Where to stay : Sleep in refurbished charm in Old Montreal at Hotel Nelligan Hotel Le St James. Pierre Du Calvet (built in 1725) and the St Paul Hotel. Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth is nown as the hotel where John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded Give Peace a Chance in room 1742 and staged one of their two bed ins for peace in 1969. While the hotel is currently closed for renovations it will reopen in June 2017. When to go : Late June for the Jazz Festival to see how loosely the term is interpreted (from classics like Oliver Jones to folkie Martha Wainwright both Montreal natives) August for the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival and February for Montreal en Lumiere one of the world' s largest winter festivals attracting 900,000 hearty revelers each year. The citywide food wine and arts celebration incudes menus prepared by top international chefs and a packed performance schedule that features artists from Diana Krall to The Zombies and free outdoor concerts.
What to do before you go : Watch C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) read or watch Mordecai Richler' s The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and listen to Arcade Fire which first ignited while key members lived in Mile End. How to get around : First opened in 1966 Montreal' s metro still feels swinging with its molded plastic artsy vibe. Locals find the name silly but the Underground City' s pathways are convenient during bitter winter days.
Quebec's largest city moves in cycles of cool. One was between Expo 67 and the 1976 Olympics (where Nadia scored her perfect 10). It' s in full stride again with musicians from Mile End and chefs from spruced up Old Montreal at the top of their game. Take it all in then use the mountain the city was named after Mount Royal as a trou normand (palate cleanser). Chef Caroline Dumas produces her signature soups in Mile End sells them in Old Montreal and walks to work via Mount Royal how I visualized Montreal as a Kid Dumas says. seen from above Montreal is not very big. It' s a city on a very human scale.
Tips : Mount Royal : What to do: Montrealers have made a mountain of this hill which serves as an anchor geographically and for the soul. In the winter toboggan or skate on Beaver Lake. On summer Sundays the slopes attract drummers dancers and curious onlookers. Jog up the many paths for a view of downtown or to see the landmark LED lit cross close up.
Where to eat or drink: Santropol sandwiches are where gourmet meets hippie. Avoid the perennial line at Schwartz' s by ordering smoked meat medium never lean for take out then picnic on the mountain. In summer the food trucks near the Cart monument change daily.
Others: Mile end, Old Montreal.
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