Montreal, you were beautiful.  Nothing like watching the snow fly around my 29th floor window, even though I was about to find out my flights would be canceled and my next few days a traveler’s hell.  The city was lovely, it’s churches gorgeously creepy, crepes and handmade Taiwanese noodles fantastic, and now while I sit after ingesting sugar-coated penne pasta due to the Crowne Plaza Hotel filling their salt shakers with sugar, I dearly miss that Marriott Chateau Champlain and its comforting 35th floor salon lounge overlooking Mont Royal, their apologetic fruit basket for overbooking our first night, and the fantastic service and care of the staff.  Do you really need that extra ‘e’ at the end of your name, Crowne?

I know I’m getting soft.  I used to go from Super 8s to Best Westerns while shooting, looking for cheap deals and just hoping the smoke smell didn’t seep into my luggage.  But I suppose when you’re always on the road, it’s maybe not too much to ask that the bathtub isn’t full of dirty water, the towels stained yellow, please no dripping hole in the ceiling?

But who cares? What’s important is, UFC 113 was full of photo-worthy action and I have a gallery over at MMAFighting.com to prove it.

The crowd in Montreal was certainly great to witness, the volume of their cheers for GSP and boos for Koscheck shook my gear.

I didn’t see Jason MacDonald’s leg break because it was behind a pole for me but the endless replays stung the crowd, letting out sympathetic “OH!” while booing Salter for celebrating, over and over.

It was an entertaining night down to the Belcher supporters outside the Marriott after the fights, all asking to be choked by Belcher while they posed for photographs.

Casey and I braved the snow in our very thin spring jackets to go out for crêpes and coffee, and Iron Man 2, which was disappointing (except for Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson, whose characters were whatever, so I just stared lustfully at them).

We’re here in St. Louis for Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery now and keep your eyes peeled for the coverage comin’ straight from the Arch.

Over and out.