# Things I learned visiting Montreal last week as an American **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 24, 2015, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700 "2015-08-24T07:36:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/41 "2015-08-26T02:51:00Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > For like the third time I crash coursed the _**Pimsleur French [sound recording] : the short course. > New York, NY : Simon and Schuster Audio [producer] : Prince Frederick, MD : Recorded Books [distributor], 2001.**_ > > I kinda kicked myself since I booked this trip months ago, and could have gone on to get the next level Pimsleur stuff, but procrastinated. Anywhoo if you making a quick trip to a French speaking country I highly recommend it because you learn the basic phrases in a week, and the focus is on pronunciation. Theres no textbook, no reading required. That’s good advice for any non-English nation you visit - learn the phatic expressions in the local language. _Phatic phrases_ are expressions that don’t convey information, but are purely social: “thank you”, “please”, “excuse me”, “hello”. > [@russian\_heel](#): > > The difference is Montreal had bad attendance and a bad stadium, and it was well known the Expos might even be folded for a long time so it was a inevitable the Expos were probably going to leave and the fans expected it; the Browns had a bad stadium deal but a rabid fan base, and Art Modell\* kinda moved them out in the dark of the night. \*Nitpick - you misspelled his name - it’s actually “T-u-r-d-l-i-c-k-e-r”. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > It varies. > I did not know that there were cars without block heaters until quite late in my teens (grew up on the prairies, but I think block heaters are universal in Canada.) Okay, I’ll bite: for benefit of those of us who don’t live on the frozen tundra, what’s a block heater? A heater that warms up your car engine so you can start it? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/42 "2015-08-26T03:15:45Z")
Pretty much - [Block heater - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater) ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/43 "2015-08-26T03:45:08Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Okay, I’ll bite: for benefit of those of us who don’t live on the frozen tundra, what’s a block heater? A heater that warms up your car engine so you can start it? Yes. The true block heater is an electric coil that sticks into the engine through a hole created by removing a frost plug (some larger engines have a block heater on each bank of cylinders). A frost plug is supposed to fall out of the block if freezing coolant expands because of lousy antifreeze. Rather than cracking the block, the expanding ice forces out the frost plug. In theory. There is, I think, more than one frost plug, so replacing one with a block heater is safe. The block heater has a long enough wire with an electrical plug on the end that sticks out through the grille, or the hood closes on the wire or whatever. An electrical extension is required at that point, so the block heater can be plugged into a socket. Less-expensive heaters include the true cheapies that replace the dipstick. Others can be attached to the oil pan. They are needed on the snow-swept prairies, even if it’s proven that a car can start without one at –40°, because in cold temperatures, motor oil, even full-synthetic 0W-20 or whatever, won’t flow properly, if at all with thicker oil. Extreme engine wear is the result. As well, the starter motor turns much faster when a car’s been plugged in for four or five hours and there is much less strain on a battery that could be operating at 50-per-cent power or less in the cold. Less wear all around. My parents had a six-volt '51 Chevy that never failed to start on January mornings if it was plugged in — and sometimes if it wasn’t. If you’ve never heard a six-volt battery at half-power because of the cold turn over an engine in the winter, you’d wonder how the damn thing could start at all. There are battery warmers, as well, electric blankets that wrap around the battery and are plugged in. And electric car warmers that heat the interior — the plug wires go through an existing hole in the firewall or a new hole is drilled. Or a car door closes on the wire. Car warmers keep frost from forming on the windows if the car is parked outside (does nothing for snow) and make a car interior less uncomfortable until the car’s heater kicks in, though as soon as a door is opened, much of the heated air is lost. There are fewer of those than before, probably because with today’s small cars there is less room for them. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/44 "2015-08-26T03:45:42Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > 1. It doesn’t HURT to learn some French, but if you are too lazy to do so, everyone is extremely friendly and speaks English. Your token effort to try and say a few things in the language is greatly appreciated, and builds rapport and maybe a few shared chuckles, nonetheless. But again, if you cant, its not a big deal (Ive heard this is NOT the case everywhere else in Quebec----maybe someone from there can confirm or deny!). Confirmed. I was about 40 km/25 miles SE of there earlier this month, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. In town some of the merchants don’t speak English. Outside of town is farming communities; there, moderately more French than English but since there’s less people, you could take a while to find an English speaker. > [@russian\_heel](#): > > 1. It pays to get Canadian cash upon arrival. While the exchange rate is 30%, bars will usually only give you 20, and there was a gas station that would only give dollar for dollar. I used my credit card to buy $66 CA at a souvenir shop, and I shudder to think how badly that will be converted in my favor. Bottom line: don’t expect to get the exchange rate if you use American dollars— this is Montreal, not Mexico. There was a chain restaurant across the parking lot from the hotel that was 1:1 like your gas station. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/45 "2015-08-26T04:22:32Z")
The important thing aboot block heaters is to be sure to drive away down the highway with ten or twenty feet of extension cord dragging from your engine compartment. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/46 "2015-08-26T15:06:52Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > The important thing aboot block heaters is to be sure to drive away down the highway with ten or twenty feet of extension cord dragging from your engine compartment. Did this once. After that I used a cord long enough that I could pull a loop of the cord up and stick it under the wiper on the driver’s side as a visual reminder. Our current car doesn’t have one, though, as it’s almost always parked in the garage. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/47 "2015-08-26T16:46:58Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I just roll with it proudly. I speak English with a bad French accent, think Inspector Clouseau, and they usually pretend I’m speaking perfectly. I think about them telling their friends about their experiences with the worst French speaker in the world. We forget that we don’t mind talking to people with atrocious accents, either. And then laugh at them when we get home. It’s universal. > [@Balthisar](#): > > When I lived in the Toronto area for a while, a lot of the local natives taught me about their “cereal box French.” What types of things did you try to say to the locals? It sounds like it went down well. Is “cereal box French” anything like how I learned my first words in Spanish from a box of saltinas? > [@EmilyG](#): > > Yes, most people in Montreal can speak English, and aren’t resentful about it. I was researching the Montreal sewer system so I called the Department of Public Works, or whatever they called it in French. I was eventually given to the one (in a department of two or more people “one” is hardly “most”) person who spoke English. She politely listened to my question, then asked, “What is this word you use, ‘sewer’?” But, being from Montreal, she sounded very pretty; I understand that’s how they grow 'em there. > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > \*Nitpick - you misspelled his name - it’s actually “T-u-r-d-l-i-c-k-e-r”. I lived in Cleveland one lousy year fifty years ago and that’s how I’d spell his name. Of course, it was the 1964 season and the Browns made an impression on a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/48 "2015-08-26T17:43:35Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > There was a chain restaurant across the parking lot from the hotel that was 1:1 like your gas station. Most of the American stores where I live take Canadian currency 1:1. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/49 "2015-08-26T18:29:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Most of the American stores where I live take Canadian currency 1:1. A quick search shows current exchange rates at 1 CAD = 75¢ USD / $1USD = 1.33 CAD. Quick, go exchange some money & get good savings at any store that does that! Being in Canada, it was a premium I was paying for not having (enough) local currency on me. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/50 "2015-08-26T19:22:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Most of the American stores where I live take Canadian currency 1:1. I find this very difficult to believe, especially given the current exchange rate. When i lived in Vancouver, the Canadian dollar was much stronger relative to the US dollar (somewhere around 90c), and even then none of the stores on the American side (whether in Bellingham or Seattle or anywhere near the border) offered a 1:1 exchange. Any store doing that now is basically giving away about 25 percent of their money. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/51 "2015-08-26T19:53:05Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > 1. During baseball season, Toronto Blue Jays games are on in every sports bar. Yet Montrealers long for the return of the Expos, and you can still find Expos merchandise everywhere. Say what you want about attendance, Montrealers feel the Expos are a big part of the city’s legacy (and Ill be happy to debate why they SHOULD come back on another thread, BTW) So build a stadium and pay MLB the expansion fee. Seriously, that’s the barrier. MLB has no problem with a team in Montreal, and never did. The problem is that Montreal does not have a major league baseball stadium or a person who wants to build one and own a team. Olympic Stadium was a disgrace. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/52 "2015-08-26T20:48:48Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I find this very difficult to believe, especially given the current exchange rate. > > When i lived in Vancouver, the Canadian dollar was much stronger relative to the US dollar (somewhere around 90c), and even then none of the stores on the American side (whether in Bellingham or Seattle or anywhere near the border) offered a 1:1 exchange. > > Any store doing that now is basically giving away about 25 percent of their money. I will confirm that there were several stores in the Presque Isle Maine area that offered Canadian dollars at par. I haven’t looked lately though. The last time I really paid attention to that was 10 to 15years ago and I think the dollar was around 80 cents US or so. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/53 "2015-08-27T07:35:40Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > So build a stadium and pay MLB the expansion fee. > > Seriously, that’s the barrier. MLB has no problem with a team in Montreal, and never did. The problem is that Montreal does not have a major league baseball stadium or a person who wants to build one and own a team. > > Olympic Stadium was a disgrace. Despite the stadium being a disgrace Expos attendance was well over a million per year from 1977-1997, with the exception of one year, before rumors of a move started formetting. As a matter of fact team attendance EXCEEDED league average, with over 2 million consumers per year in the early 1980s, then dropped in half when the owner fire-saled the team in the late 90s and all hell broke loose. Montreal is an almost 5 million market where most fans want their Expos back; I think the only block to a new stadium would be what funds would be available from an already strung out Province? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/54 "2015-08-27T09:04:11Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Speaking of block heaters, I find we’re going in the other direction now. Years ago a lot of people had them, however as technology has improved over the last decade or two they don’t seem to be as popular. My current car doesn’t have one and I’ve had no problems starting up even at -30 C. We get the same weather here in Ottawa as Montreal gets. I was having a lot of starting problems in winter with my Honda CRV, even though I was pugging it in regularly. Then the battery died completely and had to be replaced, well ahead of schedule. Then I discovered that there was a short in my outlet and the block heater at normal power draw was tripping it, so essentially I’d been starting the CRV for three winters without a block heater: [Help me diagnose a car/house electrical problem](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=676761). Had the outlet replaced, and no problems since. So, I think block heaters are still essential. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/55 "2015-08-27T14:20:18Z")
Our mayor certainly wants the Expos back. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, I just think there are other things that are more important in this city. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/56 "2015-08-27T14:26:42Z")
No way it’s happening unless Montreal can show the environment has changed sufficiently to support a team now. Bringing in a AAA franchise and showing it can sell tickets would help a lot, so would a commitment to building a modern ballpark. Without those, all Montreal has to offer is pleading against its own ugly history. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/57 "2015-08-27T16:50:39Z")
_ **Picking a Car in Canada** _ _Because you know it’s all about that cca 'Bout that cca, no trouble It’s all about that cca 'Bout that cca, no trouble It’s all about that cca 'Bout that cca, no trouble It’s all about that cca 'Bout that cca… cca… cca… cc_ The oomph needed to get chunks of metal moving against each other in the deep freeze come from your battery’s amperage. The more amps, the more oomph, and the better chance you have at starting your vehicle. Unfortunately, the colder it is, the fewer the amps. For any given vehicle battery, there will be more amps on a hot day than on a cold day. The trick then for folks who have very cold winters is to compare batteries and get the one rated for the most amps on cold days: Cold Crank Amps (CCA). Take a current year Honda CR-V and a current year Jeep Compass, which are both crossover SUVs with the same size motors (2.0 or optional 2.4). Batteries that fit the Honda CR-V range from 340 CCA to 510 CCA. Batteries that fit the Jeep Compass range from 530 CCA to 540 CCA. Put a 2.4 Honda CR-V with a 340 CCA battery beside a 2.4 Jeep Compass with a 540 CCA battery, and the Jeep will start in colder conditions than the Honda. Moral of the story: when comparing vehicles that appeal to you and have similar motor sizes, include CCA in your considerations when differentiating between them if you live in a cold climate. (Or just go out and get a real Jeep JK a.k.a. Wrangler which has enough space for you to drop in two batteries wired in parallel to double up your amps. 🙂 ) If you’re stuck with a vehicle that was not designed to hold a battery large enough to pump out enough amps in cold weather, then be sure to use winter grade motor oil (thinnest of the grades specified for your vehicle’s motor) and plug in the vehicle overnight, but don’t just plug in the block heater – also plug in a battery blanket. By keeping the battery warm, its amperage will not drop anywhere near as dramatically as it normally would on cold nights. If you happen to drive a Suzuki Samurai, use a camp stove and try not to set the oil pan and motor on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/58 "2015-08-27T17:58:08Z")
Never had any problem starting a new(er) car - my three-year-old Forester started without a problem even last winter, which had record nasty cold, by any standards. I’m not sure block heaters are really necessary any more for starting, though of course, I understand they save engine wear and tear even if you don’t have a problem starting. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/59 "2015-08-27T18:07:53Z")
The vehicles I see plugged in tend to be beaters that are five or ten years old, so I have to wonder if it is more a matter [plain old worn out batteries](http://carbatteryonline.net/car-battery-life.html) rather than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700/60 "2015-08-27T19:13:26Z")
I’ve plugged mine in since I bought it, because I plan to put 10 million kilometres (or, roughly, 6.2137119224 miles) on it. I chose it very carefully as the utmost in modernity after frost shields were no longer necessary. I laugh at their planned obsolescence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-visiting-montreal-last-week-as-an-american/728700.md?page=4)