Canadian Grand Prix 2006
Montreal is a wonderful city and the Canadian Grand Prix was a blast, despite the best efforts of the venue managers to ruin the whole thing. Sure, it sounds fun: hold a race on an island in the middle of a river just miles from downtown. Think Alcatraz and you'll have a sense of how accessible it is. And if you want to get close to the action in Formula One, go to Indianapolis instead. There, you can get closer, get to the track faster, and generally experience fewer hassles. I was shocked by the poor crowd control, the inefficient transit, and -most of all- the structure of the venue, designed to keep general admission ticket holders from seeing anything at all. (L. to R.: the old city as seen from the long bridge on the walk off the island; spectators' flags fly above the grandstands; venue map. Click for larger.)
