Faithful readers of these show report blogs may recall that last year I missed the Toronto–Montreal train I was scheduled to take, and had to wait two hours for the next one. This year, I was determined that history was not going to repeat itself, and I ended up getting to the train station nearly an hour before the train's departure. Maybe next year I'll find a happy compromise. . .

For people coming to SSI by train, a great advantage of the new Hilton Bonaventure show venue is that it's only about a five-minute walk underground from Montreal's Central Station. The hotel itself occupies the top three levels of Place Bonaventure, which is a giant office building. Underground walkways connect Place Bonaventure to restaurants and shopping areas. And, as noted in the Jason Victor Serinus' introductory piece a major advantage of the new venue is that you can walk to all the exhibits; you don't have to take an elevator. Well, you have to take an elevator to get from the ground floor of Place Bonaventure to the hotel, but once there, you're all set to explore.