Eeeeeeee

This blog post is backwards; I’m starting with the ending and detailing how I got home from my visit to the Promenade Masson (“the Heart of Rosemont”).

Why? Because it was my first time on an e-bike! Eeeeeeee!

Promenade Masson is one of Montréal’s famed shopping/dining districts and not far from our apartment. I rode a Bixi bike to get there, but walking around there irked my ankle inflammation into overdrive and I was ready to bug out. My ankle and knee had both been injured a few weeks previously, but I needed some exercise and I thought biking and walking around would do some good. You know that minute when you’ve worked an injured limb thinking it will be beneficial, but then you realize you’ve seriously overdone it? That.

And we have no car here, which is a very cute and eco-friendly thing to do until you have a body problem. I wanted very badly to get home as quickly as possible and put my foot up with a nice icepack so I headed directly back to the bike dock.

But when I got back to the Bixi station, there were no bikes available–only two e-bikes, and some other guy was circling trying to check one out. I had already passed another Bixi station, it was the same situation, and I was really in pain and knew I couldn’t walk the fifteen blocks back to the apartment without doing some damage.

So I girded my loins and, with a good deal of trepidation, took out that last e-bike.

(FYI should you ever rent a Bixi in MTl: local law allows riding a regular bike without a helmet, but you must wear one on an e-bike. I ALWAYS ride with a helmet, but plenty of tourists don’t bother).

I was a little scared of e-bikes, which is why I had never rented one before. I had recently seen a cyclist run a red light in front of our condo and almost get flattened by a truck; I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough control of an e-bike’s speed to be able to stop when I needed to.

But it was Hobson’s choice and I had to get home, so I mounted up, tightened my chin strap, and pulled out of the bike dock.

When I first pushed down on the pedals to get started, the bike leapt forward like a nervy horse, which was very disconcerting. Would I be able to hold this e-steed in check?

But once I got accustomed to how the pedal-assist was calibrated, it was great! Other than that initial surge, it’s just like pedaling a regular bike but with a lot less effort. Having the e-assist made things easier on my painful ankle, especially riding up the slight hills between Promenade Masson and our house. And no huffing and puffing required! All good.

So being forced to take the e-bike was a happy accident and learning experience. Glad to have a new tool for toodling around town, especially if my destination is uphill or I start red-lining for some reason. Recommended, would e-bike again!!

Now, the first part of the story:

I went down to Promenade Masson to check out the shops and cafes there because it was reputedly less bougie than the popular shopping street just west of us (Beaubien, which is literally only restaurants, cafes, gourmet epiceries, and salons. And a movie theatre. I find it a bit boring though I do occasionally shop there because it’s close by.)

Promenade Masson was indeed less bougie and I like it much more than Beaubien. There’s a wide variety of storefronts and community spaces, and many artistic flourishes. I will go back to explore it more when I’m walking better.

Here’s a photo tour of the short time I spent there:

Promenade Masson may or may not be a rue piétonne starting in August–the City’s websites contradict each other–but it would be nice to have one fairly close by again. One of the highlights of living in The Village was having a walkstreet just steps away with its music and parades and free activities–though also problematic due to the loud and erratic behavior of the tourists and street people who inhabited the area day and night. A rue piétonne is a nice place to visit but you wouldn’t want to live there (as we now know from experience).

So though Promenade Masson is not right outside our door, I can now eeeeeeeasily get there if I want to. Ca va bien!