tutu

We are two adults who enjoy museums, markets, dining, etc. Will be staying at the Crowne Plaza in Montreal June 14-16. Plan to visit Jean Talon Market (?best time to visit and restaurant recommendations). Any interesting exhibitions, restaurants (enjoyed Toque on last visit) or other info would be greatly appreciated. Merci.

Daniel Williams

If you're in the Jean Talon Market area, I highly recommend le Petit Alep restaurant (I think it's on boul. Jean Talon itself) for reasonably-priced brunch and great ambience. Check their special brunch menu on a blackboard: if they have this omelette with courgettes and Fromage d'Alep (amongst other things), get it! Every bite was orgasmic! <BR><BR>Weekends will be more crowded at le Marche Jean Talon, but I think you'll still enjoy. Going in the morning might be the best plan.

Louis

Current exhibition at Museum of Fine Arts is "Great Italian Masters from Raphael to Tiepolo".<BR><BR>Pretty good.

zootsi

This is a great neighborhood to be in.Just behind the Crowne Plaza, on Cherrier, is a very authentic Parisian bistro called Cafe Cherrier. Stroll up to Duluth street from your hotel for a lot of interesting BYOB ethnic restaurants. Walk thru Square St. Louis<BR>if it's a nice evening to hear some very nice street music, then on to Prince Arthur for all the excitement of outdoor cafes and street entertainment. Of course, don't miss St. Dennis with all it's interesting restaurants and shops.<BR>Just a few blocks from Jean Talon is a world class Middle Eastern restaurant called Dhaou (spelling?).

serena

Tutu - Thanks for posting - your message could have been written by me! I'll be in Montreal same weekend, same hotel! So this advice is really helpful. <BR><BR>I have a couple of more questions: how is the Museum of Contemporary Art? WIs it worth a visit, or should we spend our limited museum time in the Museum of Fine Arts? <BR><BR>Also I read that you can go to the top of Mont Royal in the park for a view of the city. How long is the hike to the top (is it actually a hike? or paved?) and what is the best way to access the park from the metro? Thanks!

Louis

Museum of Contemporay Art is very contemporary, if you know what I mean. Unless you have a Master's Degree in Fine Arts, the stuff is sometimes very hard to understand. Current show is Spencer Tunick. This is the guy who makes the photographs of thousands of nude people lying in the street.<BR><BR>View from top of Mont-Royal is indeed very nice. The belvedere overlooking the downtown area is at the Chalet.<BR><BR>It's quite a hike to go up there by foot. The most pedestrian friendly path starts at top of Peel Street, corner Pine. Otherwise, take bus 11 from Metro Mont-Royal. Get off near large parking lot on top of montain and walk to Chalet.<BR><BR>

klam

serena & Louis, thanx for posting and answering, respectively, as I was wondering about Mont Royal too.<BR><BR>I definitely want to go to the top. Does anyone know how long it would be to walk from Peel Street, corner Pine, as suggested by Louis?<BR><BR>And how long does it take if we get off near large parking lot on top of montain and walk to Chalet?<BR><BR>Do we need hiking boots or are runners fine?<BR><BR>We're going to Montreal in early July for a second visit...we loved it so much on our first visit we just HAD to return!<BR>

Louis

Klam:<BR>No, no you don't need hiking boots. The paths are either paved or gravel. Even city walking shoes will be fine. I'd say the walk from Peel & Pine to the Chalet is no more than 30 minutes. You'll see a stairway that is a shortcut, but its quite long and steep. Better take the winding path.<BR>The walk from the parking to the Chalet belvedere is no more than 10 minutes.

klam

Thanx a mint Louis!<BR><BR>This was on my list of "to do's" but there were so many amazing things to do and see and eat, we didn't get around to it.<BR><BR>The 10 or 30 min. info is great! I was planning on eating first, bringing food and snacks in our rucksack, etc...thinking it would take four hours...I'm such a dummy

serena

Ditto what Klam said, thanks Louis for the information! It is hard to get clear descriptions from guidebooks sometimes. <BR><BR>Klam - don't feel like a dummy because I also pictured a several hour trek climbing up rock-strewn trails. Now I know I can leave my boots at home.

Daniel Williams

Spencer Tunick: was he the guy that shot the photos of nudes in a cordoned off area of Montreal? I was actually curious to see the exhibit, as a friend told me it seemed well-crafted.<BR><BR>Incidentally, while those steps up to the Chalet view at Mont Royal might seem arduous to some, in graduate school I'd do the trek up and down a few times in the morning as a kind of "outdoors stairmaster". A great workout! 15 minutes from des Pins and Peel that way is about accurate. I do love Parc Mont Royal--in the heart of the city but at the same time you feel quite far away.<BR><BR>

Louis

Spencer Tunick is indeed the guy who shot a picture of 1,000 + people laying stark naked in the street at the corner of Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine.

tutu

Many thx for all the tips - am so looking forward to the visit.

kate

Hi,I did the climb on Mt Royal last Aug in summer sandals.Just bring water and a camera! What a great view.What a great city!<BR>I would recommend <BR>Zen-chinese restaurant in the Omni-very unusual,very pretty restaurant,not your usual Chinese !<BR>CAfe Ferrerira-Portugese Seafood,gorgeous place,food,make reservations asap,we eat there at least once every time we go.<BR>Toque can't be beat.<BR>Have a great time~<BR>Cafe Ferreire<BR>Cafe Ferrarie

kate

sorry-that was a typo.I'm not trying to convince you that much