Last Wednesday, I opened one of those emails promoting last minute travel deals. I saw Montreal RT for $128 and started packing. One call to Steve in Boston and he jumped in the car to meet me at the cool Hotel Nelligan in Old Montreal. It was hard to believe that a 55 minute flight transported me to such a cosmopolitan city with old world flair. Still wondering why it took me so long to visit...
Before Steve arrived on Saturday, I spent several hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "Grandeur Nature," the exhibition of American and Canadian landscape paintings and photography was outstanding and made me want to spend more time with nature. Next trip Niagara!
When Steve wheeled into town my cultural tour of Montreal shifted to roof top terrace cocktails--the perfect way to see such a lovely city! We drank and danced our way around the Plateau area and the Village, took a long walk by the Saint-Laurent River, which is brilliantly incorporated into the city, had great meals in Old Montreal and even went on a tour of the Notre-Dame Basilica, which dates back to 1642.
For lunch today, I joined Marie-Josee, an amazing woman who owns a top PR firm in Montreal called CASACOM. She took me to a delightful tented terrace where we had local venison and talked of the joys and challenges of life in our profession. Armed with Marie-Josee's recommendations I shopped my way around the trendy parts of Montreal, finding a few things I simply had to take back with me to NYC. Back at home tonight, I'm already missing the opportunity to cave the local Montreal delicacy of french fries covered in gravy. Maybe next time!
