By now all gossip addicts (and the rest of us who have to be online all day) have heard about Marilyn Manson's breakup with his burlesque superstar wife, Dita Von Teese. Sad, because that one was really meant to last. Manson reportedly left his cute 'n' classy wife for mini-Dita Evan Rachel Wood, 19, who we can only assume thinks it's totally gonna last this time. To each their own, we guess. Whether Dita's composure during tumultuous times has inspired you to tap into the magic of burlesque yourself, or you simple want to see her in action, we've got a few suggestions.
In Seattle, Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque accepts both male and female students, and promises to teach you "how to twirl your tasseled pasties in at least 5 different ways!" In San Francisco, Bombshell Betty offers Burlesquercise workshops that turn burlesque basics into a workout. And in Montreal, Mademoiselle Oui Oui Encore offers classes, available to women only, near the Mont-Royal metro stop.
If you just want to cheer Dita on, she'll be performing on February 9 and 10 at the Triple Door in downtown Seattle.
YouTuber obsesik is blazing the way for Quebecois secession, and has posted this video to draw tourist dollars to his province in preparation for the day when it's on its own.
Quebecers use standard curse word favorites too, but have their own brand of mouthing off that uses words relating to Christianity. You know, like you might scream "Jesus fucking Christ on a goddamn crutch!" at the TV when an Avril Lavigne video comes on.
Throw away your phrase book--these are your essentials for getting around Montreal, Quebec City and beyond.
While the brouhaha over those "holiday" trees in Seattle pipes down, the war against Christmas decorations is heating up over at Montreal blog Midnight Poutine. Up north, the outrage has little to do with menorahs, and much to do with giant turd-like icicle decorations. Take this encounter from blogger Cat:
The Ice Man Cometh. He cometh and he dumpeth his stool and he dropethhis feces upon us. One presumes that what the "designer" is aiming forhere is some sort of Christmassy icicle effect or glowy North Polestalactite (tiny coloured lights illiuminate the thing at night).
Let's just call a spade and spade (and somebody, please, fetch a spade!) and name this for what it truly is: crap.
Can you picture the monstrosity for yourself? Click through to take a peek, and check out the other glaringoffences they've spotted so far. Midnight Poutine will continue to follow developments in ugliness through Christmas, so adventurous travelers will want to keep tabs (try entering "hideous" in a site search). It would make for a fabulous alternative sort of walking art tour!
If WestJet is to be believed, booking this fare on Air Canada could be a risky move. Whether or not it's home of the Air Witch, we'll give props to Air Canada for this totally decent rate between Montreal and Orlando. Flying the same dates (we tested Dec. 17-19) on WestJet would be quite a bit more expensive, but WestJet also has affordable weekend flights on the route, whereas Air Canada does not.
To get this fare, head over to Air Canada's website and make sure you deselect all the "extras" they offer at the end. By "extras" we mean things you'd consider standard (advance seat selection, checked backage), and though we wish Air Canada could go truly cheap while still offering you some comfort, going bare-bones for a quick weekend trip shouldn't be too hard. It's not a bad deal if you want to soak up some pre-Christmas magic in Montreal before heading home for better weather, or if you want to take someone to Disneyworld as a holiday gift.
In case you haven't noticed recently, Jaunted kindalikes Montreal. Not long ago, the city's tourism board launched an ad campaign touting a new, sexy Montreal. Its slogan? "The more we kissed, the Frencher it got." Well, that was one of a few saucy phrases featured on their advertisements. So, we've found ourselves wondering, how is Monty feeling these days? Any sexier?
Assuming he's the artsy type...yes, he's feeling très sexy! That's because Pop Montreal starts tomorrow and rolls on until Saturday, and that means music, drinks and all the related sexiness imaginable for days on end. Montreal's getting plenty of attention from the likes of psych-star Roky Erickson and his fans. Tons of lesser-known bands will be making the rounds at Montreal's best small venues as well. If you're not sure where to start when it comes to the lineup, the excellently named Midnight Poutine ran a podcast series featuring music from its favorite participating acts.
Squares of all sorts will have trouble resisting Montréal's Restaurant Cube. Located in the St. Paul hotel, it too is a testament to modern, angular design. Even their business cards are shaped like squares, people--that's how committed they are. Thankfully, their food is less on the pointy side than everything else.
While dishes limit the number of crazy ingredients, they do rely on a variety of clever cooking methods; cold pea soup comes with a grapefruit mousse sitting atop it and nuts and goat cheese buried at the bottom, for instance. Also, several of the main courses are cooked sous vide--vacuum-sealed at a low temperature--making them both intensely flavorful and tender. What won us over, though, was dessert. After all the showmanship, it was a haute cuisine take on a Mounds bar. Clever and delicious--that's our style, too!
We have every reason to be suspicious of "boutique hotels". Usually that means furniture that's angular, uncomfortable, and poorly assembled, but of course looks great on their web site. So we were pleasantly surprised at the St. Paul in Montréal. Despite an abundance of modern touches--lots of leather seating with a décor that's extensively accented with alabaster including on the handrails of the staircases and lamps--it's quite cozy. The faux fur blankets and throws probably help.
Also going against the boutique hotel grain is the staff, which is knowledgeable, friendly, and completely without the attitude we'd expect to get from a similar hotel in the U.S. However, standard rooms aren't especially big and don't feature the biggest windows. Bonus points for the deep bathtub and square sink in the bathroom, though. Rates start at about $200 a night.
Consider, if you will, foie gras. Banned in Chicago, lauded pretty much everywhere else, it's in the pantheon of rich man's food right alongside caviar and Tyrannosaur eggs. So when you get the chance to sample it for less than three bucks at a meal, you jump at the chance.
It was woth every cent. Montréal's Au Pied de Cochon serves an appetizer called the "foie gras cromesquis" (it's in the foie gras section of their menu, no less, near the foie gras burger and the foie gras poutine). Brought to the table, it looks like a miniature, cubed croquette. Toss it into your mouth, and it literally bursts with warm essence of foie gras on the inside. If you only allowed a single bite of any given dish at a restaurant, it would clearly be the one you'd want to have. The problem, of course, is limiting the experience to just one.
0 Comments - Add Yours
by djk
In case you haven't noticed recently, Jaunted 
