OT: Anyone live in Montreal?

flere-imsaho · 03-08-2005, 03:52 PM

My boss is off to Montreal this weekend for a 5-day vacation. Anyone have any tips on good restaurants and places of interest to visit?

Thanks.

SackAttack · 03-08-2005, 03:56 PM

According to the 2001 census, 1,039,534 people live there.

Good luck.

mhass · 03-08-2005, 03:57 PM

Yea, I'm almost positive I've seen people there. Not at Expo games though.

DaddyTorgo · 03-08-2005, 03:58 PM

i know a bunch of strip clubs up there, I think that's about all the help I'd be though.

weinstein7 · 03-08-2005, 03:59 PM

I don't, but I have family up there, so I've gotten to enjoy the local cuisine. Hint: it's amazing!

Your best bet is to just walk up and down Boulevarde de St Laurent, which is the N-S drag that separates West (english) Montreal from East (french). It's kind of like the Lower East Side, to put it in a NYC context. If you want more specific recommendations, let me know and I'll see what I can remember/dig up.

bbor · 03-08-2005, 04:01 PM

You should Ping Frogman....he'll set ya up.

Maple Leafs · 03-08-2005, 04:38 PM

Many of the restautants on St. Denis are excellent, especially if he/she likes schezuan food.

The only mandatory eating experience in Montreal is a smoked meat sandwhich at Ben's, quite possibly the best deli in the world (with apologies to our New York friends). Worth the trip to Montreal on its own.

Old Montreal is a nice place to take a walk and take in some historic sites and shops if that's what your boss is in to.

And, as has been mentioned, every third business in Montreal is a strip club or sex shop of some kind. So that's also nice if that's what your boss is in to.

I'd also recommend learning some helpful french phrases, such as "Excuse me, but please refrain from extinguishing your cigarette in my meal" and "Every time I see your hockey team on TV they are losing to the team from Toronto".

weinstein7 · 03-08-2005, 04:47 PM

The smoked meat is indeed outstanding. Very similar to, though also distinct from, NY-style corned beef. Along those lines, Montreal bagels are the best I've had outside of NY (again, slightly different). There are two places that compete for best bagels in Montreal. The more famous is St. Viateur Bagels on rue St. Viateur in Outremont (northern part of the center), although I prefer Fairmount Bagels which is on Rue Fairmont a couple of blocks south.

The biggest suggestion I would have is to forget about the touristy French stuff and go ethnic as much as possible, especially mid-Eastern and Asian. But, to each his own.

FrogMan · 03-08-2005, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbor

You should Ping Frogman....he'll set ya up.

hehe

I don't live in Montreal, more like Quebec City, and it's been a while since my lats visit to Montreal.

I can point you to the thread we had when bbor asked about Montreal places to visit... there ya go:
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...ad.php?t=30315

All the talks about smoked meat and Montreal food places are indeed good starting points. Old Montreal is also another good bet. The Biodôme and the tower of the Olympic Stadium are also possibilities. Anyway, visit the thread, you could find a couple of sites in there that could of use...

Oh and about strip clubs, don't know about any of them but I've heard good things about *cough* Chez Paré *cough*...

FM

DiG · 03-08-2005, 09:51 PM

Bleh, Montreal will be more enjoyable in a couple of months. When it's cold, everyone stays inside, and you're left with only "regular" attractions. I mean, I guess we have good museums, but there's better cities for that. There's the Biodome, yes, but part of the enjoyement, which is to feel like you're in the animals' real habitat turns sour when you reach the St-Laurent habitat and you're left wondering which bird will shit on you. There's the insectarium, but that's half a day worth of time. I think there's a special exhibit for the winter at the Jardin Botanique, but I'm not 100% positive of that.

You can also see a movie at le Forum, for like 15$CAN, and try to convince yourself it's not the that sad.

I guess you can take great walks downtown (on Ste-Catherine, not a night - much less enjoyable), on le Plateau (Mont-Royal street and St-Denis streets), in Old Montreal, or on Mont-Royal (it's a good sight with the snow, but less so if you compare it with the sights on every other mountain covered with snow). Problem is, this is the great thing about Montreal, walking about, but it's great in the summer, when there's always a festival going on and plenty of people in the streets celebrating nothing in particular, and everything at the same time.

That said, there's plenty of restaurant to go by. My suggestion is to walk around in Old Montreal, or on St-Laurent, Parc/Bleury or St-Denis and choose one by looking at the menus outside (there's plenty of variety, and plenty of choices for every taste). You're supposed to get a smoked-meat at Shwartz and a "poutine" anywhere (I'd recommand to go to a "La Belle Province for that", but then again, I don't like poutine myself). There's plenty of nightclubs, most are youth infested, but there are some more adult places, like the Newtown or the Living. I'd bet that the further west you go downtown, the older the crowd is.

Only go to Chez Paré if you're ready to spend a lot, but it's the place where you're the most likely to see a celebrity. There are plenty of cheaper placer on Ste-Cath and St-Laurent, but I heard that the best places are outside the island (North Shore, particularly).

I think that there's the St-Patrick's Parade on the 13th, but I don't know what it's like. It's supposed to be lots of fun though. Anyway, if you stick to non-residential spots, there should be no problems if you don't speak french: most montrealers are bilingual, and most downtowners are anglophones anyway (or so it seems).

I could be more specific, but that's about how much I can write in english at 11PM without starting to get my sentences' structure messed up, french style...If you have any questions, though, I should be able to answer - or look it up - pretty easily.

weinstein7 · 03-08-2005, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiG

most montrealers are bilingual, and most downtowners are anglophones anyway (or so it seems).

I have a good time with this whenever I'm in Montreal. I don't speak French worth a damn (I took it high school), but I'm used to traveling around Europe where I always try to use the local language. So I always try to talk to the shopkeepers and waiters and such in French, and can usually make it a few minutes into a conversation before I give them a good blank stare. Then they which to English, at which they're invariably fluent and without a noticeable accent. So I'm always left wondering whether I did a cool thing by trying to speak the local guy's language, or whether I just wasted everyone's time since the guy was an anglo in the first place. Everyone tells me to just speak English, since nobody minds, but I think it's more fun this way. And everyone is always nice, and they even help me with my French

.

On the other hand, my great-aunt is Montreal born and raised, and doesn't speak a word of French. Go figure. (Really nice lady, but I can see why the French-speakers get upset about the whole thing.)

Vinatieri for Prez · 03-08-2005, 11:41 PM

Go to old Montreal, for a European flavor, which is nice. Then hit the bars on Crescent Street downtown. Of course, my visit was over 10 years ago, so maybe that's not the thing to do anymore.

flere-imsaho · 03-09-2005, 08:50 AM

Well, I was worried at first, but thanks for all the good info folks! I'll pass it on to my boss.

Maple Leafs · 03-09-2005, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiG

You're supposed to get a smoked-meat at Shwartz

I'd point out that Ben's is better, but this is the sort of thing that Canadians are likely to start civil wars over, so I'll just say that both are good.

vtbub · 03-09-2005, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

"Every time I see your hockey team on TV they are losing to the team from Montreal."

Thought I'd fix that for you, my Cup-Challenged friend.

DiG · 03-09-2005, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

I'd point out that Ben's is better, but this is the sort of thing that Canadians are likely to start civil wars over, so I'll just say that both are good.

Honestly, I don't even know myself, but I've never heard of Ben's so...

Kevin · 03-10-2005, 11:22 AM

I miss Chez Paree. Especially earlier in the day before the big crowds start. Club Wanda used to be good too, but I don't know if it still exists.

03-08-2005, 03:57 PM	#3
mhass High School Varsity Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Here	Yea, I'm almost positive I've seen people there. Not at Expo games though. __________________ Now while I wasn't able to cut everyone I wanted to, I have cut a lot of you. - H.J.S.

03-08-2005, 04:01 PM	#6
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	You should Ping Frogman....he'll set ya up. __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

03-08-2005, 04:38 PM	#7
Maple Leafs Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002	Many of the restautants on St. Denis are excellent, especially if he/she likes schezuan food. The only mandatory eating experience in Montreal is a smoked meat sandwhich at Ben's, quite possibly the best deli in the world (with apologies to our New York friends). Worth the trip to Montreal on its own. Old Montreal is a nice place to take a walk and take in some historic sites and shops if that's what your boss is in to. And, as has been mentioned, every third business in Montreal is a strip club or sex shop of some kind. So that's also nice if that's what your boss is in to. I'd also recommend learning some helpful french phrases, such as "Excuse me, but please refrain from extinguishing your cigarette in my meal" and "Every time I see your hockey team on TV they are losing to the team from Toronto". __________________ Down Goes Brown: Toronto Maple Leafs Humor and Analysis Last edited by Maple Leafs : 03-08-2005 at 04:39 PM.

03-10-2005, 11:22 AM	#17
Kevin High School JV Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Nova Scotia	I miss Chez Paree. Especially earlier in the day before the big crowds start. Club Wanda used to be good too, but I don't know if it still exists. __________________ It seems more like today than it did all day yesterday.

03-08-2005, 03:56 PM	#2
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	According to the 2001 census, 1,039,534 people live there. Good luck.

03-08-2005, 03:58 PM	#4
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	i know a bunch of strip clubs up there, I think that's about all the help I'd be though.

03-08-2005, 03:59 PM	#5
weinstein7 High School JV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Rochester, NY	I don't, but I have family up there, so I've gotten to enjoy the local cuisine. Hint: it's amazing! Your best bet is to just walk up and down Boulevarde de St Laurent, which is the N-S drag that separates West (english) Montreal from East (french). It's kind of like the Lower East Side, to put it in a NYC context. If you want more specific recommendations, let me know and I'll see what I can remember/dig up.

03-08-2005, 04:47 PM	#8
weinstein7 High School JV Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Rochester, NY	The smoked meat is indeed outstanding. Very similar to, though also distinct from, NY-style corned beef. Along those lines, Montreal bagels are the best I've had outside of NY (again, slightly different). There are two places that compete for best bagels in Montreal. The more famous is St. Viateur Bagels on rue St. Viateur in Outremont (northern part of the center), although I prefer Fairmount Bagels which is on Rue Fairmont a couple of blocks south. The biggest suggestion I would have is to forget about the touristy French stuff and go ethnic as much as possible, especially mid-Eastern and Asian. But, to each his own.

03-08-2005, 09:51 PM	#10
DiG n00b Join Date: May 2002 Location: Montreal, Qc	Bleh, Montreal will be more enjoyable in a couple of months. When it's cold, everyone stays inside, and you're left with only "regular" attractions. I mean, I guess we have good museums, but there's better cities for that. There's the Biodome, yes, but part of the enjoyement, which is to feel like you're in the animals' real habitat turns sour when you reach the St-Laurent habitat and you're left wondering which bird will shit on you. There's the insectarium, but that's half a day worth of time. I think there's a special exhibit for the winter at the Jardin Botanique, but I'm not 100% positive of that. You can also see a movie at le Forum, for like 15$CAN, and try to convince yourself it's not the that sad. I guess you can take great walks downtown (on Ste-Catherine, not a night - much less enjoyable), on le Plateau (Mont-Royal street and St-Denis streets), in Old Montreal, or on Mont-Royal (it's a good sight with the snow, but less so if you compare it with the sights on every other mountain covered with snow). Problem is, this is the great thing about Montreal, walking about, but it's great in the summer, when there's always a festival going on and plenty of people in the streets celebrating nothing in particular, and everything at the same time. That said, there's plenty of restaurant to go by. My suggestion is to walk around in Old Montreal, or on St-Laurent, Parc/Bleury or St-Denis and choose one by looking at the menus outside (there's plenty of variety, and plenty of choices for every taste). You're supposed to get a smoked-meat at Shwartz and a "poutine" anywhere (I'd recommand to go to a "La Belle Province for that", but then again, I don't like poutine myself). There's plenty of nightclubs, most are youth infested, but there are some more adult places, like the Newtown or the Living. I'd bet that the further west you go downtown, the older the crowd is. Only go to Chez Paré if you're ready to spend a lot, but it's the place where you're the most likely to see a celebrity. There are plenty of cheaper placer on Ste-Cath and St-Laurent, but I heard that the best places are outside the island (North Shore, particularly). I think that there's the St-Patrick's Parade on the 13th, but I don't know what it's like. It's supposed to be lots of fun though. Anyway, if you stick to non-residential spots, there should be no problems if you don't speak french: most montrealers are bilingual, and most downtowners are anglophones anyway (or so it seems). I could be more specific, but that's about how much I can write in english at 11PM without starting to get my sentences' structure messed up, french style...If you have any questions, though, I should be able to answer - or look it up - pretty easily.

03-08-2005, 11:41 PM	#12
Vinatieri for Prez College Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Seattle	Go to old Montreal, for a European flavor, which is nice. Then hit the bars on Crescent Street downtown. Of course, my visit was over 10 years ago, so maybe that's not the thing to do anymore.

03-09-2005, 08:50 AM	#13
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	Well, I was worried at first, but thanks for all the good info folks! I'll pass it on to my boss.

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