Thanksgiving in Montreal!

KatieinBkln

We just decided to road trip to Montreal for the Thanksgiving weekend! I am so, so excited, since I've wanted to go to French Canada since basically FOREVER.

People who have been there/Canadian Knotties, throw your best sightseeing/restauranting/hotel advice at me!

lovegood90

I used to go there a ton when I was younger for day/weekend shopping trips! I believe St Catharine's street is one of the big shopping streets. I would also recommend going to Old Montreal! I remember when I was in MTL a few years ago we went to this amazing crepe place,I forget the name but I will edit my post if I remember it. You MUST try MTL smoked meat at Schwarz's! And you have to eat  poutine, it's a right of passage.

Also I find MTL to be quite English. If you really want a "frencher" city I highly recommend Quebec City, it's wonderful! 

Cookie Pusher

KatieinBkln said:

We just decided to road trip to Montreal for the Thanksgiving weekend! I am so, so excited, since I've wanted to go to French Canada since basically FOREVER.

People who have been there/Canadian Knotties, throw your best sightseeing/restauranting/hotel advice at me!

It has been years since I've been to Montreal, but I remember it being a blast! Have fun and post lots of pictures.

SmileDamnit

Fun! I spent a week there in '09 for a work confernece (followed by a weekend in Quebec City - loooooved) and had a great time. I don't remember any specifics, though, so don't have much in the way of suggestions.

JaxInBlue

Great choice!  I love Old Montreal - especially the Port area.  The Biodome and the Botannical Gardens are very nostalgic for me.  I grew up in NY just south of the border with Quebec and spent a lot of time in those places on class trips, family weekends, that kind of stuff.  Have fun!

l9i

lovegood90 said:

I used to go there a ton when I was younger for day/weekend shopping trips! I believe St Catharine's street is one of the big shopping streets. I would also recommend going to Old Montreal! I remember when I was in MTL a few years ago we went to this amazing crepe place,I forget the name but I will edit my post if I remember it. You MUST try MTL smoked meat at Schwarz's! And you have to eat  poutine, it's a right of passage.

Also I find MTL to be quite English. If you really want a "frencher" city I highly recommend Quebec City, it's wonderful! 

We went for our honeymoon and it was absolutely wonderful!  We stayed in old Montreal.  Mostly for meals we walked around and settled on a spot, we didn't go to one place that wasn't good.  My favorite was probably a restaurant in the old part called Bevo (I think?), they had really good drinks and pizza!  And to the bold above, I second the poutine - I'm now obsessed.  As for language, I found pretty much everyone to be completely bilingual.

jennyleigh16

I second Old Montreal. There's one long cobblestone street that's almost all restaurants. I think it's rue St Paul E. It's great if you don't know what you're looking for and you can just wander down the road until something sounds good. When we go we stay in the Embassy Suites on Saint Antoine Ouest. It's about 150/ night so it depends what your budget is. When we go its usually a romantic weekend away so we don't mind spending a bit more,and get one of the suites. The nice thing about that hotel is its walking distance to rue St Paul and St Catharine's, for all the good shopping.

The biodome is a popular sightseeing place, though I've never been.  

amelisha

1. Keep an eye on the weather forecast - by then it could be pretty cold (and it always feels way colder than it seems like it would in Montreal because it's this wet, soaking-in kind of cold.) I don't know where you're from but if you're not used to that it can be kind of surprising. Bring lots of layers and a good winter coat/hat/gloves/scarf and warm boots.

2. If you can, you should definitely try to go to O Noir. It's a restaurant where you eat in complete darkness with blind or visually impaired waiters and other staff and it is fascinating (and the food is excellent too.) I believe reservations are required but it is so, so worth it.

3. See a Cirque du Soleil show - Montreal is where it originated and you can see shows in the original tent, which is very cool. 

4. Go to a Canadiens game! Hockey in Canada is way more intense than it is even in hockey cities in the states and it is a ton of fun to go to a game even if you don't know or care much about the sport.

5. All the traditional tourist stuff is worth doing too - Old Montreal, the Quay, Mount Royal, Notre-Dame, Biodome, the Village...

6. If you like Thai, you have to try ChuChai - the food is amazing and the neighbourhood is very cool (it's in Le-Plateau.) Schwartz's is also in Le-Plat and it's a Montreal institution and the place to go if you want to try Montreal smoked meat. La Banquise is very popular for poutine and, although a lot of locals now think it's overrated, it's still a great choice.

alpacalunch

Omg I love Montreal!! Hotel: fave is Le St Martin, beautiful rooms, outdoor pool on a balcony, really pleasant vibe, walkable location. Restaurants: I have never had bad food in Montreal, in 6+ visits. Schwartz's has great smoked meat (like pastrami but a very Montreal thing), and since it's Montreal pouting is a must, and available most anywhere. In terms of an actual nice dinner out, in Old Montreal there's a spot called 'Boris bistro' which is yummy without pretension. A few blocks away is 'olive et gourmando' for tasty coffee/lunch/snacks. Truly, Old Montreal is the most incredible area to wander through, very European feel complete with cobblestones and horses. Great walkable city, very vibrant, but it will be chilly so be prepared. I was there once in November and awoke to 10cm snow. Oh, and as PP said, it's tres English. French is handy, but not required. Know your basic 's'il vous plait et merci' and you'll get a lot of brownie points. Aaaand now I'm jealous.

l9i

chrisandcait said:

Omg I love Montreal!! Hotel: fave is Le St Martin, beautiful rooms, outdoor pool on a balcony, really pleasant vibe, walkable location. Restaurants: I have never had bad food in Montreal, in 6+ visits. Schwartz's has great smoked meat (like pastrami but a very Montreal thing), and since it's Montreal pouting is a must, and available most anywhere. In terms of an actual nice dinner out, in Old Montreal there's a spot called 'Boris bistro' which is yummy without pretension. A few blocks away is 'olive et gourmando' for tasty coffee/lunch/snacks. Truly, Old Montreal is the most incredible area to wander through, very European feel complete with cobblestones and horses. Great walkable city, very vibrant, but it will be chilly so be prepared. I was there once in November and awoke to 10cm snow. Oh, and as PP said, it's tres English. French is handy, but not required. Know your basic 's'il vous plait et merci' and you'll get a lot of brownie points. Aaaand now I'm jealous.

Second.

esstee33

No recommendations, but yes to the PPs who said to eat poutine. It's so good, omg. 

KatieinBkln

Thanks, everyone! 

I am so excited about the FOOD. I've had poutine, but I don't think American poutine counts, so I'm looking forward to the real thing! Smoked meat, too. I want to hit up Joe Beef as well. 

Interesting to hear that Montreal is more English--FI will be happy to hear that since he was worried about it, but I speak enough French to get by so I was sure we'd be fine either way. I'm not sure we'll have the time to get all the way to Quebec City on this trip, but it's definitely on my bucket list.

Re: weather, I shall be prepared! We're soft New Yorkers now, but originally came from the frozen wintry hellscape (kidding) of Wisconsin. I'll bust out the boots and down parkas.

Also, we plan to bring our doggie. Anyone know of any hiking trails near the city?

raissyrais

Lived there for nine years so if you want something totally romantic, Old Port is where you should go. Restaurants by the water are the best! Try going to Cirque du Soleil if they're still there.

My favourite Spa: Bota Bota on the water. Amazing couples' massages.

Restaurant: Queue de Cheval, Grinder

Sushi: Odaki

Shopping strip: Saint Catherine

Party places: Saint Laurent Boulevard and Crescent Street (for that younger feel)

Hippie times: Saint Denis 

On Sundays, go on the hills/mountains. If you're feeling fancy, grab dinner at the Ritz Montreal on Sherbrooke Street!

Let me know if you want to go other places maybe I can suggest

ETA: Don't be shocked if you see strip clubs everywhere lol. Montreal is party and sex all in one hehe

alpacalunch

raissyrais said:

Lived there for nine years so if you want something totally romantic, Old Port is where you should go. Restaurants by the water are the best! Try going to Cirque du Soleil if they're still there.

My favourite Spa: Bota Bota on the water. Amazing couples' massages.

Restaurant: Queue de Cheval, Grinder

Sushi: Odaki

Shopping strip: Saint Catherine

Party places: Saint Laurent Boulevard and Crescent Street (for that younger feel)

Hippie times: Saint Denis 

On Sundays, go on the hills/mountains. If you're feeling fancy, grab dinner at the Ritz Montreal on Sherbrooke Street!

Let me know if you want to go other places maybe I can suggest

ETA: Don't be shocked if you see strip clubs everywhere lol. Montreal is party and sex all in one hehe

First bolded: Many hazy memories of Crescent! I had a friend get picked up by Donovan Bailey, which was a big big deal back then. 

Second bolded: YES. OH MY GOD yes. And sooo many churches. It's an interesting mix!

sophhabobopha

All I think of when I hear French Canada is South Park.   

But have a lovely trip!