Casino to reopen in August
The Montreal casino is set to reopen only in August, with restrictions. Loto‑Quebec has laid off a lot of workers.
The Time Out food hall will reopen next week with distancing limits, plexiglas partitions and everything set to make it an unpleasant experience instead of the relaxed convivial open space it was designed to be.
The Grande Bibliothèque will reopen but not as a place to linger or browse. As with the city libraries, you’ll need to reserve an item in advance and pick it up at a counter. Returned items will be put in quarantine for three days.
DeWolf 12:07 on 2020-07-02 Permalink
Maybe it’s just me but I kind of like the plexiglass partitions? I’ve gone out twice since restaurants/bars reopened, both times to have a beer and snack on a terrasse. In both cases there were attractive wood-framed plexiglass barriers between tables that made the experience feel much calmer and more intimate than it normally would. It’s like having your own private booth.
Blork 15:04 on 2020-07-02 Permalink
I agree with DeWolf, but I’m a cranky old man so that should come as no surprise. One of the things that has always bothered me about the popular restaurants in town (aside from the unbearable noise limits) is the snug fit of the tables. How many times have I sat at a line of tables where the stranger on my left and the stranger on my right are closer to me than my companion on the other side of the table?
To be fair, most of the time it only bugs me for a couple of minutes and then I tend to forget about it. Partly because when both you and your date are bellowing at the top of your lungs just to hear each other you tend to tune out the bellowings of your neighbours.