Notes from the underground shopping mall - Montreal trip
To celebrate the 4 year anniversary with the boyfriend (has it really been that long?!?!), we went up to Montreal. We had some help from a friend with an abundance of airline miles who was appreciative of help finding a job recently.
The boyfriend had never been there, and it had been over 10 years since I had been, so we were in for a treat. We picked up a Fodor's guide and even had a paper AAA map on hand. I found the Hotel Ambrose on Hotels.com, and it was a pretty sweet deal for being located right in downtown (on the advice of a coworker who had lives there ages ago). Right by McGill, which was almost my undergrad alma mater, was an interesting neighborhood full of English-speaking students and tourists from all over. then it was a question of trying to prepare my brain to start back up in French (though it's definitely possible to get around with just English, having the ability to do both makes things a lot easier, and some people a lot more friendly).
Beginning of March was actually a great time to visit--very few tourists, temperatures were about 30-34' everyday, and the snow was charming and not cumbersome. And the food... The food was AMAZING. The local delicacies, poutine and smoked meat are hearty and delicious. Beyond that, the international options are endless. We got around to just about everything beyond walking distance by the Metro, which was cheap (3 days for $36 (CAD) also included any trips by shuttle to the airport) and easy, and made things quite simple. We also took one bus that cut across Mount Royal, on the advice of a helpful person on the street, which was great (articulated buses turn me into a squealing 8 year old, they are just so cool). Still, comfortable shoes are a must. I could not understand how the fashionable women got around in nice shoes during winter, avoiding slush, puddles, etc., but I never do. The Metro also anchors the network of underground tunnels that turn into a network of of little stores and shopping malls, and even some art museum portions. It wasn't quite as mysterious as I had hoped, but pretty handy during the coldest weather.
My intention is not to write a love letter to poutine, but it is an easy temptation. Fresh, crispy french fries covered with cheese curds and hot beef gravy.... Sometimes, it can come with peppercorn gravy or with bits of smoked meat or with carmelized onions. It is heavy and doesn't mess around, you will be full for ages, and for tipplers, it will soak up a lot of booze in your stomach. My favorite was the poutine with peas, carmelized onions, and mushrooms at Smoke's in the university district. On the recommendation of a friend, we stopped at Boulangerie Kouing-Amman in the Plateau district, and I had the namesake pastry (a specialty of Breton/Brittany) and it was just slightly crunchy and melty, buttery and sweet. I may have melted a bit myself. We were also staying right by one of the best Indian restaurants in all of Montreal, and the lunch buffet lived up to the hype! The buffet at Le Taj was eclectic, the spices were delicate and bold, and the naan was fresh and stretchy, and the price was very reasonable. Those were really the biggest culinary highlights - we also found some other places that were good, but not holy-moly-that-is-the-best-and-the-world-must-know.
There is so much to do, including museums, parks (yes, even in winter!), food, shops, more food, an underground city, and then some more food. I put on about 5 or 6 pounds before we left, but those were well-earned pounds. That was even without the efforts of going up to the great lookout point on Mount Royal. We thought the #11 bus went straight there, but missed our stop and happened upon a an adorable part of the park at Lac aux Castors where Quebecois kids were learning to ice skate, and all the locals seemed to be coming out to rent skis (alpine and cross-country, sleds, inner tubes, and the like. Eventually, we caught the bus back the other way and go the right stop, then had an invigorating walk up the hill to the look out point and were treated to a really amazing view of downtown and the St. Charles river. Next time I go back, I want to leave a whole day for either running/hiking around the mountain, or joining the locals and renting some cross-country skis. The snow reminded me of Syracuse in winter - just everywhere and constant, but since the world still functions, it's comforting rather than inconvenient.
The museums ranged from the modern and unique (Pointe a Calliere museum of archeology demonstrating not only the history of the area but also archeological site locations and methods) to the traditional art museum (Museum of Fine Arts/Musee de Beaux Arts with great Peruvian and Napoleon exhibits) to the adorably quirky and overrun with children (Redpath Museum on the McGill campus with a zany collection of fossils, mummies, and skeletons).
And there were a lot of interesting churches that demonstrate different aspects of local history, culture, and internal divisions. That part reminded me of Europe, where touring means an obligatory visit to the local churches, as repositories of local history and arts. The Cathedral of Notre Dame was amazing and appropriately ornate, though the wood throughout gave a much warmer and cozier feel than the European churches I am used to. St. Pat's made it very clear that they were not the French Canadians, and were in fact quite different. Similar kinds of wood and painting, but very different feel and less touristy. Another fun one was the Cathedral of Mary Queen of the World - which is a 1/4 scale replica of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I enjoyed it even more after randomly seeing a documentary on life in the Vatican City when I got back - they really made it a picture image! We tried to get out to another church in Little Italy that boasted a painting of Mussolini riding a horse (commissioned and painted well before the war), but sadly there are only so many hours in the day and so much that we could get ourselves around to.
One of the more different churches was the Oratoire St. Joseph. It is a modern church high on a hill near Mount Royal (though not NEARLY as near as the map made it look...) with a stark, concrete interior, but an incredible array of candle offerings in the crypt to honor Frere Andre (now Saint Andre) and his multitude of healing miracles. In the nearby chapel of Frere Andre, there were plaques thanking him for miracles and cures, as well as comfort and easing of worry. Everything seemed so heartfelt, it strikes me as difficult to not be moved.
Since we did so much during the days, by the evening we were both pretty exhausted. We ended up watching a couple of games of the Club de Hockey Canadien (the Canadiens/the Habs/the Habitants). While we certainly didn't understand everything that was going on, it certainly was entertaining to watch. I had such fun that I ended up hoping I would wander across the Canadiens Hall of Fame that was describe in our Fodor's guide. I was out for a wander by myself on our last afternoon in town, and happened to turn into the Windsor station (near the church of St. George, clearly the English part of town), decided to try going down a staircase, then decided to follow a hallway (I was looking for something that looked more like a train station than an empty hallway). And suddenly I found some glass doors and big signs about the Canadiens Hall of Fame! I also found a team shop and picked up a t-shirt, because what the hell. I had enjoyed watching the games, and it was a useful souvenir. On the way out, I saw signs about a new condo building that was in design and was specifically going to be near the stadium, and with lots of obsessive fans all gathered in one building all day. I'm sure it'll be an interesting sight!
It was a really great trip, and I would strongly recommend Montreal in early March to anyone! Even with the CAD nearly equal to the USD, it was still quite affordable.
And remember, joy is simple.
At least according to Montreal Metro graffiti.
The boyfriend had never been there, and it had been over 10 years since I had been, so we were in for a treat. We picked up a Fodor's guide and even had a paper AAA map on hand. I found the Hotel Ambrose on Hotels.com, and it was a pretty sweet deal for being located right in downtown (on the advice of a coworker who had lives there ages ago). Right by McGill, which was almost my undergrad alma mater, was an interesting neighborhood full of English-speaking students and tourists from all over. then it was a question of trying to prepare my brain to start back up in French (though it's definitely possible to get around with just English, having the ability to do both makes things a lot easier, and some people a lot more friendly).
Beginning of March was actually a great time to visit--very few tourists, temperatures were about 30-34' everyday, and the snow was charming and not cumbersome. And the food... The food was AMAZING. The local delicacies, poutine and smoked meat are hearty and delicious. Beyond that, the international options are endless. We got around to just about everything beyond walking distance by the Metro, which was cheap (3 days for $36 (CAD) also included any trips by shuttle to the airport) and easy, and made things quite simple. We also took one bus that cut across Mount Royal, on the advice of a helpful person on the street, which was great (articulated buses turn me into a squealing 8 year old, they are just so cool). Still, comfortable shoes are a must. I could not understand how the fashionable women got around in nice shoes during winter, avoiding slush, puddles, etc., but I never do. The Metro also anchors the network of underground tunnels that turn into a network of of little stores and shopping malls, and even some art museum portions. It wasn't quite as mysterious as I had hoped, but pretty handy during the coldest weather.
My intention is not to write a love letter to poutine, but it is an easy temptation. Fresh, crispy french fries covered with cheese curds and hot beef gravy.... Sometimes, it can come with peppercorn gravy or with bits of smoked meat or with carmelized onions. It is heavy and doesn't mess around, you will be full for ages, and for tipplers, it will soak up a lot of booze in your stomach. My favorite was the poutine with peas, carmelized onions, and mushrooms at Smoke's in the university district. On the recommendation of a friend, we stopped at Boulangerie Kouing-Amman in the Plateau district, and I had the namesake pastry (a specialty of Breton/Brittany) and it was just slightly crunchy and melty, buttery and sweet. I may have melted a bit myself. We were also staying right by one of the best Indian restaurants in all of Montreal, and the lunch buffet lived up to the hype! The buffet at Le Taj was eclectic, the spices were delicate and bold, and the naan was fresh and stretchy, and the price was very reasonable. Those were really the biggest culinary highlights - we also found some other places that were good, but not holy-moly-that-is-the-best-and-the-world-must-know.
There is so much to do, including museums, parks (yes, even in winter!), food, shops, more food, an underground city, and then some more food. I put on about 5 or 6 pounds before we left, but those were well-earned pounds. That was even without the efforts of going up to the great lookout point on Mount Royal. We thought the #11 bus went straight there, but missed our stop and happened upon a an adorable part of the park at Lac aux Castors where Quebecois kids were learning to ice skate, and all the locals seemed to be coming out to rent skis (alpine and cross-country, sleds, inner tubes, and the like. Eventually, we caught the bus back the other way and go the right stop, then had an invigorating walk up the hill to the look out point and were treated to a really amazing view of downtown and the St. Charles river. Next time I go back, I want to leave a whole day for either running/hiking around the mountain, or joining the locals and renting some cross-country skis. The snow reminded me of Syracuse in winter - just everywhere and constant, but since the world still functions, it's comforting rather than inconvenient.
The museums ranged from the modern and unique (Pointe a Calliere museum of archeology demonstrating not only the history of the area but also archeological site locations and methods) to the traditional art museum (Museum of Fine Arts/Musee de Beaux Arts with great Peruvian and Napoleon exhibits) to the adorably quirky and overrun with children (Redpath Museum on the McGill campus with a zany collection of fossils, mummies, and skeletons).
And there were a lot of interesting churches that demonstrate different aspects of local history, culture, and internal divisions. That part reminded me of Europe, where touring means an obligatory visit to the local churches, as repositories of local history and arts. The Cathedral of Notre Dame was amazing and appropriately ornate, though the wood throughout gave a much warmer and cozier feel than the European churches I am used to. St. Pat's made it very clear that they were not the French Canadians, and were in fact quite different. Similar kinds of wood and painting, but very different feel and less touristy. Another fun one was the Cathedral of Mary Queen of the World - which is a 1/4 scale replica of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I enjoyed it even more after randomly seeing a documentary on life in the Vatican City when I got back - they really made it a picture image! We tried to get out to another church in Little Italy that boasted a painting of Mussolini riding a horse (commissioned and painted well before the war), but sadly there are only so many hours in the day and so much that we could get ourselves around to.
One of the more different churches was the Oratoire St. Joseph. It is a modern church high on a hill near Mount Royal (though not NEARLY as near as the map made it look...) with a stark, concrete interior, but an incredible array of candle offerings in the crypt to honor Frere Andre (now Saint Andre) and his multitude of healing miracles. In the nearby chapel of Frere Andre, there were plaques thanking him for miracles and cures, as well as comfort and easing of worry. Everything seemed so heartfelt, it strikes me as difficult to not be moved.
Since we did so much during the days, by the evening we were both pretty exhausted. We ended up watching a couple of games of the Club de Hockey Canadien (the Canadiens/the Habs/the Habitants). While we certainly didn't understand everything that was going on, it certainly was entertaining to watch. I had such fun that I ended up hoping I would wander across the Canadiens Hall of Fame that was describe in our Fodor's guide. I was out for a wander by myself on our last afternoon in town, and happened to turn into the Windsor station (near the church of St. George, clearly the English part of town), decided to try going down a staircase, then decided to follow a hallway (I was looking for something that looked more like a train station than an empty hallway). And suddenly I found some glass doors and big signs about the Canadiens Hall of Fame! I also found a team shop and picked up a t-shirt, because what the hell. I had enjoyed watching the games, and it was a useful souvenir. On the way out, I saw signs about a new condo building that was in design and was specifically going to be near the stadium, and with lots of obsessive fans all gathered in one building all day. I'm sure it'll be an interesting sight!
It was a really great trip, and I would strongly recommend Montreal in early March to anyone! Even with the CAD nearly equal to the USD, it was still quite affordable.
And remember, joy is simple.
At least according to Montreal Metro graffiti.
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