America 28: Cafes

You have to hand it to the Americans, they know how to absorb something into their own culture when it's better. American coffee and American beer have terrible reputations, but the espresso-based and craft-brewed realities are something else entirely. Even so, the cafes in Montreal still somehow manage to be better. The same way that you feel American and British influences elsewhere, you feel the European influence most strongly here. Cobbled streets, little shops, lots of bikes, and cute cafes with amazing coffee. That said, you can't help but feel a subtle nod to American-ness in the imported French tradition of drinking it from a bowl.