This is Montreal drawn as it looked the day the city debuted itself to the world at the Expo ’67 fair. Within the drawing you can find more than 50 specific buildings from that day. They are laid out in a way best described as “plastic” and maybe “cubist.” The two islands at the bottom, Ile Notre Dame and Ile Sainte Hélène, are the Expo grounds themselves. The northwest border terminates right before the city’s eponymous mountain, and the northeast ends right before Parc Lafontaine. And while I do suggest you plan a trip here, you certainly wouldn’t want to plan a trip with this drawing.

Montreal author Yann Martel once described the city as “a cigar-smoking chimp.” Sure, that touches on the excess and fun we have here, but it doesn’t mention all the other layers of the city’s beauty. Also of note: the rent stays low-ish despite it being an enormous city, the politics of language grate in a way that only Parc Lafontaine open-air drinks can repair, and long winters force mental vacations.

Finding a way to sleep all day. Having a new kid and a busy studio doesn’t really let that happen.

Being an artist is considered a legitimate career choice here, and the economics of the place actually allow it to happen.

Almost everyone I’ve known who moved to Montreal has experienced a serious crisis in their first 12 months here. Not sure why, but it happens like clockwork.

Tiny city-run snowplows clear every sidewalk every time it snows. Seriously.

Caligula?

Ian Svenonius, Anne Applebaum, the Kinks.