4 august days in montreal

sometimes we get lucky and mat’s work as a photographer sends us to fun and interesting places (read: free vacation!). montreal was the perfect quick trip (about a 2 hour flight from nyc)- we accomplished a lot in just a few days and felt like we got a good feel for the city. i loved the people’s seamless transition between french and english- they’d always start in french, and when quickly learning we didn’t speak a word, would switch back to english. i wish we had that for spanish (or any language, for that matter) in the u.s. we were there in august and the weather was perfect. it seems like a great city for enjoying in warm weather, but i’m probably biased.

Eat:

• patisserie au kouign-amann
  • if you’ve never had a kouign amann, you’re missing out. they’re a flakey sweet pasty kind of like a croissant, but more dense. these were more cake-like, but were DELICIOUS.

    

• MELK bar a cafe
  • great coffee and light breakfast spot in the downtown area
  • real small = easy to miss
• olive et gourmando
  • delicious, hearty salads, amazing baked goods (we got the side of bread which was amazing)
  • pretty busy so don’t be shocked if there’s a wait
  • adjacent to some cute shops to kill time if aforementioned wait is long.
• duc de lorraine
  • down the hill from Saint Joseph’s Oratory
  • very french feeling- all the pastries, outdoor seating, staff in bowties. we only got a croissant but i wish we’d stayed for the afternoon.
• fairmount bagel
  • people talk about montreal bagels being contenders with ny for best bagel.      i’m on the ny side. these bagels were good but much more flat and dense, and also they don’t put the schmear on for you. you have to do it yourself. i don’t knowabout you, but i like my schmear caked (albeit too heavy at times) on by someone other than myself.
• la banquise
  • 24 hour veggie friendly poutine. there will be a wait and you will stand in that line and it will be worth it. the end.

Drink:

• le mal necessaire
  • tasty cocktails in this tiki-themed basement bar
  • we got one of the drinks that gets set on fire because we are those people
• le MTL
  • we stopped in here for a drink after a day of walking and the decor is charming and there’s a cutout VW bus in the back where the food its made.
• le sainte-elisabeth
  • an English-style pub with a very large back patio with ivy climbing up all the walls. a very casual, fun spot.
• canal lounge
  • a bar on a boat on the Lachine. we got there before it opened, waited, and were among the first people on the boat so we went straight for the seating on top of the boat (precarious to get up there but worth it). we had aperol spritz’s and popcorn and a cheese platter and it was perfection.

To Do:

• parc la fontaine
  • feel like hanging out and killing time in a beautiful park? here you go. we also noticed people with to-go poutine (most likely from la banquise since it’s nearby) sitting on a bench next to us. poutine in the park? yes.
• saint joseph’s oratory
  • even if you’re not the religious type this is something to see, even if it’s just to say you got your 10,000 steps in for the day because it’s pretty far up a lot of stairs.
  • we just wandered around a lot but there’s a schedule of masses and concerts and nature-related things on the website
• bota bota
  • oh man. the ultimate vacation “treat yoself”. it’s a spa. on a boat.
  • you pay, get a locker, change into your swimsuit (it’s not a “swimsuit optional” kind of place. just so we’re clear.)
  • photography is highly discouraged, so don’t get too excited about an abundance of spa selfies.
  • there are saunas, steam rooms, cold pools, and hot tubs for you to rotate between per their recommendation, and also lots of lounge areas for your disco/hangover naps.
  • we spent a lot of time by the pool on the land portion of the spa because there was a bar and lounge chairs. heaven
• hike up mount royal
  • this was a decent uphill walk for relatively fit people such as ourselves, but not out of the realm of ability for most if you plan accordingly with water and breaks
  • it got a little chilly at night but mat needed to shoot sunset (traveling with a photographer has its challenges) so we were there for a pretty long time and it was pretty in the dark too. getting out was a little tricky- the bus was taking forever and uber wasn’t working very well due to signal issues, but we eventually hailed one of the few cabs that came along.

• atwater marche
  • walk, wander, or ride (see next bullet point) along the Lachine to this charming market
  • fruit and veggies vendors, and lots of lunchtime options (while you’re here,check out Canal Lounge!)
• rent bikes through bixi bike sharing
  • we have essentially the exact same setup here in new york. you put in a code, undock the bike, ride, and dock it wherever you end up and there’s a docking station
  • can purchase a 1 or 3 day pass
  • you don’t have to worry about locking up a bike in an unfamiliar location.