Results 1 to 12 of 12
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem

    Montreal Travel Advice

    Mrs. Tripping, the boy (age 11) and I will be paying our first-ever visit to Montreal in late'ish July. We are flying in and will be there four days & three nights, with two full days relatively free of obligations. Seeking always-stellar DBR input on what to see, do, avoid, etc. To guide the discussion a little:
    • Have accommodations in Old Montreal
    • Poutine? Why, yes!
    • Bagels? Of course!
    • Smoked meats? Absolutely!
    • Early to bed, early to rise? That's us.
    • Nightlife? That's not us.



    Many thanks in advance.
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  2. #2
    - Joe Beef (call now for a reservation)
    - Au Pied de Cochon is one of my five favorite restaurants
    - For bagels, you can try both Fairmont and St-Viateur. If you stay long enough at one of those places for breakfast, it'll be late enough to go to Schwartz's for lunch (smoked meat)
    - Generally speaking, I'd hang out in Old Montreal and Plateau Mont Royal the majority of my time
    - Mont Royal itself is a pretty good hike and worth it to walk off all the food

    Have fun!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St. Louis
    Quote Originally Posted by Tripping William View Post
    Mrs. Tripping, the boy (age 11) and I will be paying our first-ever visit to Montreal in late'ish July. We are flying in and will be there four days & three nights, with two full days relatively free of obligations. Seeking always-stellar DBR input on what to see, do, avoid, etc. To guide the discussion a little:
    • Have accommodations in Old Montreal
    • Poutine? Why, yes!
    • Bagels? Of course!
    • Smoked meats? Absolutely!
    • Early to bed, early to rise? That's us.
    • Nightlife? That's not us.



    Many thanks in advance.
    If you're interested in that sort of thing, Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica is beautiful.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Quote Originally Posted by Tripping William View Post
    Mrs. Tripping, the boy (age 11) and I will be paying our first-ever visit to Montreal in late'ish July. We are flying in and will be there four days & three nights, with two full days relatively free of obligations. Seeking always-stellar DBR input on what to see, do, avoid, etc. To guide the discussion a little:
    • Have accommodations in Old Montreal
    • Poutine? Why, yes!
    • Bagels? Of course!
    • Smoked meats? Absolutely!
    • Early to bed, early to rise? That's us.
    • Nightlife? That's not us.



    Many thanks in advance.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mal View Post
    - Joe Beef (call now for a reservation)
    - Au Pied de Cochon is one of my five favorite restaurants
    - For bagels, you can try both Fairmont and St-Viateur. If you stay long enough at one of those places for breakfast, it'll be late enough to go to Schwartz's for lunch (smoked meat)
    - Generally speaking, I'd hang out in Old Montreal and Plateau Mont Royal the majority of my time
    - Mont Royal itself is a pretty good hike and worth it to walk off all the food

    Have fun!
    I agree with what Mal posted. Vieux Montreal is quite nice and a great place to be. Montreal in the summer is fantastic. There are some huge events in the city in the summer. Grand Prix is in June. I've never been, but it is supposed to be a great event. Just for Laughs and Jazz festival are two of the biggies and I believe both are at least in part in July. I was just reading that Place des Beaux Arts is the most visited museum in Canada. I have never been inside, but it is beautiful outside and a typically the centre of the big festivals and a great summer outdoor space.
    I don't know if they still do it or not, but a local friend of mine had told me about the Tam tams? A gathering of drummers up on Mont Royal on Sunday afternoons. It was an enjoyable way to spend a bit of time.
    Schwartz's is the classic place for smoked meat and is an institution (definitely not fancy) and I would recommend it, but you can get good smoked meat several places in town.
    I would recommend a walk down rue St. Catherine's for a good sampling of Montreal with potential stops just below there at the Atwater market, starting from the traditionally more English east and heading west. I'm a breakfast fan and really enjoy Eggspectations, one of which is in the old Montreal Forum at Atwater and Rene Levesque and/or Sherbrooke, (other major east-west arteries.). Cora's is another good breakfast chain. Of course, there are lots of places to get a nice Montreal bagel.
    There are nice pubs on Crescent Street and Bishop street that you may find well worth exploring. St. Laurent is a fun North-south artery that I believe used to be the separator between English and French. St. Denis is another great north/ south street with great patios and people watching.
    Hope you have a great time in a fantastic city.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem
    Quote Originally Posted by NSDukeFan View Post
    [edit] . . .
    Hope you have a great time in a fantastic city.
    Can't spork you for this, but thanks much for the info. I'm sure we'll visit at least some of these places.
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Quote Originally Posted by Mal View Post
    - Joe Beef (call now for a reservation)
    - Au Pied de Cochon is one of my five favorite restaurants
    - For bagels, you can try both Fairmont and St-Viateur. If you stay long enough at one of those places for breakfast, it'll be late enough to go to Schwartz's for lunch (smoked meat)
    - Generally speaking, I'd hang out in Old Montreal and Plateau Mont Royal the majority of my time
    - Mont Royal itself is a pretty good hike and worth it to walk off all the food

    Have fun!
    Could not agree more. This place is insane. Was there 2 weeks ago.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem

    Au Pied de Cochon

    Quote Originally Posted by flyingdutchdevil View Post
    Could not agree more. This place is insane. Was there 2 weeks ago.
    So, motion seconded. And if it's anything like its somewhat-similarly-named NOLa counterpart, Cochon, we are *all in*!
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Boston area, OK, Newton, right by Heartbreak Hill
    Go to a Salon du The (tea shop) - there are dozens. Pick one known for their desserts (as well as their tea).

    I wanted to study abroad when I was at Duke. I majored in math. The only program I found that would allow me to graduate on time was their summer program at the Universite de Montreal. I spent a summer in Montreal - a long time ago. Really - go to a Salon du The - if you're anything like me, you will never forget it. ;-) And make sure it's a Salon du The and not just a bakery that serves tea. Found these - Cha Noir, La Salon du The Cardinal, or La Maison Tricotee (combo tea room and knit shop!)
    Last edited by Bostondevil; 06-05-2015 at 01:14 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Deeetroit City
    Don't order a steak well done,

    A friend of mine tried years ago and refused to pay for the steak he contended was served medium, even after it had been returned to the kitchen for additional time on the grill. The fracas landed him in jail.

    Of course, he wasn't the easy-going, open-minded sort of fellow that I am.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem
    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    Don't order a steak well done,

    A friend of mine tried years ago and refused to pay for the steak he contended was served medium, even after it had been returned to the kitchen for additional time on the grill. The fracas landed him in jail.

    Of course, he wasn't the easy-going, open-minded sort of fellow that I am.
    Thanks for the tip. I will not have an issue with this. Mrs. Tripping, however, might need to be forewarned . . . . .
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    As someone who lives near Montreal and has visited hundreds of times (Go Nats!) may I offer a few more tidbits:

    Au Pied de Cochon is great, but make sure you have reservations well in advance.
    Since it is summer, they have some offerings not available other times of the year, specifically a series of amazing seafood platters of varying sizes which multiple people share (good
    for a fabulous appetizer)...there's a $30 platter, $50 platter (roughly) and so on. What makes them special is that there's a wonderful sauce or seasoning on everything, really
    remarkable.
    I also recommend Duke in a Can...most unusual, but if you like duck (canard!) it's great...they come to your table with a sealed tin can, open it up, and it lands on your
    plate like a big cow plop, only significantly tastier (i would imagine).
    (a few years ago we got them to serve us a recreation of the eight course tasting menu they served to the North American Food Writers...just about died after course six, but incredible stuff).

    The Botanical Gardens (Jardins Botaniques) on the east side of town near the Olympic Stadium (the world's worse major league baseball venue EVER, of this I am certain). Fabulous large grounds,
    often many entertaining weddings going on. I recommend the easy to use subway (Metro) from downtown (Pie IX stop)..rubber tires on the trains!

    The Montreal Fine Arts (Beaux Arts) Museum downtown is great if you want an indoor break, easy to get to, near Crescent street...at the corner of Sherbrooke and Ave. du Musee.
    Big Rodin exhibit now, world class.

    Speaking of world class: In July and onward Montreal hosts (each WEdnesday and Saturday i believe) the worlds biggest Fireworks competition...on each date one country shows its stuff...massive, huge, fabulous, you
    can find the schedule on line, and don't by any venue tickets, just have your hotel staff tell you where to stand...BIG fireworks...USA is doing its thing July 25 i think...

    The gigantic series of underground shops is nice to have a look at, and if you're sick of restaurant meals, there are many kiosks with world class pastries, e.g. attached to the main train station underneath the centrally located
    Queen Elizabeth hotel....croissants galore, good stuff, inexpensive vs restaurants.

    All in all a great walking city, go up Mount Royal, enjoy the sights.

    Any more questions, just ask via here or private message...budwom
    Last edited by -jk; 06-09-2015 at 03:31 PM. Reason: Clarity

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem
    A heartfelt thanks to all who chimed in. We had a wonderful trip to Montreal. The weather was fabulous. The food was awesome (at Joe Beef, Au Pied de Cochon, and Tapas 24 for dinners; at a food truck in Vieux Port and Qing Hua Dumpling in China Town for lunches; and Fairmount Bagel). Good beer, too (especially at a pub in Vieux Montreal called BreWSky; a really good scotch ale there).

    The views from the chalet on Mont Royale were gorgeous, and we had a nice long walk (somewhat inadvertenly) on Chemin Olmstead past the Cross. The views from Montreal Tower at Olympic Park were also amazing.

    Because the weather was so cooperative, we really didn't do a lot of museums. Instead, we walked our "I'm a real wanker for saying this'es" off and stumbled upon a pretty cool little festival in Parc La Fontaine one afternoon.

    Definitely a do-again city, especially with the US Dollar as strong as it is against the Canadian Dollar right now. I'll bet fall there is gorgeous (all 10 days or so of it, I suspect).

    Thanks again.
    Last edited by Tripping William; 07-27-2015 at 02:59 PM.
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

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