Montreal Matrix

Montreal is literally a matrix. There is nothing easier than getting lost in this city, from public transportation to roadblocks. When I visited Montreal with my family back in May 2019, the Airbnb seemed two blocks away, but Google Maps was lying. It took us 30 minutes to what the map said 2 minutes. A simple straight line didn’t recognize layers of infrastructure and the city’s notorious construction season (legend said there are 2 two seasons in Montreal, winter and construction). That straight line led us to drive a whole circle around the city, along with a quarrel of who knew how to look at the map.

On the highway, a friend who came from Ontario couldn’t find the right exit in Montreal though he had been proud of his navigating skill (he used to live in Montreal, and doesn’t like to look at the map when driving). We passed the exit roughly 5 times until we could hit the right one. Other friends from Toronto also had an hour lost in this city.

A formulated routine feels more suitable to live here. Any attempt to break the routine ventures me into an exploration. Berri-UQAM packs with 3 metro lines and 6 routes. Don’t remember how many times I lost in this station. The omniscient map that lays out all your navigating plan doesn’t work here. I was fascinated by the aunt, who doesn’t need a map to drive. Her map is imprinted by the sole memory of the landscape. I usually lost to a destination I thought was nearby.