to rent one. There also appeared to be no practical way to depart the airport by either bicycle or even by car. Fortunately, the GPS in my rental car eventually got me out of the airport, where soon I noticed that all the freeway onramps had signs posted to let me know that no bicycles or pedestrians were allowed on these limited access roads. This is different than Texas, where cyclists are not, technically prohibited from any but a few toll roads. Montréal's freeways in the city center were more logical than those in Vancouver, but neither place made paving over the city center the priority it would have been in an equivalent US city.

In the morning, I got to my business meeting and noticed that one intrepid cyclist had tracked through the snow and ice to work. Later on, I talked to an engineer that knows the cyclist and noted that he lived fairly close by. I can empathise. I was also told that cyclists were catered to by the businesses around Québec. This time, I didn't have a chance to spend much time around downtown Montréal. Perhaps in a future trip. I shall try out those separated pathways for myself, though the local reports I heard were less glowing than what you read in the press.

I also searched for some Jakeman's syrup, but all I saw was the stuff in maple leaf bottles. You know, the stuff that Rantwick showed in his very initial FARATS post. I didn't buy any because it's readily available here in Texas at TJ Maxx for less than half the price. Rantwick chose wisely when he elected to pick Jakeman's instead.

Airport Syrup - Same as Texas TJ Maxx at Twice the Price

Snow is No Big Deal at Trudeau Airport