Montreal Trip Report
Oct 7th, 2003 | 10:15 AM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 319
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Montreal Trip Report
Following are highlights of our trip to Montreal (Oct. 2-6, 2003), which I am sharing to help others make the most of their visits. We were last there 14 years ago. Temperatures were in the very low 50sF and it was windy; Saturday it rained.
Hotel du Fort (which I learned about here) was excellent. Parking and a generous continental breakfast were included in our AAA package for a deluxe room ($189CAD). When making reservations, I mentioned that we would be celebrating our wedding anniversary and we were surprised with a complimentary upgrade to a suite. The spacious room had a comfortable king-sized bed, views in three directions, a loveseat, a big desk, a dresser, a built-in vanity and a kitchenette. Staff was friendly and helpful with excellent maps.
Mosaiculture -- arranged along the canals in the Old Port -- was fantastic. It's a collection of amazing horticultural displays on a grand scale. The show's been extended to Oct. 13 but will close earlier if there's a frost.
The 30-min. sound and light show inside Notre Dame is well worth seeing. ($10CAD). You wear a headset; audio is in French or English. The visuals are displayed on white screens, which eventually come down to reveal the splendor of the art and architecture. It's breath-taking.
Our best restaurant experience was a Le Soubise on Crescent St. The menu is Italian and French and the bread was magnifique!
We had good and not-so-good experiences with museums:
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts -- The current show, a look at the 60s, is enjoyable. It includes op art, Yoko Ono, Any Warhold, Janis Joplins's psychedelic-painted Porsche, rock album covers and much more. For $5CAD, you can rent audio "wands" to use as you tour. The show runs until March 2004, I believe.
Cinematheque Quebecoise -- Be warned: The metrealplus.ca site says it opens at 1 pm. The sign on the door says 5:30 pm. Annoyed because we arrived at 1 pm, we did not return.
Continued...
Hotel du Fort (which I learned about here) was excellent. Parking and a generous continental breakfast were included in our AAA package for a deluxe room ($189CAD). When making reservations, I mentioned that we would be celebrating our wedding anniversary and we were surprised with a complimentary upgrade to a suite. The spacious room had a comfortable king-sized bed, views in three directions, a loveseat, a big desk, a dresser, a built-in vanity and a kitchenette. Staff was friendly and helpful with excellent maps.
Mosaiculture -- arranged along the canals in the Old Port -- was fantastic. It's a collection of amazing horticultural displays on a grand scale. The show's been extended to Oct. 13 but will close earlier if there's a frost.
The 30-min. sound and light show inside Notre Dame is well worth seeing. ($10CAD). You wear a headset; audio is in French or English. The visuals are displayed on white screens, which eventually come down to reveal the splendor of the art and architecture. It's breath-taking.
Our best restaurant experience was a Le Soubise on Crescent St. The menu is Italian and French and the bread was magnifique!
We had good and not-so-good experiences with museums:
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts -- The current show, a look at the 60s, is enjoyable. It includes op art, Yoko Ono, Any Warhold, Janis Joplins's psychedelic-painted Porsche, rock album covers and much more. For $5CAD, you can rent audio "wands" to use as you tour. The show runs until March 2004, I believe.
Cinematheque Quebecoise -- Be warned: The metrealplus.ca site says it opens at 1 pm. The sign on the door says 5:30 pm. Annoyed because we arrived at 1 pm, we did not return.
Continued...
Oct 7th, 2003 | 10:35 AM
#2
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 319
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Montreal Museum of Archeology and History -- Very good. The current temporary show is about the Bible and includes portions of the Dead Sea scrolls, a tiny artifact from the First Temple of Jerusalem and more. The exhibit area was crowded mid-afternoon. The permanent exhibit under the museum (on the site of the city's founding) is an archeological dig, including a cemetery. I believe they have a rooftop cafe with great views, but it was raining hard so we skipped it.
Canadian Centre of Architecture -- To our surprise, they were between exhibits and there was nothing to see but a book store and the empty rooms of a mansion. Admission was waived. It is just down the block from the Hotel du Fort.
Just for Laughs Museum -- We did not know until we got to the museum that it was closed for a private party Sat., Oct. 4. Another unhappy potential customer said he'd called to be sure it was open but got a recording and no word of the closing. I don't know if they do this often but be warned! We returned the following day. Most of it consists of film clips of comics from several countries. I learned that people of different countries must not share the same sense of humor because we found that some of the comics were not funny. Still, since it involves a lot of sitting, it could be a relaxing break from other activities.
The 3-day Metro pass ($14CAD) is good for the Metro and buses.
Although it's not necessary to be fluent in French, a visitor to Montreal will find it helpful to know a few words, such as days of the week, to be able to interpet signs.
Customs to/from the United States was a cinch. Crossing into Canada from NY near Lake Champlain, we first went through American agents (they were in the road, not at a station) then a Canadian agent. Returning at another crossing, we had just one stop with an American officer. Every time, we were asked a few questions and were on our way. We were not asked to show our birth certificates.
Canadian Centre of Architecture -- To our surprise, they were between exhibits and there was nothing to see but a book store and the empty rooms of a mansion. Admission was waived. It is just down the block from the Hotel du Fort.
Just for Laughs Museum -- We did not know until we got to the museum that it was closed for a private party Sat., Oct. 4. Another unhappy potential customer said he'd called to be sure it was open but got a recording and no word of the closing. I don't know if they do this often but be warned! We returned the following day. Most of it consists of film clips of comics from several countries. I learned that people of different countries must not share the same sense of humor because we found that some of the comics were not funny. Still, since it involves a lot of sitting, it could be a relaxing break from other activities.
The 3-day Metro pass ($14CAD) is good for the Metro and buses.
Although it's not necessary to be fluent in French, a visitor to Montreal will find it helpful to know a few words, such as days of the week, to be able to interpet signs.
Customs to/from the United States was a cinch. Crossing into Canada from NY near Lake Champlain, we first went through American agents (they were in the road, not at a station) then a Canadian agent. Returning at another crossing, we had just one stop with an American officer. Every time, we were asked a few questions and were on our way. We were not asked to show our birth certificates.
Oct 8th, 2003 | 09:32 AM
#6
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,738
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sluggo, that amazes me and saddens me. Why do they not check IDs?
We drive up twice a year from NYC, not once have we not been asked for some sort of ID. Last year I forgot our passports and had to go inside the Customs Bldg while they used our drivers licenses to look us up in their computer..guess there are no outstanding warrants out for us, they let us into Canada..they asked for my husbands drivers license when we drove back into the US..but of course, they already knew about us from the entering part of the drive.
We were there in August for a week, and we missed the MosaicCulture exhibit..too bad
We drive up twice a year from NYC, not once have we not been asked for some sort of ID. Last year I forgot our passports and had to go inside the Customs Bldg while they used our drivers licenses to look us up in their computer..guess there are no outstanding warrants out for us, they let us into Canada..they asked for my husbands drivers license when we drove back into the US..but of course, they already knew about us from the entering part of the drive.
We were there in August for a week, and we missed the MosaicCulture exhibit..too bad
