hello.
My husband and I will be staying at the Omni Hotel in what I guess is downtown Montreal for a few days: Saturday through Wednesday. If you were in the Omni and wanted to run out for bagels, where would you look for them? I don't want to go too far as I will be dying for coffee myself.
Thank you.

Hi, Olive Oil: We stay @ Omni. I like Presse Cafe. I think it is on de Maisonneuve(not sure). Anyway, when you stumble off the elevator in search of bagels, go left. Walk through the Omni Restaurant/Bar area. Out the side door onto Peel. Go left to the first street. Go left again. Walk about 100 yards. On the north side of the street you will see Presse Cafe. I like to go there for beakfast. Much better than Omni's breakfast!

For a quick sandwich there is a little place hidden across the street from Omni. Again, go left from the elevator. Onto Peel. Go right. Cross the street on Peel. Now cross Sherbrooke. Look to your left. You will see some computer type businesses on your right. Take the ugly stairway (with the carpet!!) down. Now if you are lost ask "Where is the sandwich place where all the McGill students go?" Go there. You will get a great sandwich!!

Enjoy Montreal! When are you going?

Thank you, WOW, that's just what I needed for breakfast. And the sammies look like a great tip, too.

We head to Quebec City on Tuesday, stay three nights at the Dominion 1912, then travel by rail to Montreal on Friday. We stay five nights at the Omni.

I am very much looking forward to this trip. I have never been to either city. Again, thank you for the suggestions.

This doesn't really answer your breakfast-close-to-the-Omni question, but if you are going to Montreal you should know that bagels are a big deal there. There are two famous bagel bakeries in Montreal and they are in the Plateau not close to the Omni (St.Viateur and Fairmount) Within walking distance of the hotel you can reach another bakery in the Le Faubourg Ste-Catherine complex.

If you really like bagels you should try some fresh from the bakery at one of these places even if you don't do this for breakfast. For an explanation of what makes Montreal bagels distinctive, see this Wikepedia article :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_bagel

I hope you enjoy your trip--I think spring is finally arriving in northern New England and southern Quebec

Thank you vttraveler. I am looking forward to the Montreal bagels. I am very fond of bagels although it is not so easy to get a great one where I live.

Olive Oil: That is a good tip from Vttraveler re: the excellent Montreal bagels.

"The Hidden Sandwich Place" across from Omni is actually a little convenience store. So, you can get bottled water if you want to use the Omni coffee maker in your room for a quick fix b/f you head out looking for bagels!! You can also get juice, soda, snacks.

Have a great trip. When in Montreal you may also want to check out Hotel Le Germain for your next trip(just around teh corner from Onmi)...From Omni go right along Sherbrooke to Mansfield. Right on Mansfield. Le Germain is on your right. I really like Le Germain but it is too small for us when travelling w/ kids. Omni gives us a lot more room. Sometimes @ Omni we get the Suite & sometimes 2 connector rooms.

Have fun! Looking forward to your trip report!

Olive Oil...are you OO in the Lounge?? I always enjoy your posts.

That is an interseting question, wow. I have posted as OO in the past on the Europe and US boards but never in the lounge that I can remember off the top of my head. I will have to check it out to see who shares my good taste in screen names. lol.

Regarding the le Germaine: we will first visit Quebec City and we are staying at the Dominion 1912, which I believe is part of the le Germaine group. It looks great as does the Montreal le Germaine.

I hope the Omni is good. It has a reputable spa and I thought that if the weather is really miserable that would be a fall back. Mostly I selected the Omni because I could get a few free nights with points.That plus the FF flight makes a big difference in the travel budget.

Maybe it was the US board where I read OO's posts!

Even though love Montreal, I'm not a fan of Montreal style bagels. They have absolutely no salt, so are quite bland and somewhat cakey. Some folks love 'em however!

I was flying home from Montreal a week or so ago and had to laugh. One of the woman waiting to board the plane had 4 dozen bagels in a bag to carry on. Apparently she was bringing back smoked meat for her husband and decided to pick up a 'few' bagels as well!

SusanInToronto: LOL...I hope you did not end up sitting next to the smoked meat!!!

Our flight was delayed 2 hours because of high winds in Toronto. I was starved by the time I got home that night. If I had been sitting next to her, she might have found that she was short a bagel or 2 by the time she got home!