Thursday's Child: Destination Montreal

“All the kids have always known

That the emperor wears no clothes

But they bow down to him anyway

Cause it’s better than being alone.”
- from "Ready to Start", Arcade Fire

Destination: Montreal, Quebec

When we visited: August, 2014

Why to go:

There are many great reasons to visit Montreal. It's one of the most European cities in North America, the architecture is lovely, and the food is terrific. Our reason for visiting was perhaps less common - we had tickets to see one of our favourite bands, Arcade Fire, play the last concert on their Reflektor tour. 

What to see: 

Given how close we live to Montreal (five hours by train), I’m embarrassed at how long it’s been since I was last there. (To give you an idea, the second-last time I was in Montreal was for the 1976 Olympics. Ouch.)

Although we were in town only one night, we packed a lot into our visit. We admired the lovely Notre-Dame Basilica and the adjacent Place d’Armes. We walked the cobblestoned streets of Vieux-Montreal and basked in the energy of pedestrian-only Place Jacques Cartier with its restaurants, boutiques and buskers.

If you like to shop, visiting Marche Bonsecours is a must. This beautiful heritage building is home to about a dozen boutiques that specialize in products made and designed by Quebecois artisans. Whether you’re looking for art, fashion, jewelry or souvenirs, you’ll find it all here, at every price level – and you won’t find anything else like it. I’m not usually an avid shopper, but walking through the Marche Bonsecours was like walking through an art gallery.

Pre-concert family selfie

And, yes, we attended an Arcade Fire concert in Parc Jean-Drapeau. With the girls working at camp all summer, this trip was their only summer holiday, and a fun way to spend family time together. The concert was brilliant, one of the best I've been to. 

I asked my youngest daughter what her favourite song at the concert was, and she answered, aghast, “Picking just one would be sacrilegious.” As for my favourite? Probably “Normal Person”, with strong consideration to “Rebellion”, “Afterlife”, “Wake Up”, “The Suburbs” … never mind, picking just one would be sacrilegious.

Where to stay: 

Because we were in Montreal such a short time, we wanted to stay in a hotel that was close to everything. Auberge Bonaparte was a perfect choice – it was a short commute to the concert, and its location in the old city meant we could walk almost everywhere.

Where to eat: 

Montreal is known for its fine dining, but because of the nature of our visit, we only had the chance to eat casual meals. (A good reason for us to go back!) We enjoyed our meals at Café Veritas and Jardin Nelson, both in the old city, and had a wonderful three-course breakfast at our inn, included in the price.

And if I can recommend a restaurant that we didn’t eat at, Burritoville (owned by our friend Steve and two business partners) is a fabulous Mexican restaurant that’s unfortunately closed on Sundays – another good reason to go back.

I do not cheer for this hockey team

*

“Is anything as strange as a normal person?

Is anyone as cruel as a normal person?

Waiting after school for you

They want to know if you

If you’re normal too.

Well, are you?”

-       “Normal Person”, Arcade Fire