i was wondering..

when u go to watch the fireworks.. i know that u go with the car, my question is, do u pay for the parking? 5$?

last saturday, i went with the car, we always pay for the parking

also, how early do u arrive there, in other words, how many minutes do u have to wait?

Enkil,

To simply answer your question, no, I rarely pay for parking. I only pay the $5 if I'm not in the mood to wait so long, however, that's barely ever the case. In other words, you only pay the $5 for parking if you know you're going to be late. Where I park, just off De Lorimier, it's absolutely free, providing you come a little earlier.

This then relates to your second question. I arrive at the parking area at roughly 8:00 P.M., or slighly later (usually no later than 8:10 P.M). So, in essence, I wait approximately 2 hours, give or take a few minutes. During the wait, I often just walk downtown or just enjoy the summer breeze and play word games or other recreational things with my family to kill time. 2 hours does go rather quickly!

Hope that helped.

Regards,

Trav.

interessing...

2 hours is long for me, but i think its worth it, instead of paying 5$!

btw, the video of Spain is online http://www.mondialsaq.com/en/programmation/feux.asp?feu=172

I think 2 hours is fine, if you have something to keep you occupied during the wait.

Just one word of advice. If you plan on still paying $5 for parking around where I am, make sure that you don't come too late. Believe me, it can very packed and it will be tedious for you.

One question for you, though. I know that you watch the fireworks on the bridge, but I thought you were up there last Saturday. My question is, are you not interested in the bridge anymore, or do you find it more easier coming by car? This might be difficult for you, however, because of your family coming to visit, as you told me...

Regards,

Trav.

i went on the bridge last Saturday, but i went with the car, we parked the car near the bridge

i was on the other side of the bridge, not near La Ronde

i will still use the subway to go on Jean Drapeau, expect last Saturday i went with the car because my neighbours wanted to come with us

a family member is coming this summer as i said, and the problem with this, is, Saturday nights, we will go out for visiting, in Montreal, thats why it wont be easy
i can guaranty i will miss alot (Saturdays).. plus we might also go to Toronto and Lake George durning the weekends, but if im allowd to go with them, then this is an offer i cant refuse, u know its not like i go always to Toronto or Lake George, the last time i went was like 6 years, im defently excited!

Enkil,

I wish you could've stayed to watch all of the displays, though. It is the 20th anniversary, after all. It won't be the same without you! We need your opinion, in addition to others, to make comments on the displays. However, that's up to you.

If you miss some, you can always read about them on Paul's reports.

Anyways, are you coming this Saturday for Japan?

And BTW, Enkil, how long have you been attending the competition? I've been since 1990 and seen roughly 127 displays at the competition since then. I thought I remember you saying that you started off in 1994 a few months ago, I think, if my memory is correct.

Regards,

Trav.

i dunno if i can go this Saturday, since my parents need the car to go someones house or something, this comes from my mother

but i think i will make it, too soon to tell

to tell u the truth Japon doesnt really interest me much, i know they won the gold jupiter, and that was in 1985, but im sure it will be good

ive been going since 1994 or 1995, i dunno how many shows becuz i wasnt able to go to all of them

i hope this competiton will last for many many years to come and maybe for forever, after Six Flags contract ends, they better continu with La Ronde transformed

Well still, you never know. Japan just may just as well surprise us!

I'm actually looking foward to their show.

Just another question. I just wanted some feedback on your experience on the bridge. Is it worth it? I don't think that I'll go, but I'm just curious. I've been up there before, but that was a long time ago! I had a bad experience back then of always getting smoke in my face! I guess it was the wind to blame, at the time! Well, I suppose it's good since you're relatively at a high view overlook.

Well, I hope that you can make it on Saturday.

Regards,

Trav.

unfortunalty, just confirmed, i wont attend this Saturday , my parent r using the car to go to a guess house, however, like i said, im not looking forward, i know i shouldnt say this, since this year every country counts, but anyhow there r many great countries coming, and like Paul said, the surprises r in a few weeks, looks interesing

anyways, the bridge is a great place to watch, when i went last Saturday at the other side of the bridge near downtown, u can see pretty good, but u have a feeling that u r a bit far, but otherwise its great

but the place that i prefere its near La Ronde, the place i showed u last year, u can see almost everything from there

here, i will show where i stand last Saturday
http://www.geocities.com/mondialsaq/untitmled.jpg

i wish u could show me exactly where u stand, i want to try ure place, one day,

try to save the file in bmp and from there u can draw on it, save it as jpg file, and sent it to my email at amokk50@hotmail.com

Enkil,

I could tell you exactly where I satnd. Do you see where you drew the red line, where you stood last Saturday? At roughly that exact spot of the bridge, if you look directly below there, you'll see a parking area around there, just off De Lorimier street. That's where I park.

Now, where I watch can be found right up at the end of De Lorimier. It's just right at the intersection to Notre-Dame. I stand next to the traffic light there to watch the fireworks. It's nice because you can see over everyone heads on the sidewalk.

Do you have a good idea now? I've been standing there since 2001. Before that, I've been up to the steel gate on Notre-Dame before all the way back since 1991. In 1990, I watched most of them in La Ronde. Have you always been on the bridge since 1994, when you started watching?

Anyways, if you're still having trouble finding where I stand, I'll be glad to explain in further detail. It's really a nice area to watch and as an advantage, it's a relatively short walk back to the parking area, not even 5 minutes! You really should consider!

Regards,

Trav.

i think i get it, ill keep in mind "intersection to Notre-Dame" and "next to the traffic light"

ive been there once, next to st Laurence river, but if i remember i couldnt see the tiny details, at ure place do u see every little details?

i found a pic of De Lorimier
http://aperau.org/documents/montreal/lorimier.jpg see if u can add details on it, or maybe not at all

I suppose this is a more accurate picture.

As you can see further down De Lorimier, on the right, you should see a parking lot all the way down. That's where I am.

It's quite easy after that. All the way down the street to the end, which you cannot see on this picture, you'll find Notre-Dame, and right at the end of De Lorimier, you'll find some traffic lights in the centre of the road. I stand adjacent to these traffic lights. You really cannot miss it. This is an older version of the picture because the buildings on the left were gone for years now. But same idea, in general.

As for the tiny details, I see pretty much everything, even the lowest ones, because of the angle that I'm standing. I rarely miss anything. I'm talking from years of experience!

I guess I can give you further details if you still have trouble. Are you still considering?

BTW, I love the pics!

Regards,

Trav.

i see now!

i just find a map of Montreal in my house, i see De Lorimier, Notre-Dame, and the intersection

just a few questions more..

at what time do they close the streets? i know that the bridge closes arount 7-8 pm, but what the street De Lorimier?

also, is it a huge parking lot, to who it belongs, can u tell some signs (to find the parking lot)?

when my niece comes from Sweden, for sure we will go one day with the car, i will tell my sister to go this direction and see what happens

All street closures, as far as I know, close at 8:00-8:30 P.M, including De Lorimier. I'm aware that the bridge closes at 8:00 P.M.

As for the parking lot, it does not belong to anybody, and I wouldn't say it's huge, but relatively big enough, none the less. To find the parking lot, my indication to you for finding it, is look where Rene-Levesque intersects with De Lorimier and the parking lot is right there, next to the bridge. I can also tell you that in the parking lot, there's an advertising billboard sign. And yes, you can see this sign on that picture, barely. If you look closely at the picture, where the bus is, you'll see, just slightly further up, to the right of the bus, a black rectangle behind the trees.

If it's still not clear, let me know.

BTW, did you just see that thunderstorm? It was pretty intense! I actually felt that it was coming! However, it looks like a much colder week ahead. The cold can't wait!

Regards,

Trav.

Enkil,

Do you still have trouble locating my spot and parking area? Just read the post above and let me know if you find it.

I know its been a week since we last spoke of it!

Regards,

Trav.