| MONTREAL - Living in a North American Gem of a City |
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THERE ARE TOO MANY wonderful
things about our Montreal life to list but I love shopping
for fresh fruit and vegetables in our neighborhood La Fruiterie du
Plateau,
or at Atwater Market
or Jean-Talon Market
(don't miss the Tourism Montreal video)
in Little Italy. Other favorite
things are dim sum in Chinatown at Kam
Fung, lunch at L'Express, dinner
at a Portuguese or Greek restaurant, St.
Louis Square with its truly beautiful French-style fountain and
flowers and dinner on the lively Prince
Arthur Street. Don't miss this great
Mile-End video, shot in another very popular neighborhood.
ON A TYPICAL MORNING I go out early to buy a newspaper
and fresh bread then go home to fix breakfast with blueberries or other local
produce (Ontario peaches are especially delicious). Or we just walk one block south to our neighborhood cafe, Le
Passé Composé, for a beautiful and excellent breakfast. On special
occasions we might eat breakfast at Cafe
Cherrier.
THE REMAINDER of our days are spent
exploring different parts of the city, eating lunch on a blanket in the
grass at the park,
having afternoon coffee and pastry at one of
the wonderful coffeehouses nearby, riding
Bixis to
Old
Montreal and along the Lachine Canal,
walking to the top of Mount Royal,
and ending up at Canada"s finest university, McGill,
finding the Give
Peace a Chance public art piece on the
way down. In the evening, back to Parc Lafontaine to take in a free production at Theatre
Verdure, an open-air
performance theater. Don't miss this Montreal Tourism video
about other leisure activities and the appeal of the city.
IF YOU LOVE CYCLING Montreal has
300+ miles of
dedicated bike paths and has been rated the best city in North America for
cycling and a
bike tour is a great way to see the city. In August 2007 Quebec inaugurated
the amazing Route
Verte,
a vast network of bicycle paths that extends 3000+ miles through the
province, passing through
300+ municipalities, a cyclist's
dream. If not
owning a car appeals to you from a global warming perspective, you'll
love this: 97% of Montreal's electricity is generated by Hydro-Quebec,
which produces power from dammed
water and turbines, not coal or natural gas.
THERE ARE MANY WONDERFUL
PLACES TO STAY, especially on the Plateau and in Old Montreal. PLATEAU LODGING: A
la Bonne Heure, Anne
ma souer Anne, Auberge
de la Fontaine, Aux
Portes de la Nuit (fantastic
location), Bienvenue
B&B, Boulanger
Bassin B&B, Casa Bianca,
Chez
Fanny, Hotel
Kutuma, Le Gite, Le
Plumard, Pierre &
Dominique, to name a few, OLD MONTREAL LODGING: Auberge
Bonaparte, Auberge du
Vieux-Port, Auberge Les
Passant du Sans Soucy (a B&B) Hostellerie
Pierre du Calvet, Hotel Gault,
Hotel
Nelligan, Hotel Place 'd
Armes, Hotel
St.James, Hotel St. Paul,
L Hotel, Le
Petit Hotel, Le
Saint Sulpice, W
Hotel, plus others.
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