Brief Family Reunion In Montreal
Nov 15th, 2009, 06:18 AM
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Brief Family Reunion In Montreal
My parents were born, grew up, met and married in Montreal. One of my brothers and my sister were born there. My family came to permanently live in America about 3-4 years prior to my birth. When I was very young, my family visited Montreal often, but over the years the trips became fewer and fewer, as relatives died and my family became immersed in a busy life here in America. The last time I was in Montreal was when I was a kid. I have three cousins and an aunt living there now. My dad's family is all gone and has been for some time now. My mom was the eldest of 4 children. My mom's younger brother, Dick, has been dead for some time now, but his widow, my Aunt May is still alive and well, as are her two daughters, Lorna and Arlene. Lorna is 5 weeks older than I am, and Arlene is a couple of years younger. They wanted to see me so much that they bought me a plane ticket and also paid for my hotel in downtown Montreal.
My flight out had me on US Airways, changing planes in Philly with a lay-over of about an hour and a half. This was quite reasonable. Because I was just coming for a weekend, I only had a carry-on. Lorna and her husband Darrin were meeting me at the airport and I was a bit worried we might not recognize each other. Earlier in the day I e-mailed Lorna that I'd be wearing a Kelly-green coat. The coat is a light-weight wool, under which I could layer. I brought some light layers of clothes with me. After deplaning, of course, I had to go through Immigration/Customs. A couple of international flights had landed simultaneously, so it was a mob scene, but I had my paperwork filled out and the agent who asked me the purpose of my trip was pleasant and told me that my cousin lived in a good section of town when I mentioned where she resided. At last I emerged into "Arrivals" and saw a number of people there. Suddenly I spied a woman walking toward me saying "Kathy?" and I knew it was my cousin Lorna. Her facial features strongly resemble those of her dear late father, and she also has some features of our late Aunt Marg. Lorna introduced me to her husband, Darrin, who spirited away my bag and led us to the parking structure for the ride to dinner.
Lorna explained I'd be staying in the Cantalie Suites on Sherbrooke Ouest, which is in the heart of Montreal. But first we were going to dinner in a place she called "a hole in the wall" in a section of Montreal called NDG, which I knew stands for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The place we went to was called Chalet Barbecue, and it was further down the street from my hotel. Lorna said my folks definitely would have known the place. It's paneled with light wood, the waitresses all can carry 70 lbs. of food and they've all worked there 20 years or more. The mix of clientele is delightful--young families, older folks, and obviously a lot of "regulars". The food was good and plentiful, too, but not like a traditional American barbecue place. The barbecue sauce is not so tomato-based, and is more like a honeyed-mustard sauce that gets tang from vinegar. After dinner we took a brief drive and Darrin proposed we go somewhere for dessert. Lorna exclaimed that Rockaberry was nearby, so that's where we went. (I had no idea what it was and thought it might be an ice-cream place!) Turns out Rockaberry is actually a café (more accurately a small chain of three of them) that serves amazing desserts. They call them "pies" but they're not like any pie I've ever seen anywhere, nor do they have a traditional crust. They're more "bombe"-shaped and I found them to be more like a cake or pastry and they are in every possible flavor you can imagine. Darrin ordered raspberry-fudge, Lorna ordered Boston Cream, and I ordered mille feuille and we also had coffee and tea. We headed over to the hotel afterward and I checked in. My cousin wanted to make certain I was settled in, so she came with me to my room, which was on the 11th floor. This hotel has undergone recent restorations. Some of the floors are smoking floors, but of course I wasn't on one of them. All rooms are suites. My room had 2 beds and the windows overlooked Sherbrooke Street. There is what looks like a small closet in the room, and if you open the doors you find there's a cupboard containing some pots, glassware and plates, as well as a sink, 4 burners, and a small fridge. We bid each other goodnight and agreed upon a time when my cousin would meet me in the lobby in the morning. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful, but I felt oddly as though I could not get the room cool enough.
Aunt May lives in the very nice area of Montreal known as Côte Saint-Luc. The houses are kind of close together, and look small on the outside but are deceptively roomy inside. We stood on the porch and rang the bell. At first nothing. Lorna rang again and I heard a lot of excited barking. Lorna said she forgot to tell me and hoped I didn't mind dogs, as Aunt May has 3 now. (No worries, I enjoy dogs.) So with a great deal of trouble, my cousin Arlene, who with her two teenagers, lives with my aunt, opened the door and welcomed us in. We did the "kiss-kiss", or bis, and Arlene told me she was so sorry, but she had to go to work! I was so sorry and hoped to spend some time with her, but I do understand. When you're trying to support two teenage kids, it's got to be tough and when your employer offers you OT, it's impossible to turn down under those circumstances. Aunt May came out and looked great. Although short. Quite short. My family has never been known for its stature, and I guess it's because I'd last seen her in childhood, but Mon Dieu, she is a tiny lady now! We sat and chatted for some time and then Aunt May decided it was time for lunch. The nicest china was on the table, a floral pattern in reds, and Aunt May had an amazing assortment of cheeses, good rye bread, a nice coleslaw, charcuterie and tea for our lunch. We chatted about family stories, politics in our towns (Montreal has a newly-elected mayor), our health. Aunt May is doing pretty well. She take blood-pressure medicine and I think is experiencing some sciatica from what she described. She said she'd been shocked to hear what I'd experienced with the lymphoma, but so relieved to see me well and to see me at all, for she said there had been times she thought she never would. We repaired to the living room, where we chatted a bit more, then Lorna announced it was time for our walk. My dad was almost a professional hockey player; he made the cut into "semi-pro" and then decided after a couple of my uncles died (one accidentally, one from diptheria) that he needed to be a stable force for his mother, and remain in Montreal, something he couldn't do if he played hockey professionally, although back in those days professional hockey players didn't command the outrageous salaries they do today, and all of them had "other" jobs in "the off-season" which was considerably longer back in those days prior to the NHL expansion. My father, nevertheless, had close ties to the Montreal hockey community and was a good friend of a man named Toe Blake, who became the coach of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. (Yes, Canadiens, it's French.) "Toe" had been known by that name from his childhood until his death, although his actual first name was Hector; his baby sister had called him "Hec-toe" and the "Toe" stuck as his nickname. In any event, it turns out he lived in a house behind where Aunt May's house is now, and there is a park in Aunt May's neighborhood named after Toe, so we went there. It was windy, cold and a bit overcast, but I felt no threat of rain. Lorna, who is trying to give Ansel Adams a run for his money based on number of photos taken, snapped me near the sign that says "Toe Blake Park" several times, and then took some photos of Arlene's daughter, Shannon and me. She'd already snapped me with Aunt May. Arriving back at Aunt May's, the delicious aroma of coffee was in the air, and Lorna, Shannon and I were happy to be out of the cold wind. Arlene had picked up some nice bakery cookies from an upscale kosher bakery. The cookies were fine and a lovely accompaniment to the coffee.
Our plan for the evening was that Darrin, Lorna, and I were going out to dinner. Lorna's daughter, Jennifer, was taking the car to go meet up with a friend. From the restaurant, Darrin was going to walk to his office and Lorna and I were headed to The Bell Center to see a Canadiens hockey game. Well, part of it, anyway. The plan was that we stay through the first period, then come outside where Jen and her pal would take our tickets. We'd walk over to Darrin's office from there, and collect him and get the car and the three of us would drive around a bit. It was sooooo funny---I don't know whether it's because I'm a woman or an American, but I think Darrin didn't think I'd know as much about hockey as I do. I said I was really sorry but my Red Wings would crush the Canadiens at some point in the season, and Darrin laughed and asked what I thought of the Canadiens. I summarized as "strong skating, weak defense and poor stick-handling" and I could tell he and Jennifer were impressed. Lorna, Darrin and I ended up at a place called Les Trois Brasseurs on rue Ste. Catherine for dinner. It's a small chain, 3 restaurants in Montreal, and one opening in Toronto, a few in France, and is a microbrew pub. The menu was in French and my cousin and her husband offered to translate for me, but I told them I could make it out just fine. Darrin and I each ordered a "flamm" which is a kind of flatbread pizza and Arlene had a chicken wrap. We heard a bell ring a couple of times in the restaurant so my cousin asked our server what that meant, and he told us it meant someone had just consumed a meter of beer! Here is their website, you can play around a bit with it:
http://www.les3brasseurs.ca/fre/ste_catherine.php
The pre-game color show at the Bell Center was amazing. The seats we had were right on the blue line, but up a bit, so they were perfect and we could see everything, including a big screen in front of us. Canadians take hockey seriously. Very, very, very seriously. Projected on the big screen were videos of famous hockey players whose "numbers" were retired when they stopped playing for the Canadiens. Then the screen projected a message that stated there have been 773 men who've worn the "bleu-blanc-rouge" (color of the Canadiens' jerseys) and the Bell Center went completely dark and the names of all these men were projected "scrolling" onto the ice! The Canadiens skated out on the ice as the lights came on in the Bell Center, and I thought perhaps Celine Dion was in the building there was so much screaming and whooping! However, when Tampa came onto the ice there was so much "booing" I thought I'd go deaf! Wow, what a bad time to be an American. The Canadiens did not play well, and in the first period Tampa scored 2 goals. We left, and had been forewarned by Darrin to have someone scan our tickets out at the door, so they could be scanned in. We had no problem at all finding Jen and her buddy, and passing our tickets off to them. We walked over to Darrin's office, and he showed us around---very impressively filled with works by Canadian artists, the passion of the owner of the company where he's employed. We stopped at Second Cup for something to drink, but all I wanted was water, so Darrin got himself a tea, and got Lorna a mocha coffee drink. Then we took a drive around the city and ended up at the top of Mount Royal. This was amazing. In the darkness the lights of the city before us glowed, illuminating to us a beautiful city, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Lorna pointed out the lights of a bridge and told me their home was just on the other side of that. Darrin promised to take us back in the daylight the next day. After this, my cousin and her husband drove me back to the hotel. Lorna told me to plan on meeting here the next morning in the lobby at 10:30 and we'd go for Mass at St. Patrick's.
The next morning I skipped breakfast again. We'd tentatively thought Aunt May might join us, but Lorna said she felt Aunt May's sciatica would prevent her from being comfortable, so she spoke to Aunt May on the phone and told her not to worry about coming to Mass. St. Patrick's is now a basilica in Montreal and is absolutely the most ornate church I've ever seen in North America, and compares favorably with the churches and basilicas I've visited in my travels in Europe and my student life in Italy. This church was built by Irish immigrants, and everything in it is work done by hand. The oak pews have shamrocks carved into the sides of them. The statues and gold-inlay are utterly stunning. Mass was celebrated by a Monsignor and Lorna and I shared a small pew. I have to admit, I didn't have a hard time, but with no cushioning, I think Aunt May would have had some difficulties. After Mass Darrin met us outside and Lorna told me we were going to another "hole-in-the-wall" for lunch, but Darrin informed her it was closed Sundays. Turns out the place she'd selected does a very healthy business at lunchtime when the workers of downtown Montreal frequent the place, so she made another selection, and we ended up at Green Spot:
http://maps.google.com/maps?layer=c&...bzCoq2NPzNya0H
Green Spot is known for its "Michigans" which I didn't know are what we Michiganders call Coney dogs, Chicago Red hots, or chili dogs. My cousin-in-law also ordered a "pogo" which is a corn dog. As I'm not a tremendous fan of hot dogs I ordered a hamburger. As with the chicken we ate on Friday night, the orders came with fries which were delicious. Darrin and Lorna told me the place is as old as the hills, and that surely my parents would have known this place. Over lunch we discussed our plans for the afternoon. When our parents were still relatively newly-married, they lived around the corner from each other in a little neighborhood in Verdun. The day was brilliantly sunny, and Darrin drove us over. I was flooded with childhood memories of visiting Lorna & Arlene when we were kids and going to a "natatorium" with the two of them. Lorna & I stood at the corner of Stevens and Bannantyne, the streets where our parents lived, and standing underneath the street signs, Darrin photographed us. There is a park near the natatorium, and there used to be a boardwalk, which has since been torn down, but you can walk right up to the water, and there is a cement walkway replacing the boardwalk, but the posts from the boardwalk remain. We drove past the church where my brother Tom made his First Holy Communion, the church my parents, aunt and uncle attended as young, married couples. True to his word, Darrin drove up to Mount Royal again, and the view during the day was quite breath-taking. I stood at this vantage-point thinking of the generations of my family--my paternal grandparents who arrived in Canada on a "floating coffin" against all odds, with few resources and no prospects, but with hope and with a determination to forge a life together in this new land--and of my mom's family, who arrived first in Newfoundland and traveled further west to Montreal to endeavor to earn their fortunes in "the big city". After some photo ops, we drove around some more, taking in the sights of the old Olympic Grounds, the Botanical Gardens, the Biodome, and eventually we ended up at St. Joseph's Oratory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_Oratory
This is a wonderful building that houses a church, a couple of museums, a gift shop, and some conference rooms. Lorna told me when she was pregnant with Jen, she suffered some complications and had to be hospitalized at St. Mary's Hospital. From her room in St. Mary's, she could see St. Joseph's Oratory, and she prayed fervently for the health of her unborn child. After a week, she was sent home to rest in bed, and a month later little Jennifer entered the world with a loud, healthy scream, so my cousin's prayer was indeed answered. The building is modeled after St. Peter's Basilica, hence the dome, and the "church" part of the building, directly below the dome (but up a series of escalators), was surprisingly modern. Coming out, the view of the city was once again so very gorgeous, highlighted by the setting sun. We headed to Lorna's house for dinner, stopping at a market and a pizzeria on the way. The pizza was outstanding and my cousin made an out-of-this-world Caesar salad. For dessert she served apple pie and tea. Darrin and Jen were kind enough to do after-dinner clean-up and Lorna and I sat in her living room and chatted.
Monday morning Jen and Lorna picked me up at the hotel and I checked out. Jen had some school-related errands to run and dropped us off on Ste. Catherine's Street. We walked almost the entire length of the street, drinking in all the sights and going into Ogilvy's, which is a high-end shop. We stopped into a department where Christmas ornaments are sold and chatted with one of the ladies putting wreaths together. As we continued on, I asked Lorna if we could go into a post office so I could drop a postcard to Cigalechanta and Pastis. They have beautiful postcards with scenes of Montreal on them, and postage already printed on the card. I walked to the counter and told the clerk I needed to pay extra postage, but he explained the postage on the card was good anywhere in the world. Jen picked us up and we went out to Dorval, had lunch in a little mall, and continued on to the airport. Of course I didn't see enough of Arlene, and Aunt May, and would love to see more of them. I know I'd like to see a couple of churches, Notre Dame and Mary, Queen of the World. So I hope someday I will realize this dream, and it will all come together.
My flight out had me on US Airways, changing planes in Philly with a lay-over of about an hour and a half. This was quite reasonable. Because I was just coming for a weekend, I only had a carry-on. Lorna and her husband Darrin were meeting me at the airport and I was a bit worried we might not recognize each other. Earlier in the day I e-mailed Lorna that I'd be wearing a Kelly-green coat. The coat is a light-weight wool, under which I could layer. I brought some light layers of clothes with me. After deplaning, of course, I had to go through Immigration/Customs. A couple of international flights had landed simultaneously, so it was a mob scene, but I had my paperwork filled out and the agent who asked me the purpose of my trip was pleasant and told me that my cousin lived in a good section of town when I mentioned where she resided. At last I emerged into "Arrivals" and saw a number of people there. Suddenly I spied a woman walking toward me saying "Kathy?" and I knew it was my cousin Lorna. Her facial features strongly resemble those of her dear late father, and she also has some features of our late Aunt Marg. Lorna introduced me to her husband, Darrin, who spirited away my bag and led us to the parking structure for the ride to dinner.
Lorna explained I'd be staying in the Cantalie Suites on Sherbrooke Ouest, which is in the heart of Montreal. But first we were going to dinner in a place she called "a hole in the wall" in a section of Montreal called NDG, which I knew stands for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The place we went to was called Chalet Barbecue, and it was further down the street from my hotel. Lorna said my folks definitely would have known the place. It's paneled with light wood, the waitresses all can carry 70 lbs. of food and they've all worked there 20 years or more. The mix of clientele is delightful--young families, older folks, and obviously a lot of "regulars". The food was good and plentiful, too, but not like a traditional American barbecue place. The barbecue sauce is not so tomato-based, and is more like a honeyed-mustard sauce that gets tang from vinegar. After dinner we took a brief drive and Darrin proposed we go somewhere for dessert. Lorna exclaimed that Rockaberry was nearby, so that's where we went. (I had no idea what it was and thought it might be an ice-cream place!) Turns out Rockaberry is actually a café (more accurately a small chain of three of them) that serves amazing desserts. They call them "pies" but they're not like any pie I've ever seen anywhere, nor do they have a traditional crust. They're more "bombe"-shaped and I found them to be more like a cake or pastry and they are in every possible flavor you can imagine. Darrin ordered raspberry-fudge, Lorna ordered Boston Cream, and I ordered mille feuille and we also had coffee and tea. We headed over to the hotel afterward and I checked in. My cousin wanted to make certain I was settled in, so she came with me to my room, which was on the 11th floor. This hotel has undergone recent restorations. Some of the floors are smoking floors, but of course I wasn't on one of them. All rooms are suites. My room had 2 beds and the windows overlooked Sherbrooke Street. There is what looks like a small closet in the room, and if you open the doors you find there's a cupboard containing some pots, glassware and plates, as well as a sink, 4 burners, and a small fridge. We bid each other goodnight and agreed upon a time when my cousin would meet me in the lobby in the morning. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful, but I felt oddly as though I could not get the room cool enough.
Aunt May lives in the very nice area of Montreal known as Côte Saint-Luc. The houses are kind of close together, and look small on the outside but are deceptively roomy inside. We stood on the porch and rang the bell. At first nothing. Lorna rang again and I heard a lot of excited barking. Lorna said she forgot to tell me and hoped I didn't mind dogs, as Aunt May has 3 now. (No worries, I enjoy dogs.) So with a great deal of trouble, my cousin Arlene, who with her two teenagers, lives with my aunt, opened the door and welcomed us in. We did the "kiss-kiss", or bis, and Arlene told me she was so sorry, but she had to go to work! I was so sorry and hoped to spend some time with her, but I do understand. When you're trying to support two teenage kids, it's got to be tough and when your employer offers you OT, it's impossible to turn down under those circumstances. Aunt May came out and looked great. Although short. Quite short. My family has never been known for its stature, and I guess it's because I'd last seen her in childhood, but Mon Dieu, she is a tiny lady now! We sat and chatted for some time and then Aunt May decided it was time for lunch. The nicest china was on the table, a floral pattern in reds, and Aunt May had an amazing assortment of cheeses, good rye bread, a nice coleslaw, charcuterie and tea for our lunch. We chatted about family stories, politics in our towns (Montreal has a newly-elected mayor), our health. Aunt May is doing pretty well. She take blood-pressure medicine and I think is experiencing some sciatica from what she described. She said she'd been shocked to hear what I'd experienced with the lymphoma, but so relieved to see me well and to see me at all, for she said there had been times she thought she never would. We repaired to the living room, where we chatted a bit more, then Lorna announced it was time for our walk. My dad was almost a professional hockey player; he made the cut into "semi-pro" and then decided after a couple of my uncles died (one accidentally, one from diptheria) that he needed to be a stable force for his mother, and remain in Montreal, something he couldn't do if he played hockey professionally, although back in those days professional hockey players didn't command the outrageous salaries they do today, and all of them had "other" jobs in "the off-season" which was considerably longer back in those days prior to the NHL expansion. My father, nevertheless, had close ties to the Montreal hockey community and was a good friend of a man named Toe Blake, who became the coach of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. (Yes, Canadiens, it's French.) "Toe" had been known by that name from his childhood until his death, although his actual first name was Hector; his baby sister had called him "Hec-toe" and the "Toe" stuck as his nickname. In any event, it turns out he lived in a house behind where Aunt May's house is now, and there is a park in Aunt May's neighborhood named after Toe, so we went there. It was windy, cold and a bit overcast, but I felt no threat of rain. Lorna, who is trying to give Ansel Adams a run for his money based on number of photos taken, snapped me near the sign that says "Toe Blake Park" several times, and then took some photos of Arlene's daughter, Shannon and me. She'd already snapped me with Aunt May. Arriving back at Aunt May's, the delicious aroma of coffee was in the air, and Lorna, Shannon and I were happy to be out of the cold wind. Arlene had picked up some nice bakery cookies from an upscale kosher bakery. The cookies were fine and a lovely accompaniment to the coffee.
Our plan for the evening was that Darrin, Lorna, and I were going out to dinner. Lorna's daughter, Jennifer, was taking the car to go meet up with a friend. From the restaurant, Darrin was going to walk to his office and Lorna and I were headed to The Bell Center to see a Canadiens hockey game. Well, part of it, anyway. The plan was that we stay through the first period, then come outside where Jen and her pal would take our tickets. We'd walk over to Darrin's office from there, and collect him and get the car and the three of us would drive around a bit. It was sooooo funny---I don't know whether it's because I'm a woman or an American, but I think Darrin didn't think I'd know as much about hockey as I do. I said I was really sorry but my Red Wings would crush the Canadiens at some point in the season, and Darrin laughed and asked what I thought of the Canadiens. I summarized as "strong skating, weak defense and poor stick-handling" and I could tell he and Jennifer were impressed. Lorna, Darrin and I ended up at a place called Les Trois Brasseurs on rue Ste. Catherine for dinner. It's a small chain, 3 restaurants in Montreal, and one opening in Toronto, a few in France, and is a microbrew pub. The menu was in French and my cousin and her husband offered to translate for me, but I told them I could make it out just fine. Darrin and I each ordered a "flamm" which is a kind of flatbread pizza and Arlene had a chicken wrap. We heard a bell ring a couple of times in the restaurant so my cousin asked our server what that meant, and he told us it meant someone had just consumed a meter of beer! Here is their website, you can play around a bit with it:
http://www.les3brasseurs.ca/fre/ste_catherine.php
The pre-game color show at the Bell Center was amazing. The seats we had were right on the blue line, but up a bit, so they were perfect and we could see everything, including a big screen in front of us. Canadians take hockey seriously. Very, very, very seriously. Projected on the big screen were videos of famous hockey players whose "numbers" were retired when they stopped playing for the Canadiens. Then the screen projected a message that stated there have been 773 men who've worn the "bleu-blanc-rouge" (color of the Canadiens' jerseys) and the Bell Center went completely dark and the names of all these men were projected "scrolling" onto the ice! The Canadiens skated out on the ice as the lights came on in the Bell Center, and I thought perhaps Celine Dion was in the building there was so much screaming and whooping! However, when Tampa came onto the ice there was so much "booing" I thought I'd go deaf! Wow, what a bad time to be an American. The Canadiens did not play well, and in the first period Tampa scored 2 goals. We left, and had been forewarned by Darrin to have someone scan our tickets out at the door, so they could be scanned in. We had no problem at all finding Jen and her buddy, and passing our tickets off to them. We walked over to Darrin's office, and he showed us around---very impressively filled with works by Canadian artists, the passion of the owner of the company where he's employed. We stopped at Second Cup for something to drink, but all I wanted was water, so Darrin got himself a tea, and got Lorna a mocha coffee drink. Then we took a drive around the city and ended up at the top of Mount Royal. This was amazing. In the darkness the lights of the city before us glowed, illuminating to us a beautiful city, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Lorna pointed out the lights of a bridge and told me their home was just on the other side of that. Darrin promised to take us back in the daylight the next day. After this, my cousin and her husband drove me back to the hotel. Lorna told me to plan on meeting here the next morning in the lobby at 10:30 and we'd go for Mass at St. Patrick's.
The next morning I skipped breakfast again. We'd tentatively thought Aunt May might join us, but Lorna said she felt Aunt May's sciatica would prevent her from being comfortable, so she spoke to Aunt May on the phone and told her not to worry about coming to Mass. St. Patrick's is now a basilica in Montreal and is absolutely the most ornate church I've ever seen in North America, and compares favorably with the churches and basilicas I've visited in my travels in Europe and my student life in Italy. This church was built by Irish immigrants, and everything in it is work done by hand. The oak pews have shamrocks carved into the sides of them. The statues and gold-inlay are utterly stunning. Mass was celebrated by a Monsignor and Lorna and I shared a small pew. I have to admit, I didn't have a hard time, but with no cushioning, I think Aunt May would have had some difficulties. After Mass Darrin met us outside and Lorna told me we were going to another "hole-in-the-wall" for lunch, but Darrin informed her it was closed Sundays. Turns out the place she'd selected does a very healthy business at lunchtime when the workers of downtown Montreal frequent the place, so she made another selection, and we ended up at Green Spot:
http://maps.google.com/maps?layer=c&...bzCoq2NPzNya0H
Green Spot is known for its "Michigans" which I didn't know are what we Michiganders call Coney dogs, Chicago Red hots, or chili dogs. My cousin-in-law also ordered a "pogo" which is a corn dog. As I'm not a tremendous fan of hot dogs I ordered a hamburger. As with the chicken we ate on Friday night, the orders came with fries which were delicious. Darrin and Lorna told me the place is as old as the hills, and that surely my parents would have known this place. Over lunch we discussed our plans for the afternoon. When our parents were still relatively newly-married, they lived around the corner from each other in a little neighborhood in Verdun. The day was brilliantly sunny, and Darrin drove us over. I was flooded with childhood memories of visiting Lorna & Arlene when we were kids and going to a "natatorium" with the two of them. Lorna & I stood at the corner of Stevens and Bannantyne, the streets where our parents lived, and standing underneath the street signs, Darrin photographed us. There is a park near the natatorium, and there used to be a boardwalk, which has since been torn down, but you can walk right up to the water, and there is a cement walkway replacing the boardwalk, but the posts from the boardwalk remain. We drove past the church where my brother Tom made his First Holy Communion, the church my parents, aunt and uncle attended as young, married couples. True to his word, Darrin drove up to Mount Royal again, and the view during the day was quite breath-taking. I stood at this vantage-point thinking of the generations of my family--my paternal grandparents who arrived in Canada on a "floating coffin" against all odds, with few resources and no prospects, but with hope and with a determination to forge a life together in this new land--and of my mom's family, who arrived first in Newfoundland and traveled further west to Montreal to endeavor to earn their fortunes in "the big city". After some photo ops, we drove around some more, taking in the sights of the old Olympic Grounds, the Botanical Gardens, the Biodome, and eventually we ended up at St. Joseph's Oratory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_Oratory
This is a wonderful building that houses a church, a couple of museums, a gift shop, and some conference rooms. Lorna told me when she was pregnant with Jen, she suffered some complications and had to be hospitalized at St. Mary's Hospital. From her room in St. Mary's, she could see St. Joseph's Oratory, and she prayed fervently for the health of her unborn child. After a week, she was sent home to rest in bed, and a month later little Jennifer entered the world with a loud, healthy scream, so my cousin's prayer was indeed answered. The building is modeled after St. Peter's Basilica, hence the dome, and the "church" part of the building, directly below the dome (but up a series of escalators), was surprisingly modern. Coming out, the view of the city was once again so very gorgeous, highlighted by the setting sun. We headed to Lorna's house for dinner, stopping at a market and a pizzeria on the way. The pizza was outstanding and my cousin made an out-of-this-world Caesar salad. For dessert she served apple pie and tea. Darrin and Jen were kind enough to do after-dinner clean-up and Lorna and I sat in her living room and chatted.
Monday morning Jen and Lorna picked me up at the hotel and I checked out. Jen had some school-related errands to run and dropped us off on Ste. Catherine's Street. We walked almost the entire length of the street, drinking in all the sights and going into Ogilvy's, which is a high-end shop. We stopped into a department where Christmas ornaments are sold and chatted with one of the ladies putting wreaths together. As we continued on, I asked Lorna if we could go into a post office so I could drop a postcard to Cigalechanta and Pastis. They have beautiful postcards with scenes of Montreal on them, and postage already printed on the card. I walked to the counter and told the clerk I needed to pay extra postage, but he explained the postage on the card was good anywhere in the world. Jen picked us up and we went out to Dorval, had lunch in a little mall, and continued on to the airport. Of course I didn't see enough of Arlene, and Aunt May, and would love to see more of them. I know I'd like to see a couple of churches, Notre Dame and Mary, Queen of the World. So I hope someday I will realize this dream, and it will all come together.
Nov 15th, 2009, 06:30 AM
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How charming ! I love it !
I ( as you know) love Montreal and enjoyed going there every summer / fall for years. It was always fun and interesting and the food was always great!
I am so glad you got to visit family and to see the city.
Now you will have to go back more often .. aren't hockey games fun ? lol ..
Thank you for posting this ! I really enjoyed it ~
I ( as you know) love Montreal and enjoyed going there every summer / fall for years. It was always fun and interesting and the food was always great!
I am so glad you got to visit family and to see the city.
Now you will have to go back more often .. aren't hockey games fun ? lol ..
Thank you for posting this ! I really enjoyed it ~
Nov 15th, 2009, 06:45 AM
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Thank you, Scarlett. I forgot to mention a trip we made to Atwater Market on Sunday. I saw a beautiful blone woman there walking a black/grey standard poodle and thought of you & The Pup immediately!
BC
BC
Nov 15th, 2009, 08:11 AM
#4
wonderful report, Kathy!
I don't remember if I told you but my mother and her family settled in Montreal after leaving Italy. Years ago Jerry and I were staying at the Ritz, and a cousin of my mother phoned us and insisted we stay with them. We had a great time but they are gone now. Should you ever visit in the summer,
The Ritz not a great hotel but has one of the most charming outdoor dining area with a little duck pond.
Did you take any photos? Pastis thanks you for the card.
I don't remember if I told you but my mother and her family settled in Montreal after leaving Italy. Years ago Jerry and I were staying at the Ritz, and a cousin of my mother phoned us and insisted we stay with them. We had a great time but they are gone now. Should you ever visit in the summer,
The Ritz not a great hotel but has one of the most charming outdoor dining area with a little duck pond.
Did you take any photos? Pastis thanks you for the card.
Nov 15th, 2009, 08:33 AM
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Thanks, Mimi. Yes, I do remember you saying your family came into North America via Montreal, and told my cousin about you, too. My cousin took dozens of photos and e-mailed me on Friday to say she put a disk in the mail for me with all the photos on it. (Well, she may have edited it.) Anyway, after I get the disk, I will post the photos, I promise. Glad Pastis enjoyed the card. My cousin Lorna has a Sheltie named Penny and Aunt May has 3 dogs, and I got along with all of them, and they with me, but "nobody" in the Canadian canine branch of my family loves me the way Pastis does!
BC
BC
Nov 15th, 2009, 01:30 PM
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Thanks for taking us along on your wonderful trip, bc. Your tale was so good that I’m going to try to hijack your thread.
Montreal has forever been one of my favorite cities. I’ve been going there regularly ever since 1969, when I “borrowed” my parents’ car (they’d gone away for Thanksgiving) and drove up with my buddy and our girlfriends for a Sat night Bruins game. [Things did not go well on that trip: We had no hotel reservations; had no idea that it was Grey Cup weekend so had to stay way out on the east end of the island; the Habs scored a late goal to tie the B’s; and our girlfriends decided that the sleeping arrangement would be girls in 1 room, boys in the other.]
Whlle the Bell Centre is a nice enough place, it just doesn’t have the feel of the Forum. When I walked into the Forum, it was like walking in to a shrine – indeed, it was walking in to a shrine. The most amazing sporting event I’ve ever attended was in early September 1972, the first game in the extraordinary series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Prior to this series, the Soviets had only played against the Canadian Olympic team, which back then could not include NHLers or other pros. There was enormous anticipation for the series, and most Canadian sportswriters were predicting a sweep for Canada, or maybe a 7-1 result, just to allow the Russians a token win.
The newspapers covered every angle of the build-up to the game: they even interviewed the maids at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to compare the habits of the Russian players to NHL players. (The Russians were much neater, folding their towels nicely.)
The buzz in the Forum before the game was unbelievable. The Russians looked very nervous, and their goaltender, Tretiak (I can’t believe I’ve forgotten his first name), seemed unable to stop a shot. The place was aroar as the game began. Espo scored an easy goal in the first minute, Canada scored a second goal (maybe Frank Mahovlich, by then playing for Montreal), and the romp was on. But then the unthinkable happened: the Soviets started scoring, one goal after another., with Ken Dryden looking lost in goal. After Canada’s first two goals, the Soviets poured in the next 7. You cannot imagine the absolutely funereal silence in the Forum. No booing, just silence. St. Catherine St was a wake after the game. I don’t think that many people even stopped in the bars – they just went home, stunned. Of course, everything worked out in the end, with Paul Henderson scoring the most famous goal in Canadian history to beat the Russians in the 8th and final game to clinch a 4-3-1 series victory.
Montreal has forever been one of my favorite cities. I’ve been going there regularly ever since 1969, when I “borrowed” my parents’ car (they’d gone away for Thanksgiving) and drove up with my buddy and our girlfriends for a Sat night Bruins game. [Things did not go well on that trip: We had no hotel reservations; had no idea that it was Grey Cup weekend so had to stay way out on the east end of the island; the Habs scored a late goal to tie the B’s; and our girlfriends decided that the sleeping arrangement would be girls in 1 room, boys in the other.]
Whlle the Bell Centre is a nice enough place, it just doesn’t have the feel of the Forum. When I walked into the Forum, it was like walking in to a shrine – indeed, it was walking in to a shrine. The most amazing sporting event I’ve ever attended was in early September 1972, the first game in the extraordinary series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Prior to this series, the Soviets had only played against the Canadian Olympic team, which back then could not include NHLers or other pros. There was enormous anticipation for the series, and most Canadian sportswriters were predicting a sweep for Canada, or maybe a 7-1 result, just to allow the Russians a token win.
The newspapers covered every angle of the build-up to the game: they even interviewed the maids at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to compare the habits of the Russian players to NHL players. (The Russians were much neater, folding their towels nicely.)
The buzz in the Forum before the game was unbelievable. The Russians looked very nervous, and their goaltender, Tretiak (I can’t believe I’ve forgotten his first name), seemed unable to stop a shot. The place was aroar as the game began. Espo scored an easy goal in the first minute, Canada scored a second goal (maybe Frank Mahovlich, by then playing for Montreal), and the romp was on. But then the unthinkable happened: the Soviets started scoring, one goal after another., with Ken Dryden looking lost in goal. After Canada’s first two goals, the Soviets poured in the next 7. You cannot imagine the absolutely funereal silence in the Forum. No booing, just silence. St. Catherine St was a wake after the game. I don’t think that many people even stopped in the bars – they just went home, stunned. Of course, everything worked out in the end, with Paul Henderson scoring the most famous goal in Canadian history to beat the Russians in the 8th and final game to clinch a 4-3-1 series victory.
Nov 15th, 2009, 02:45 PM
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Rizzuto, you were at the Summit Series????!!! I am 
with envy, although I would have been too young to understand and appreciate what was going on. My dad & brothers were living here in Red Wing country, rooting for the Canadiens actively at every game. One of my brothers was at the old Olympia Stadium in Detroit and got hit with a purse by a woman who objected to his rooting for his favorite team. The same brother was rushed to the hospital for a minor injury when a puck flew over the boards and hit him in the chin, requiring a few stitches right around the time the Mahovlich brothers were playing for the Wings. (BTW, I am "the baby" of my family by a substantial number of years. My folks thought their parenting years were over with when I surprised them with my arrival nine months after one of their wedding anniversaries.)
On Monday, meandering around, Lorna showed me where the old Forum was. It's now housing a bunch of small fast-food places, a multi-plex cinema and some game arcades, but they've kept the old blue line on the floor and several of the old seats, with a couple of statues: one is a fan practically jumping out of his seat, which is one of the original seats. The other is a player in the penalty box (!) and we got closer to see if it's a specific player, but it isn't. My family watched so much hockey on TV that allegedly my first full English sentence was "Live from The Forum in Montreal, it's hockey night in Canada!". (I'm quite sure this isn't true, but since my brothers and dad were unable to get to those Canadiens games "in person", I spent a lot of time with them all through childhood with them when they were either watching, reading about or talking about the games.)
BC
with envy, although I would have been too young to understand and appreciate what was going on. My dad & brothers were living here in Red Wing country, rooting for the Canadiens actively at every game. One of my brothers was at the old Olympia Stadium in Detroit and got hit with a purse by a woman who objected to his rooting for his favorite team. The same brother was rushed to the hospital for a minor injury when a puck flew over the boards and hit him in the chin, requiring a few stitches right around the time the Mahovlich brothers were playing for the Wings. (BTW, I am "the baby" of my family by a substantial number of years. My folks thought their parenting years were over with when I surprised them with my arrival nine months after one of their wedding anniversaries.)On Monday, meandering around, Lorna showed me where the old Forum was. It's now housing a bunch of small fast-food places, a multi-plex cinema and some game arcades, but they've kept the old blue line on the floor and several of the old seats, with a couple of statues: one is a fan practically jumping out of his seat, which is one of the original seats. The other is a player in the penalty box (!) and we got closer to see if it's a specific player, but it isn't. My family watched so much hockey on TV that allegedly my first full English sentence was "Live from The Forum in Montreal, it's hockey night in Canada!". (I'm quite sure this isn't true, but since my brothers and dad were unable to get to those Canadiens games "in person", I spent a lot of time with them all through childhood with them when they were either watching, reading about or talking about the games.)
BC
Nov 15th, 2009, 02:57 PM
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Hi bookchick,
What interesting Montreal experiences: Second Cup, Rockaberry's, Chalet BBQ, Les 3 Brasseurs, a Canadiens game and les "Michigans" at Green Spot. They aren't where I would take visitors to our fair metropolis, but definitely are part of the fabric that make up Quebec's largest city. Although I've been to all (except a Canadiens game!) oddly enough, all are far removed from MY Montreal reality, places I haven't been in YEARS. Goes to show that within a city, there are sometimes so many different microcosms that rarely cross paths.
Thanks for posting and I'm glad you reconnected with relatives!
Best wishes, Daniel
What interesting Montreal experiences: Second Cup, Rockaberry's, Chalet BBQ, Les 3 Brasseurs, a Canadiens game and les "Michigans" at Green Spot. They aren't where I would take visitors to our fair metropolis, but definitely are part of the fabric that make up Quebec's largest city. Although I've been to all (except a Canadiens game!) oddly enough, all are far removed from MY Montreal reality, places I haven't been in YEARS. Goes to show that within a city, there are sometimes so many different microcosms that rarely cross paths.
Thanks for posting and I'm glad you reconnected with relatives!
Best wishes, Daniel
Nov 15th, 2009, 03:19 PM
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Daniel, thanks for your comments. It was funny because some of the places we wandered into Lorna would remark "I haven't been here in years!". I feel as though I got a bit of a slice-of-life on this trip, and surely went to several locations the average tourist doesn't typically frequent, but I'm really happy to have the opportunity to go to them.
BC
BC
Nov 15th, 2009, 03:55 PM
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Yep, BC, I was there. Had just gone on my first trip to Europe, and routed back through Montreal to go to the game. If you'll be at the Boston GTG next year, remind me to bring my (very prized) program from the game.
I followed the Bruins forever, or at least since the mid-50s, and it was many Saturday (and later Sunday) nights that I'd be glued to the radio listening to Danny Gallivan, Foster Hewitt, or René LeCavalier. From '69 through '72, I missed no more than 5 games at the Garden, almost always getting the cheapest tickets and standing behind Section 104 in the corner balcony.
One nice feature of the Forum was the standing room sections -- they offered great views, and it was not difficult to get standing room tickets in advance.
Did you know that Toe Blake had one of Montreal's most famous sports bars, just a block down St Catherine from the Forum?
I followed the Bruins forever, or at least since the mid-50s, and it was many Saturday (and later Sunday) nights that I'd be glued to the radio listening to Danny Gallivan, Foster Hewitt, or René LeCavalier. From '69 through '72, I missed no more than 5 games at the Garden, almost always getting the cheapest tickets and standing behind Section 104 in the corner balcony.
One nice feature of the Forum was the standing room sections -- they offered great views, and it was not difficult to get standing room tickets in advance.
Did you know that Toe Blake had one of Montreal's most famous sports bars, just a block down St Catherine from the Forum?
Nov 15th, 2009, 04:13 PM
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Yep, the old Toe Blake Tavern. My dad was a frequent customer there but Toe wouldn't let him pay. It was a really successful place for a long time and kind of preceded the big trend of sports figures opening up restaurant/bars. (Remember "The Bachelors Three" in NYC??)
And I sure hope to be at the next Boston GTG, as you folks apparently need a minimum token number of Midwesterners in order to have your little shindig and Carol and I apparently constitute a quorem by attending. After the GTG this past year I met the Kimballs' daughter and SIL. They were with some friends who were moving back to Boston after having lived in TX briefly. The one guy was an active Bruins fan and when we parted, he was shaking my hand and I had to tell him that I was sorry, but my Wings would crush the Bruins later in the season. After my cousin and I emerged from the Bell Centre, her husband asked if my assessment of The Canadiens was the same as it was before I entered. I told him frankly I hadn't been all that impressed with their offense either, as Tampa had 10 shots-on-goal to The Canadiens 6 at the end of the first period.
BC
And I sure hope to be at the next Boston GTG, as you folks apparently need a minimum token number of Midwesterners in order to have your little shindig and Carol and I apparently constitute a quorem by attending. After the GTG this past year I met the Kimballs' daughter and SIL. They were with some friends who were moving back to Boston after having lived in TX briefly. The one guy was an active Bruins fan and when we parted, he was shaking my hand and I had to tell him that I was sorry, but my Wings would crush the Bruins later in the season. After my cousin and I emerged from the Bell Centre, her husband asked if my assessment of The Canadiens was the same as it was before I entered. I told him frankly I hadn't been all that impressed with their offense either, as Tampa had 10 shots-on-goal to The Canadiens 6 at the end of the first period.
BC
Nov 16th, 2009, 12:23 AM
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Wow, what a story!
My significant other's entire family lives in Montreal (NDG) actually, and I remember driving by that Chalet BBQ (on Sherbrooke, right?) which looks like it hasn't changed in, oh, since the 1930's? It's interesting about your comment on BBQ. In Montreal "BBQ" (in that context) typically refers to rotisserie chicken, as opposed to a southern BBQ you'd find in Texas. And there's a certain sauce (like the one you describe) which is served in those establishments. It's definitely a Quebecois thing.
My significant other's entire family lives in Montreal (NDG) actually, and I remember driving by that Chalet BBQ (on Sherbrooke, right?) which looks like it hasn't changed in, oh, since the 1930's? It's interesting about your comment on BBQ. In Montreal "BBQ" (in that context) typically refers to rotisserie chicken, as opposed to a southern BBQ you'd find in Texas. And there's a certain sauce (like the one you describe) which is served in those establishments. It's definitely a Quebecois thing.
Nov 16th, 2009, 02:22 AM
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Carmanah, yes, right on Sherbrooke, and that's what Lorna said also about the place not changing a bit in decades. I've heard tales of kids getting fries at Chalet BBQ "to go" and either pouring gravy (like poutine, but with no cheese curds) or the "bbq sauce" they serve over the fries.
I am so sad that Ben's closed before I could get back there again. My Aunt May told me that whenever my dad came to town, he and my Uncle Dick would take off like a shot, and be running around Peel Street and out to the Pointe, and end up at Ben's for a smoked meat (corned beef was Dad's favorite) sandwich. Dad said "back in the olden days" the price of the sandwich was a nickel and included a kosher dill pickle!
BC
I am so sad that Ben's closed before I could get back there again. My Aunt May told me that whenever my dad came to town, he and my Uncle Dick would take off like a shot, and be running around Peel Street and out to the Pointe, and end up at Ben's for a smoked meat (corned beef was Dad's favorite) sandwich. Dad said "back in the olden days" the price of the sandwich was a nickel and included a kosher dill pickle!
BC
Nov 16th, 2009, 04:32 AM
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Ben's was a treat. But their closing forced me to try Schwartz's, which kicks Ben's departed butt (though far less convenient for most visitors).
BC, does anyone in your family make the pilgrimage to Fairmount for bagels?
BC, does anyone in your family make the pilgrimage to Fairmount for bagels?
Nov 16th, 2009, 07:26 AM
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Rizzuto,Loooooove Fairmount bagels, go and buy them as often as I can but I live in Laval suburb of Montreal( a bit far)... This is strange usually I see your comments on the Asia forum, I met Carol and her son last april in Bangkok, had a great time. Bookchick, Like Daniel said I haven't been to the places you went with your family in years.... except Rockaberry. I go out more on St Denis street or Old Montreal or Tremblant up north.I loved reading your report, Merci
Evelyne
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Nov 16th, 2009, 10:13 AM
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Thank you for sharing your family reunion and your time in Montreal, bookchick. I am sorry you weren't able to spend more time with your Aunt May and cousin Arlene but no doubt you will be back in Montreal at some point, I hope so anyway!
Nov 16th, 2009, 06:08 PM
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Rizzuto, occasionally, but like evelyne13, I've got folks in Laval (Aunt Marg's daughter, who was in California during the time I visited Montreal), Greenfield Park on the south shore (Lorna & her family) and the afore-mentioned Côte Saint-Luc, so Fairmount is a fairly rare treat for bagels. Ben's wasn't always shabby, but when Ben passed away things declined, and declined even further when his son Irving died. Lorna & I saw a place on Ste. Catherine's last Monday making bagels (their windows were below street level, I think quite deliberately to be seen), and Lorna wanted to send me back with some, but I told her it wouldn't pass muster at U.S. Customs. The family was really surprised when I told them my home turf is replete these days with Tim Horton franchises, as they'd erroneously assumed that TH was strictly Canadian.
The old (not the present place) and back then HUGE Ruby Foo's was another family legend. My dad almost kicked some guy's butt there because when Dad left the table to go to the washroom while on a date with Mom, this guy tried to send a drink to the table for my mom. Luckily the staff at Ruby Foo's (which was owned by Max Shapiro, the father of two now-famous academics)calmed my dad down and told them the guy was a drunkard who fancied himself to be quite the Lothario.
Montreal, an enchanting city, and thanks to my family, a city that for me will always have 1001 stories!
BC
The old (not the present place) and back then HUGE Ruby Foo's was another family legend. My dad almost kicked some guy's butt there because when Dad left the table to go to the washroom while on a date with Mom, this guy tried to send a drink to the table for my mom. Luckily the staff at Ruby Foo's (which was owned by Max Shapiro, the father of two now-famous academics)calmed my dad down and told them the guy was a drunkard who fancied himself to be quite the Lothario.
Montreal, an enchanting city, and thanks to my family, a city that for me will always have 1001 stories!
BC
Nov 17th, 2009, 03:29 PM
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Bookchick, I really enjoyed reading about your vacation, as we spent four days in Montreal in September, renting an apartment on St.-Denis, near the Sherbrooke metro. You're right, it is an enchanting city.
I also enjoyed the hockey stories. Although I didn't grow up a fan, I now love the game because my grandson started playing when he was eight and now plays on the club hockey team at Ferris State in Big Rapids, and my two granddaughters play for a team in Mackinaw City.
I hope you get to return to Montreal in the future and spend more time with your family and see more of the city so we can enjoy another report.
I also enjoyed the hockey stories. Although I didn't grow up a fan, I now love the game because my grandson started playing when he was eight and now plays on the club hockey team at Ferris State in Big Rapids, and my two granddaughters play for a team in Mackinaw City.
I hope you get to return to Montreal in the future and spend more time with your family and see more of the city so we can enjoy another report.
