Say what you will about Montreal, I've heard them all... language police... uncertain political climate... rocky economy... moderate growth...the weather. Yet, we are the only North American city to have been host to a world class event such as the Formula One Grand Prix for the last twenty two years. Take that Toronto! And as is customary, Montreal becomes one big party town for the week preceding the Grand Prix. Peel and Crescent street also become open air expositions for various makes of automobile. And for the second year running, the VEA was proud to showcase its' automotive beauties on Peel street, under the stars.

This time around, the bill was also shared with the Austin Healey Club of Quebec as well as the people from BMW. This made for quite a variety (and quantity) of cars. I must say that in contrast to other expositions that I've participated in, the crowd at Peel street was most well-behaved, almost sedate. This definitely compensated for the lack of barriers.

So there we were... Peel street... rows of beautiful cars... a cornucopia of restaurants, cafés and bars... what more could you want? Even a round of free drinks was offered to all members of the VEA, courtesy of the Montreal Athletic Association. I have to confess that I thought the MAA was nothing more than an upscale YMCA. I really need to get out of the house more often. On a funny note, my wife asked me if we needed to tip the doorman. "Actually, I believe he has to pay us," I said with a serious face. I then proceeded to nonchalantly gulp down my complementary shot of Jack Daniels (straight up, thank you!).

I noticed a good number of the club members retreated to the various gourmet restaurants in the vicinity. I hope you all ate well, seeing that some of you would take walks in between your plates due to the slow service in some establishments (ahh... the pitfalls of a booming economy).

Given the abundant crowd, the immaculate weather and the number of cars present, I can safely conclude that this year's exposition on Peel street was yet again a success. I can only hope that what has become an annual event, will improve with time… like wine or cheese... or even women.