Day 3 (Saturday)

We got up and headed for some free pancakes!  Afterward, it was almost noon so we thought we'd venture over to Riderville since it was going from noon to 3AM on Saturday.  We go to buy our tickets and are about to step in to check it out when we remember we want a hand stamp so we can get back in later. We were pretty confident that there'd be a line later in the evening and were fully prepared to wait in line to gain re-entry.  What we were not prepared to do was to pay the $10 cover again.  What absolute nonsense.  As were the tales weaved by the ladies working at the door trying to justify this.  First, they claimed it was the fault of the Ti-Cats (the Ti-cats were co-hosting the event this year).  We called their bluff and inquired as to how the Ti-cats were at fault and they could not explain so instead they decided to blame the CFL.  While I'm sure the CFL does have guidelines about how the venues at Grey Cup need to be run, I hardly think the rules would be different club to club.  I pointed out that Spirit of Edmonton had no cover charge.  Then I went on a bit of a tirade where I expressed my disgust that Rider fans (and there were a lot of Rider fans there) had THE MOST POORLY RUN EVENTS -- HANDS DOWN.  I mentioned Riderville last year and of course they blamed that on the Toronto Metro Convention Centre.  Excuses, excuses.  We were so mad we actually asked for our money back (they gave it) and we left.  I removed all my green for the remainder of the afternoon in silent protest.

Instead, we grabbed some brunch, took in Montreal's Christmas parade, lounged around at a coffee shop and shopped.  

That night, we had some people over to the condo for drinks. 
We left feeling quite happy and ventured out to Rue Crescent and hit the
pubs.  Things are a bit sketchy but I'm pretty sure we annoyed our
waitress. 

These blue things were tasty... 

 Took lots and lots of pictures like this...

And before you think we were doing anything too low-brow, I'll have you know I got to brush up on my french. "Bleue, s'il vous plait"

Unfortunately, there was a big frou-ha-ha and members of our party were accused of not tipping our waitress enough (she actually was ballsy enough to come to the table and ask for a bigger tip even though the menu said parties of 6 or more had gratuities automatically added to the bill AND we tipped in addition).  All I know is that the drinks stopped coming so we had to move on.  Still, I was having a good time!  I think most of us were!!

Don't we look like we're having a good time??

That is why we agreed to take that kick in the teeth called Riderville.  We wandered over, paid the cover and went inside where I was immediately confronted with this:

'cause I always tip the ticket taker $100 bills

Anyhow -- I am not going to bitch about Riderville anymore.  We did have some fun while there. For starters, Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) was playing when we entered -- have a listen here.

Second, it would have been sacrilegious to make the trip to Grey Cup and not support our team.  

A sea of green...

Day 4 (GAME DAY)

I know it sounds redundant, but we started the day with breakfast - what can I say, it's important and it's N's favourite!  At Grey Cup village, they were cooking up a 40,000 egg omelette.  It looked a little something like this:

Unfortunately, we were hungry and it was taking too long to cook so we did end up elsewhere for breakfast.  We had thought we would spend the afternoon sight-seeing but found ourselves a bit out of sorts so we opted for naps again.  Around 3PM, we began the trek out to Olympic Stadium.

The game itself was only so-so.  We found it painful to cheer for Calgary so we didn't and when the Al's started to lose, it became more painful.  The half time show wasn't great -- especially if you sat on our side of the field and got to see the back-end of the stage.

I must say that the Riders have the most supportive fans in the league. Surprisingly few Stamps fans in the house when compared to Rider support last year in TO.

Overall, we had a good time at the game. Though, this time around, I'd say I had a better time out and about in Montreal than with Grey Cup stuff in general.  Must have something to do with getting to experience your team win it all last year only to fall short this year.  Last year's Grey Cup in Toronto will be hard to top, me thinks.

All pictures are now posted and can be found here.  Check 'em out!!

Ahh Grey Cup, what an interesting mix of people!  There are die hard fans (there are still Baltimore Stallion fans out and about).  There are fun partying revelers.  There are people dressed in strange and yet amusing costumes.   There are a whole bunch of sad, lonely and pathetic drunk douche bags (yes, that sounds harsh but is oh so true).

Our bartender last night, summed up Grey Cup like this:

Grey Cup is a celebration of football.  It's not just a celebration of 2 teams making it into a final game.  Look around, every team in the CFL is represented whether their team is here or not.

What he said is very true.  There are fans here from every team and every part of Canada.  That is a big reason why Grey Cup is awesome.

Day 1

We arrived in Montreal, Thursday around noon.   We had rented a condo downtown and it turned out to be a really nice place, very close to everything.  We had originally thought we'd need to get a metro pass but we found that we could easily walk everywhere from the condo.  

After we unpacked, we headed out to Old Montreal.  We walked the cobblestone streets, popped our noses into a shop or two, grabbed some lunch, and wandered back home.  To be honest, I'm not sure I was overly impressed.  I guess this was my second time through Old Montreal and after travelling a bit through Europe I was rather underwhelmed.  Still, I think it was worth the walk-through. 

Thursday night, we ventured up Rue Peel to the Mcleans Pub for supper.  There were a pile of fans inside and service was painfully slow.  Just when our patience was starting to wane, the Rider Pep band invaded the pub playing an assortment of Rider classics.  We were instantly pumped again -- good times!  

Have a listen, here!

After that, we were off the the Spirit of Edmonton party.  Now, the Eskies -- they knows how to throw a party!!  No cover, huge room, reasonable drinks, good music, etc.  While there we ran into a few people we knew and collectively decided to head to the Peel Pub.  Neil's friend Trevor had been there the night before and had said the drinks were cheap!  We get there to discover that the Thursday night drink special was $0.99 shots.  All I will say is O-M-G!!!!   I will NOT disclose how much was consumed.  I will just say that by the end of the evening we had all decided we needed to purchase, "I survived the Peel Pub" t-shirts and it was a ways into day 2 before we got home.

Day 2

I awoke feeling not so fantastic.  However, N and Kathy woke up fine.  I was seriously jealous.  We got ready (decided it was appropriate to wear our Peel Pub t's) and headed out to the Calgary Stampeder Pancake breakfast.  Essentially they give you a pancake sandwich with a sausage patty in the middle -- yummy!  We wandered around the Grey Cup tents but there wasn't too much to take in.  We continued up Rue St. Catherine.  St. Catherine Street is an interesting mix of malls/shopping, restaurants and a sprinkling of strip clubs. 

Lots of people out and about.  The shopping was great!  By mid afternoon though, I needed a nap.  Something was making my head throb.  Not sure why I wasn't feeling so hot... hmmm.  Anyhow, N and I abandoned Kathy (she wanted to shop) and went back for a nap.  We needed to rest up for another night out.  We are old.

The plan had been to go to Riderville but that was not meant to be.  We left shortly after 7 to find some supper.  We walked passed the Windsor Ballroom (where Riderville was) and there was no line.  People were walking in and out.  We continued up the street to Carlos and Pepe for some yummy Mexican fare.  By the time we were done, Riderville was lined up onto the street.  Still, being Rider fans, we were like -- no problem -- should move quickly.  How WRONG we were.  After waiting about 15-20 minutes the line hadn't moved at all.  People were coming out but no one was being let in.  Again, this leads me to suspect that it was a bit like the organizational disaster it was last year....  We had friends inside who said it was packed, that drinks were expensive and that the party itself wasn't great.  We didn't know what to do.  Lucky for us, we were right behind a big group of Lions fans who decided to send a small group over to Spriit of Edmonton to see if there was a line there.  Word came back that there wasn't, so we high-tailed it over there.  Good thing too, because we weren't there long before we heard that there was a line to get into the Edmonton party too.  We ended up staying for the rest of the night.  To be honest, it was an early night -- we were home by midnight.  That's what happens when you have a crazy first night... night two is for recovery so night three can be crazy again.

Tomorrow the tentative plan is for pancakes, a jaunt up Mt. Royal, more shopping and we have to get into Riderville, even if it sucks monkey-balls, which it might.  We may finish by checking out the pubs on Rue Crescent.  Been told that there is a great party vibe in the pubs along that street.

Grey Cup photos will be posted here as time permits...

Yes, I realize that this is almost a week old... but I have other things on my plate and I cannot blog at will. With that out of the way let's start.

Saturday was such a great day. Even the city of Toronto felt the Rider Pride as seen by how they lit up City Hall...

City Hall decked out in Green.

Pre-Neil fist pump and the after.

Thank God he was okay. I still cannot believe he walked

away from this escapade with mere scratches.

After we cleaned up, we ventured out in search of some lunch/brunch. We ended up at Quotes Bar and Grill where the the service staff proceeded to tell us that we could be as loud as we liked and we then partook in a game of "catch" with some guys at the bar. I've never been in an establishment that allowed you to toss footballs around and scream to your heart's content -- well, the Dizzy Monk probably comes close.

Then we started walking towards the Roger's Centre. We were met by loads of fans in green and white. "The Flame" orchestrated a parade of the Green and White to the gates of the Rogers Centre. It was glorious. Chants of "Green is the colour!" mingled with cries of "Let's go Riders!" The atmosphere was electric. I'd wager a guess and say that every second person on the street by the Rogers Centre was decked out in Rider green. It was awesome to behold!!

Once near the gates, "The Flame," lets her rip:

Then as if the stars weren't already in line -- the Snowbirds (from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) decide to also state their allegiance to the Riders by flying high over the Skydome. Beautiful!!

Finally we make our way through the gates into Skydome to witness history. I could discuss how I spent the next hour in line buying beer -- but let's not cheapen this experience with what will forever go down as the crappiest service ever at a Grey Cup.

I got to my seats and took in the field and here's a look at the crowd:

The game started. It was one of those games where you felt tense throughout. Too close to call until the end. That's why Lenny at half time was some much needed levity.

The second half continued and we all know the outcome now -- A RIDER VICTORY!!!

Now the cup gets brought to the fans -- to Rider Nation!!

And then as you are aware -- just like in Saskatchewan -- Rider fans took to the streets. Here they are on Front Street in TO after the game.

WOO HOO!!!

Saturday:
My sister-in-law's workplace was hosting a Grey Cup breakfast Saturday morning and we were all invited to attend. The meal was amazing and there is something about starting your day with beer, orange juice and champagne, or Irish Cream laced coffee that really gets your day rolling. The hotel this breakfast was hosted at just so happened to be the same hotel the Riders were staying in. As we walked up to the entrance, who should we see but #41 Fred Perry! One of the "angels" just so happened to be wearing a #41 jersey so we had to stop for a picture.

#41 with Angel #41

We also managed to get a picture with Eric Tillman as well. Apparently, had we arrived earlier we might have been able to meet a certain Mr. Kent Austin as he had apparently been out in the lobby just shortly prior to our arrival. Oh well, maybe next Grey Cup!

Afterwards we headed to Riderville. I had been able to score advance tickets to Riderville through the U of R Alumni Association. The tickets had said we could by-pass the line and head straight in through a VIP door. When we got there we found that security was rather surly and they forced us to get into the rather long line to get in. Have a look for yourself:

The line to get into Riderville

Naturally, as we are 10 people from the door -- someone from inside comes out to check the line for people with VIP tickets so we got to bypass the line after waiting in line which I found kind of irritating. Planning/organization was clearly not Riderville's forte.

Once inside we made a beeline to the stage as I had been tipped off that Jason Plumb and the Willing were going to be performing inside. He was excellent! I was a bit disappointed that the crowd was not more into his set -- it was very very good.

Afterwards we headed back to our place to grab a bit to eat and freshen up. We had concert tickets to see Spirit of the West, Lowest of the Low, Great Big Sea and Emerson Drive. It was part of the Grey Cup Concert Series at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Our tickets said doors opened at 7PM and since we've never been to a concert EVER where it has started at the time stated we were in no rush... we figured we'd arrive just before 8 and not have missed anything. Well, we were very wrong. We arrived to hear the last song of SOTW set. They sounded amazing and I will forever be sad I missed them. We rushed to buy drink tickets only to discover that the lineups were insanely long. No lie, we actually saw a guy get two drinks and then get back in line with his drinks because he'd have finished them both before he got back to the front of the line. Earlier in the day we had come to the realization that you could have taken the dumbest person off the street and they'd have been able to pour beer faster than the staff at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (these were the same people responsible for the terrible service at Riderville). Given that 90% of the crowd that attends these events are out for a good time -- I think the service was terrible. It felt, at times, like you were paying to stand in line. We bought tickets, got our drinks and made it to the stage area in time to see Lowest of the Low -- who were really good. N was in his glory as this is one of his favourite bands and we'd never seen them before. Here's a few clips:

Afterwards, we heard from people in the crowd that the lineup for drinks was averaging 50 minutes! As we had a bunch of tickets left we decided to get all the drinks we could -- that meant Neil got doubles!! At $9 a drink that makes a mighty expensive double.

Cost of concert ticket $58, Cost of two doubles $40, knowing you could be at home getting smashed listening to Lowest of the Low
while drinking a '40 of Crown for a fraction of the price: PRICELESS!!

Now I don't want you to get the impression we didn't have a good time... just check out this "angel" on the left. She is clearly having a great time and I think I can speak for N and the rest of us "angels" and say we all did -- but man, the way things were set up was FRUSTRATING and I think it lost organizers $$ overall as people would have spent way more money despite high drink prices if service had been better.

Next up was Great Big Sea. Everyone who has ever seen them live knows that they put on an excellent show. They sound great live and have an infectious energy that is impossible to ignore (unless you are N... he's the only person I've ever met that seriously couldn't stand them). They took the stage and put on a fantastic show!! Truly awesome!

We left after GBS. Frankly, I have no idea what they were thinking when they decided that Emerson Drive should headline the show?? I remember being annoyed that they were added at all -- I had bought my ticket as early as possible (when they hadn't been added to the bill) and then to add a country act to a pop/rock show seemed dumb -- but then I'm not really a fan of Emerson Drive.

We finished the night off by checking out Ti-Cat town and then back to Riderville where I spent the entire hour I was there in line first to by my drink ticket then to buy my drink. See a pattern here?? It was seriously enough to make my head explode. Time to head home and rest up for the big game!

Thurday night:

We headed to Riderville. We got in right away and were disappointed with the size of the room -- it was WAY TOO SMALL for Riderville. The pictures may make it look adequate but this was just Thursday night. We discovered that the wine/liquor was $9.80 a drink and that beer was $6 and that on average you'd spend 30 minutes in line for tickets (if you were lucky). Then you headed to the drink line where there was one to two bartender(s) -- so it was another long wait for your drink. We were to discover that this would only get dramatically worse over the weekend.

Merchandise was subpar -- we expected better stuff... we went ready to buy and between the 6 of us there we really didn't buy too much.

Afterwards, we headed north to the Sheraton where the Spirit of Edmonton venue was being held. It was an AWESOME venue! We arrived, the room was at least twice the size of Riderville and packed. There were lots of Rider fans! The best part was that you could get drinks for $5. Needless to say, we all agreed that it kicked Riderville's ass.

Friday:

I headed to work and it was N's turn to play host. N and his "angels" headed down to the free Stampeder pancake breakfast and then checked out the festivities in the convention centre. Highlights included meeting Damon Allen and Henry Burris! Afterwards, N took the "angels" to the Hard Rock Cafe that overlooks the Rogers Centre field. He could not have timed lunch better -- just as they sat down at a table overlooking the field, the Riders took the field for practice.

N taking the "Angels" for lunch! Lucky N!!

Friday night:

We all met back up later that evening for supper at The Keg. We had the best service and an excellent meal. We asked our server to create a "Green" shooter for the Riders and it was excellent. We named it a "Smooth Rider" for its smooth finish. A Smooth Rider is 1 part melon liquer and 1 part Creme de Cacao. Yummy!! We had three rounds and then displaying true Saskatchewan class, we invited our server to join us for a shot!!

Afterwards, we headed back to the Spirit of Edmonton. It was busy but there were short and fast lines at the bar and there were lots of Rider fans. We didn't regret not going to Riderville. Overall, a fantastic start to the weekend ahead!