i am planning to go to Montreal Canada for 2 days ... what should i do?

[haagen_dazs]

thank you for all your tips / suggestions
will be there to check montreal out this sat and sunday

any recommendations for nice fine dinning french restaurant in the 99 area?
something good but not toooo expensive
thanks all!

🙂

wonder how the weather is there now? 🙂

 

[sepiareverb]

I rarely go to Montreal without stopping in at Camtec photo on Notre Dame est.

 

[J J Kapsberger]

I rarely go to Montreal without stopping in at Camtec photo on Notre Dame est.

That's where I bought my Leica stuff from. Jean B's a great guy to deal with. I hope to meet him one day in person (I've only corresponded via the phone and email).

 

[sepiareverb]

That's where I bought my Leica stuff from. Jean B's a great guy to deal with. I hope to meet him one day in person (I've only corresponded via the phone and email).

My first Leica came from Jean B as well. He is great. Very accomodating. I traded a bunch of Nikon SLR glass and one of my F bodies for a nearly new M7/Summicron kit. He usually has some interesting glass in the used cabinet.

 

[mich8261]

Hey Mark,

That's my old hometown you'll be visiting. First thing you should do is reduce your intake of food now so you can indulge whilst in Montréal. Schwartz' is a indeed a must it's on St-Laurent (aka St. Lawrence, aka the Main, aka La Main) near the Portuguese area of the city which has some fabulous restaurants. Some other recommendations would be L'Express on St-Denis, nice French bistro in a great part of town (Plateau Mont-Royal). A couple of bring your own wine favourites are Au 917, on Rachel St. (917 Rachel!) - french cuisine (I must admit I haven't been to this one in more then 10 years, so do some research and La Raclette on Guilford corner of Christophe Colomb - Swiss Cuisine. If you want good cheap and plentiful food, you could go to one of the greek tavernas on Prince Arthur or Duluth (most are bring your own wine). All these are in the same neighborhood.

Can anyone confirm if the Tam Tam is still on at the foot of the mountain on Sundays? If so, this would be a great place to go.

If you like rock music, tune in to CHOM-FM 97.7 as you approach the border. Best radio station in my book. I still listen to it eventhough I left 10 years ago. Speaking of the border, look at a map and consider one of the alternate crossings east or west of 87 as it can get very busy, but maybe in the opposite direction that you'll be traveling.

Keep in mind that the Metro (subway) does not run 24/7. Some of the buses do. Pick up a copy of the Mirror or Voir if you read French. Their the local Village Voice so you'll see what's going on and get some more restaurant recommendations.

L'ile St-Helene (site of the 1967 Worlds Fair and adjacent to the F1 race track) has great views of the city, it's green and you can get there by Metro easily).

Sorry this is all over the place. Enjoy your trip and make sure to post some pics.

Bon Voyage.

 

[Xmas]

Buy lots of film at the cheapest film shop, shoot up the town, dont waste time eating till its dark and you are out of fast film for the day.

Noel

 

[Ororaro]

The 917 is a great idea!
The TAM TAM is Da place to be on sundays!!! All kinds of crazy folks and great photo opportunities!

 

[sepiareverb]

Derby Line VT is a border crossing that is a breeze- off I-91. Bonus is the opera house with the stage in Canada and the audience in the USA. Much in the local news due to the Feds getting all hot and bothered that one can walk down the street and end up in Canada. "No officer I really did think the river was the border"

The I-91 crossing is not usually too busy, Canadians are almost always very friendly, with the return to the US ranging from 'lets open and then slam all the doors to see if we can make the sleeping kids wake up screaming' to not even bothering to come to the booth from inside.

 

[BJ Bignell]

When are you going to be in town? What do you like to do? Are you travelling alone, or with family?

There's already been a lot covered, but some items I would like to mention:

• Sunday on the mountain for tam-tam can be awesome. It's alongside Parc, just south of Mont-Royal.
• If you're around in the autumn, go see the laterns in the evening at the Jardin Botanique: Click here. If you have family, the gardens make for a nice day, and the Insectarium (buy a combination ticket for better prices) is very cool for kids and adults alike.
• Montreal is a food-lover's city; there is no shortage of good eating. You will find excellent eating on the Plateau around Rachel, Duluth, St-Denis, and St-Laurent. The Village, Quartier Latin, and Mile End also have some nice places. If you want French, Au Pied du Cochon is supposed to be top-notch, but bring your big credit card and make reservations as early as possible. Grab a late-night bagel at St-Viateur's (on St-Viateur), and go to Schwartz's because it's pretty damned good.
• I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the beer! Here's a few micro-breweries to get started with: Les 3 Brasseurs; l'Amère à boire; Le Cheval Blanc; Dieu du Ciel.
• And if you don't have time to try all the micros independently, head up to Little Italy (good eats up there!) to Vices et Versa, where they serve a mind-boggling selection small brews from around the province. Up to 20 beers on tap every day!
• For street-shooting, Marché Atwater and Marché Jean-Talon are excellent on Saturday and Sunday. Also, they're very good for the food.
• The hotel selection on the edge of Chinatown is a good spot to base yourself.

Geez, I've barely started and already I'm worn out... Have a great trip, get in touch if you want a personal guide and I'll see what I can do.

BJ

 

[haagen_dazs]

hi everyone!
i really enjoyed Montreal alot.
It was a great time to get away from work and to relax in this quaint city.
I really enjoyed walking through Old Montreal.. very european.

Anyways, I tried to see as much as I can.
the hotel location was suberb
places i went to were
- schwartz deli -> oh my gosh. LOVE IT!! the meat was so tender. had a sandwich with the cherry drink. lovely. i went at 1115 and there was no line. i was out approx 45minutes later and the line was crazy LONG!!
- walked up and down saint denis, laurent
- walked along the small streets between these 2 streets
- bio dome and botanical gardens
- walked around the olympic stadium
- marche jean talon - stuffed myself to bits with corn, fruits and cucumbers. beautiful colours
- ate a ton of crepes
- both savoury and sweet

- had 1 french fine dinning dinner
- old montreal and the pier
- drove through st catherine, up mount royal for the view
- saw tam tams from the road while driving (heard them for sure more than i saw them)
- could not get to the camtec camera store coz it was closed on sunday. silly me. i was so near and yet i didnt walk by it on saturday. doh
- saw the church on the some hill top, big cross on top (forgot the name)

had a great time folks!
thank you for all your help!

 

[mich8261]

Pictures

Pictures

Mark,

Glad you had a great time. You certainly hit a lot of the landmarks. Now how 'bout some pictures?!

The "church" on the side of Mont-Royal is the Oratoire St-Joseph.

Cheers,