This is an honest account of my city. I criticize what needs to be criticized and praise what should be praised. Sure it's long and detailed, but I've organized it in a manner so it is easy to read. You will learn things you never new about my city even if you live here yourself.

Note: Although my spelling is quite poor, please note that many words are spelt in Canadian (British) Standard English. For example: spelt v.s. spelled, honour v.s. honor, centre v.s. center, cancelled v.s. canceled, etc.... So don't get frustrated, just read on.
Also, For your convenience, I have occasionally translated or pronounced words for you. For pronunciations (p:…), for English into French (f:…), for French into English (e:…).

Montreal (p: “Mon” like Monday, NOT like Monte Carlo)
Quebec (p: like ka-beck, NOT Quee-beck like quilt or queen)


Hmmm how do I start?

-Many naturally beautiful women
-Legal drinking age is 18 & bars close at 3am
-Drivers are crazy
-Cannot turn right on red lights.
-Population: 3.63 million. Second largest city in Canada (Toronto is 1st with 5.3m) Canada: 32.27 million (2005)
-Second largest French speaking city in the world (Paris, France is 1st; Kinshasa, Dem. Rep. of Congo is 3rd)

Driving distances
- 45 min. from the U.S. border (New York or Vermont states)
- 2 hrs. from Ottawa (capital of Canada)
- 2 hrs. from the state of New Hampshire
- 2.5 hrs. from the state of Maine
- 3 hrs. from Quebec City (capital of the province of Quebec and one of the oldest settlements in North America-ca 1608, thirty four years earlier than Montreal)
- 5 hrs. from Boston (capital of the state of Massachusetts)
- 6 hrs. from Toronto (capital of the Province of Ontario)
- 7 hrs. from New York City
- 10 hrs. from Washington DC (capital of the United States)

TIME ZONES

Montreal is in the Eastern Time Zone, so we are on the same clock as the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, and the east coast of the U.S. (Boston, New York, Miami).

DID YOU KNOW

-11 American states, Italy, England, France, Japan, all span further north than Montreal (Portland, Oregon, USA and Milan, Linate, Italy are both at 45 degrees north with Montreal)

-Montreal is 63.8% French speaking, 22.5% English speaking (me!), 13.7% other languages (Italian is 3rd most spoken) (2004)
I'd say around 90% will be able to converse in English (whether they want to or not is another story)

-Montreal is not as multicultural as people would like to believe. Montreal’s immigrant population pales in comparison to other big cities in Canada.
Montreal has 18% foreign-born citizens while Toronto leads the pack with 44%. Vancouver has 38% (2001)

-Italians are the largest immigrant population in Montreal at 57,000 (~2% of the population), followed by Haiti at 36,500 and France at 24,000. Lebanon, Vietnam, and China follow. (2001)

-Only 13.5% of Montrealers are of visible minority. Both Toronto and Vancouver lead Canada both with 36.8% visible minority. (2001)

- Montreal has higher average daytime temperatures in June and July than Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Mexico City. (The Global Historical Climatology Network)

-Montreal was once the leading port city in North America. The St. Lawrence Seaway helped Montreal establish itself as a leading exporter in the world.

-A city by-law prohibits any skyscraper to be built taller than the peak of Mount Royal. With its antenna, the CIBC building is the tallest in Montreal.
For cool diagrams of Montreal skyscrapers in order of height See: www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?c22
CAUTION the Skyscraper link is so cool you probably will not return to Epinions, let me take this opportunity to say thank you for visiting and goodbye.

-Montreal and New York City are the only two cities in North America where you cannot turn right on a red light.

-I’ve never been to New York City.

-Montreal ranks 2nd in North America for hosting business conventions with 87. Washington DC is 1st with 88. New York is 3rd with 78 (expected to improve). Chicago boasts the largest convention space-McCormick Place has 2 million sq ft of convention space. Montreal is 50th with 360,000sq ft. (2002)

-Another 2nd place for Montreal goes to its Jacques Cartier Bridge- second most popular location in North America to commit suicide. San Fran’s Golden Gate Bridge is first. Montreal recently announced it would now install a suicide barrier (also known as a fence). (2004)

-Montreal is the most residentially compact metropolitan area in North America. Residential urban sprawl (patches of non-residential space) is more absent here because of the island’s geography (island with mountain). In addition, we have the lowest percentage of single-unit detached homes. Toronto and New York/North New Jersey are the second and third most residentially compact. Oklahoma City ranks last on the list. (2001)

-Montreal was first to hear of the Titanic hitting an iceberg. The steamship Virginian asked its head office in Montreal for permission to alter its course to aid Titanic. The head office sent immediate news to the Montreal Gazette, the first newspaper to hear of the disaster. See Titanic landmarks in Montreal: www.vehiculepress.com/montreal/titanic.html

- At 60km long, the “Island of Montreal” is three times the size of New York’s Manhattan Island and twice the size of the country of Barbados (in the Caribbean).

-More students per capita than any city in North America. Six universities in an 8km (5 mile) radius: McGill, Concordia, Montreal, UQAM, Quebec, and Sherbrooke (the last two only have one of their minor campuses within the radius). McGill, Concordia, and UQAM are all located in the heart of downtown.

- In 1946, Jackie Robinson played for the Montreal Royals, the first all-white team to allow a Black player. The Montreal Royals of the International League were the farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1947, he went on to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first Black to play in the Majors. A statue commemorating him can be seen outside the Olympic Stadium. See: www.battersbox.ca/archives/GriffinBest.htm

-Canadian, Dr. James Naismith, A graduate and Phys Ed teacher at Montreal's McGill University invented basketball in 1891. A year after arriving from Montreal, Boston’s YMCA asked him to invent the game for the kids.

-Ice Hockey was officially created in Montreal but contributions to the game came from all over. The game was a mix of what the British brought over (field hockey) and what the Mic Maq aboriginal tribe of Nova Scotia were using (lacrosse). Early paintings show this mix on frozen ponds in Virginia and Nova Scotia. In March 3, 1875, the first recorded, organized indoor game was played in Montreal. In 1877, McGill students invented seven ice hockey rules. The game became so popular in Montreal that it was featured for the first time in the annual Montreal Winter Carnival in 1883. Lord Stanley of Preston attended the Carnival in 1888 and thought there should be a championship trophy for the best team (The Stanley Cup). In 1893, Winnipeg players contributed by incorporating goalie pads (taken from cricket) and introducing the “scoop” shot (today’s wrist shot).

-American Football was officially created here in…uhhh, actually no it wasn’t. I guess we can’t have everything (the first American Football game in Canada was recorded here though).

-Leonard Cohen, William Shatner, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Mario Lemieux, Rufus Wainwright, members of Sam Roberts Band, The Dears, The Arcade Fire and Simple Plan were all born in Montreal. (Hey, it’s the best I can do)

-Peter Jennings (journalist ABC News), Dr.Penfield (neurologist), Stephen Leacock (humorist), Sir Ernest Rutherford (physicist), John McCrae (Canadian soldier who wrote "Flander's Field"), Andre the Giant, Norman Bethune (medical doctor), Mordecai Richler (novelist) Christopher Plummer (actor, "Sound of Music" grew up here), and Arnold Schwarzenegger all have Montreal ties (lived, educated or did significant work here)


WHERE DO I GET MY INFORMATION?
Well, from everywhere. I used to write stuff like “Montreal has more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in North America” or “largest indoor fountain”. I elected to remove any comments made based on rumour or what I heard someone tell someone else. I rely on Statistical data from Statistics Canada, ESTAT, CanSIM, Canadian Newsstand (Canadian newspaper archives), Academic texts, McGill Libraries’ databases, Tourism Quebec, The City of Montreal, The US Library of Congress, The Central Bureau of Investigation, Bibliotheque National du Quebec, Encarta, and any other reputable sources I can get my hands on. If you wish to have specific information on any of my sources, please email me. btrayn1@po-box.mcgill.ca

QUICK HISTORY
The reason for Montreal’s Frenchness is that France used to govern this region of North America (it was called Nouvelle France (f: New France)). The French were predominantly Catholic (hence the Catholic names and churches in Montreal). The British then conquered New France in 1763 but did not succeed in assimilating the French speakers (they elected to give the huge French speaking population special religious/language freedoms in order to avoid rebellions). Today the province of Quebec has the title of a “distinct society” within Canada (Canada got its independence from Britain in 1867) and continues to enjoy special privileges other provinces do not have (ie: many departments have provincial jurisdiction whereas in the other provinces such jurisdiction would fall under the federal government). There are also major efforts to preserve the language through language laws. The Church in Quebec was very powerful up until 1960 running hospitals, education and influencing government. Since then, the Catholic Church lost much of its power and followers. Today you can see the Montreal skyline full of church steeples. In 1997, school boards were secularized ending the Church’s long history of power in Quebec government.



MONTREAL MISCONCEPTIONS


"There aren't any English people living in Montreal"
Maybe the rest of Canada thinks this, but there are over 400,000 Montrealers that claim English as their mother tongue. Montreal's English presence is due mainly to the American Loyalists escaping the civil wars of the American Revolution. In addition, early Irish, Jewish, and Scottish immigration contributed to the presence. Come see our St.Patrick’s Day Parade, the oldest uninterrupted parade in North America (over 175 yrs) and biggest in Canada. This year was March 14th.
See:
www.montrealirishparade.com
In addition, a vibrant part of Montreal life is its current immigrant population, many learn English first. There are over 580,000 people whose mother tongue is neither French nor English. Our television programs are primarily English due to the U.S. stations and the rest of Canada. Oh, and please don't pat me on the back and congratulate me for speaking "American" so well for a French person. American is not a language, I’m English speaking, and this isn’t France! You will just sound loopy. In 2003 I was told I spoke English very well by three different Americans and one person from Halifax.

"Montreal can't be that French"
Well it is. Over 2,200,000 people claim French as their Mother tongue. It is the second largest French-speaking city in the world (next to Paris). All the street signs and billboards are in French. A law prohibits the use of any other language advertisement unless it has the French translation twice the size next to it. As you could imagine, this was quite a problem in our Chinatown, but somehow the signs are still Chinese.
Most companies do not feel like writing in both languages so they just put it in French. Some (not all) big English media companies get away with English ads (The Gazette and CBC). May I suggest you learn some simple French phrases before you come? You may meet with a cold reception from a few French-speaking people (by cold reception I mean frowns and a refusal to speak English - we are not talking a threat here!). They are just ignorant. Some think all English speakers are Montrealers who refuse to leave their French nation of Quebec. These people are not dangerous in any way.
Note: If you are a French visitor, you may encounter the same with some ignorant English-speaking people.

"All French people are rude"
No, only some Montreal transit workers. In one instance, a transit employee acted confused when I asked in English where Atwater metro was. I repeated, “Atwater metro”, and she still said “quoi?” (e:what?) I persisted. Finally, I asked where “metro Atwater” was (the French order of the words). She then gave me a sarcastic smile and pointed me in the correct direction. It has happened to me a number of times, usually with the workers behind the ticket booth glass. It may happen to you, it is rare however.

"It's cold there"
Yes it is, but only in the winter. Just cause it's Canada, don't think it's always cold here. We have hotter average daytime temperatures than Los Angeles and Mexico City in June and July. With the humidity, the city can feel even hotter (humidex). This mugginess is awful if you’re not in an air-conditioned car or room. This is due mainly to Montreal's geography: in a valley; the St. Lawrence Lowlands-the humidity rests in this valley and escapes the upper air currents. Many times, there are smog alerts due to the muggy weather causing the elderly and children to stay indoors.

On a lighter note, there are four beaches around the island. There are three in Montreal’s West Island (two in the Pierrefonds/Roxboro borough [Cap St. Jacques Nature Park]take commuter train direction Deux-Montagne to Roxboro-Pierrefonds station, take bus 68 west to Nature Park. The other West Island beach is on Ile Bizard [Bois-de-L’Ile Bizard Nature Park]- metro Cote Vertu, take bus 215 to terminus (Fairview Shopping Centre), take bus 207 from there to Ile Bizard). For a beach closer to downtown, check out the man-made Jean Drapeau Park Beach just across from the port of Montreal (metro Jean Drapeau). Its water is filtered without using chlorine. The Ministry of Environment tests the beaches for pollutants, Rated “A” to “D”. Here is a link for the latest ratings for the four beaches. It’s French but relatively easy to figure out (“plage” means beach).
www.menv.gouv.qc.ca/programmes/env-plage/liste_plage.asp?tag=06
Here’s an English link for what the ratings mean and also for ratings to other beaches in Quebec:
www.menv.gouv.qc.ca/programmes/env-plage/index-en.htm

Uncomfortably cold months: December, January, February
Cold months: March, April, October, November
Mild months: May, September
Hot months: June, August
Uncomfortably hot month: July

Peak Fall foliage (colourful trees): mid October to mid November.
Ground frozen/snow covered: late December to mid April.
Months most likely to have snowstorms (25cm /10in ): January, February.
Surprise snowstorms: End of March

Montreal's overnight snowstorm threshold: 35cm /14in = Island wide Snow Day (no school)

Just to put things in perspective:

The arctic begins at 66 degrees north latitude
Moscow, Russia is at 55
London, England is at 51
Paris, France is at 48
Montreal is at 45
Rome, Italy is at 41
New York City is at 40
Athens, Greece is at 37
San Francisco is at 37
The equator is at 0

Also, although a country’s location on the globe relative to the equator does influence its average climate, so too does the jet stream. Montreal gets the majority of its summer weather blown up (via the jet stream) from the central US. In the winter, it comes more from western Canada, originating in the arctic.

Current Jet Stream (if it’s travelling downward, it’s carrying colder air, if traveling upwards, it’s carrying warmer air): www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/maps/floods.htm?sys

See current temperature: www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/pages/CAQC0363.htm
See average Montreal climate: www.worldclimate.com/worldclimate/cgi-bin/grid.pl?gr=N45W073




-A note on the French in Quebec - The French in Quebec (Les Quebecois) are a distinct culture. Les Quebecois are all those who speak French as a first language here in Quebec. Many have made the mistake of treating the French language as a joke. Making fun of Les Quebecois within Quebec can get people quite angry. Because language is a distinguishing feature of the separatist plight for independence, it would be the equivalent to ridiculing skin colour. Les Quebecois can either be citizens with federalist (Canadian) allegiances or nationalist (Quebec separatist) allegiances. More than half of the French speakers in Quebec are against separation.

-A note on U.S.A.- A Quick geography lesson: America and Americans are synonymous with the U.S.A. Canadians are not American and are not part of America. We do share the continent of ‘North America’, but so do Central America, France, Denmark, and ALL the Caribbean Islands and their Mother Lands. A recent Canadian poll done in the U.S. showed that 30% of Americans thought Canada was part of the U.S.A. Because Canada is situated next to the U.S., we have been influenced culturally by them. We know a hell of lot about them because of the volume of U.S. media flowing over the boarder. Typical Canadian programming is almost exactly the same programming as U.S. homes, NBC ABC CBS FOX CNN plus Canadian stations like CBC CTV and Global (we also get Britain’s BBC and France’s TV5). We can answer American trivia sometimes better than Americans can. Canadians might even have a better grasp on American politics and culture rather than Canadian politics and culture. Despite our proximity to the U.S., we manage to maintain our culture and unified beliefs. Recent polls regarding international issues show Canadians divided from American opinion. A Canadian city is very similar to an American one; only that income is more distributed evenly among Canadian populations. This is why you typically don’t see ghettoes in Canada. In addition, Canadian cities tend to have shopping malls concentrated in the city centre rather than the suburbs. The Canadian middle-class use public transit more often than American middle-class.

-A note on Toronto -
We think they suck and they think we suck.


CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR THE 'BOM' LIST (Best of Montreal) for Montrealer picks for the best in town; from Poutine and Smoked Meat to clothes and celebrity spottings. Use the categories at the top of that page to browse different Montreal topics. Winners from previous years can be found in their archives.
See 2005 winners:
http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/051205/bom05_4.html


MONTREAL SPECIALTIES

Poutine French Fries and cheese curds with gravy poured on top. My favourite locations to buy poutine: “La Belle Province”, “Lafleur’s”, Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC (f: Poulet Frit Kentucky/PFK), and McDonald’s.

See: http://www.montrealpoutine.com/index.html

Smoked Meat Beef brisket that has been cured, spiced and smoked. Eaten as a sandwich on rye bread with mustard and a pickle. Smoked meat can also be purchased at any grocery store. Two famous deli shops offering it as a sandwich: “Ben’s Restaurant”, “Schwartz’s”, and “Reuban’s”. See RESTAURANTS at bottom for more info.

Bagels Considered more dense and sweeter than New York style bagels. Definitely not your average bagel. Especially at “St.-Viateur” and “Fairmont Bagel” See: www.bootsnall.com/namericatravelguides/montreal/feb02bagel.shtml

-If you can only spend your money on one thing in Montreal…go check out the Biodome (pie IX metro).

-If you could spend a full day walking somewhere in Montreal…visit old Montreal and the old port (Place D’Armes or Champ de Mars metros).

-Raining/too cold? do the The Underground City

What would I avoid?

-the isci centre in the old port.

-I’ve also been to the Insectarium and it was damn boring (a couple rooms with a bunch of dead bugs on display) I went in the winter when there were few activities and no live exhibits, it may be better during the summer.

-Also avoid museum day (once a year event -end of May- free admission all day with free shuttle buses from museum to museum) the line ups for the more popular places are bigger than Disney world rides.




PLACES TO GO

-The Old Port (f: Le Vieux-Port) - tourist trap - (Lots of Activities in the summer, skating in the winter) - Place D’Armes or Champ de Mars metros - See:
www.oldportofmontreal.com

-Old Montreal (f: Vieux-Montreal)- tourist trap - (settlers moved in in 1642) - Place D’Armes or Champ de Mars metros - See:
www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca

-Chinatown - Place D’Armes metro - See:
www.vehiculepress.com/montreal/chinatown.html

-Botanical Gardens, 2nd largest in the world (located next to Olympic Stadium) - Pie IX metro - See:
www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/menu.htm

-Biodome, This is a massive man made eco-system with different climates in different spaces. The animals are situated in their proper environments. (Located next to Olympic Stadium). - Pie IX metro - See:
http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/site/site.php?langue=en

-Beaver Lake on Mount Royal- Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted designer of New York’s Central Park and Halifax's Public Gardens. - Mount Royal metro, bus 11 - See:
www.lemontroyal.com/en_index2.html

-Mount Royal and The Lookouts. There are a few Lookouts. There is the one from the movie "The Whole Nine Yards" which overlooks downtown. Then there is one that over looks the east side and the Olympic Stadium - Mount Royal metro, bus 11 west - See:
www.lemontroyal.com/en_index2.html

-Homes on Mount Royal (just get lost in there, the architecture is pretty cool for this wealthy district) - take a car, or if you have lot’s of time - Atwater metro

-St. Joseph’s Oratory (copper domed roof is 2nd largest in the world, next to St Peter's in Rome) on Mount Royal (mostly French services) – Snowdon metro, bus 51 east or 166 east. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Joseph_du_Mont-Royal

-Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal - tourist trap - (French services) - Place D’Armes metro - See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Montr%C3%A9al_Basilica

-St. Patrick's Basilica on Rene Levesque street (English services) - Square Victoria metro, exit Beaver Hall - See:
http://www.patrimoine-religieux.qc.ca/spatmtl/spatmtle.htm

-All religious monuments, see:
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/relig/monum_e.htm

-The Montreal Casino -Jean Drapeau metro - See:
http://www.casino-de-montreal.com/accueil_cm.jsp?Params=Y.US.1.0

-Paramount Famous Players (15 screens, 1 Imax.) corner Metcalfe and St. Catherine's. - Peel metro - See:
www.cinemamontreal.com

-Pepsi Forum, where the Montreal Canadiens used to play hockey. It has 18 screens (AMC cinemas), various stores and boutiques, bowling, a climbing wall, plus some memorabilia from the old forum. They have duplicated the original centre ice logo and have the original stands from the forum throughout the building. Also holds free venues (shows). Corner Atwater and St. Catherine's. - Atwater metro - See:
1-888-61-FORUM or (514) 93-FORUM

-For all Montreal movie show times and locations See: www.cinemamontreal.com

-La Ronde - Six Flags’ Montreal amusement Park. 2005 sees the addition of a new family oriented section with five new kiddie rides. The park continues to upgrade, add and renovate with its $51 million over the past four years. New for summer 2006: ‘Goliath’ the largest and most expensive rollercoaster in Canada. La Ronde is the largest amusement park in Quebec. - Jean Drapeau metro - See:
http://www.laronde.com/en/




FROM THE AIRPORT

From Trudeau airport a shuttle bus is available for $12 to downtown hotels. Call 514-931-9002 to find out if it goes to your hotel. See:

http://www.admtl.com/passenger_services.aspx?id=48

A taxi from Trudeau airport to downtown is available at a flat rate of $31. Call 514-633-3019 for info for the airport taxi. See:

http://www.admtl.com/passenger_services.aspx?id=52

For all other info regarding Trudeau or Mirabel airports, call 514-394-7377 or See:

http://www.admtl.com/admmaintext.jsp?idbin=218000&pagetitle=Home

Or you can walk from Trudeau Airport to Dorval circle (15min walk) to take bus 211 to Lionel-Groulx metro. The trip to Lionel Groulx metro will cost $2.50. Just remember to ask for a transfer ticket, you use that to get on the metro. Also take the bus going east not west, the Lionel Groulx metro icon will be on the bus stop.
Here’s a Yahoo! map: http://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=niykYOp_0TpbRi9t8AAcqrwVfyfsZo7NwcRKpET63gn9DKA-&csz=Dorval, QC&country=ca&resize=l&name=&qty=

Road maps to help you find the airport (in Flash): http://www.admtl.com/passenger_services.aspx?id=47



TRAVELING WITHIN MONTREAL

Montreal is travel friendly.
We have a huge network of buses throughout the island. We have a metro system (subway), completely underground. We have an above ground commuter train system (underground only at Central Station). Depending on where your hotel is your really won’t need a car.

The buses and metros are run by the STM and the commuter trains are run by the AMT. If your hotel is just off the island, many local municipalities have their own bus systems, which drop passengers to downtown Montreal.
The metro has its own icon or label. see:
http://www.stm.info/en-bref/images/logos/metro.jpg
The train has its own icon as well. See:
http://www.amt.qc.ca/images/picto_train.gif
These icons are used to indicate metro and train station entrances. They are usually very large and not difficult to spot. They are also handy when traveling the indoor city.
Maps will be found everywhere. The most common map used is the very detailed island-wide map found at entrances and platforms of metro and train stops also used at many bus stops (get a free one at every metro ticket booth). There are also neighbourhood maps outside of most metro stations

BUS STOPS: A metro or train icon will be next to the bus number if that bus is heading towards a metro stop or a train station. The name of the metro stop or train station will be labelled under the corresponding icon. Call 514-A-U-T-O-B-U-S for bus schedules. Check out what a Montreal bus stop look like:
http://www.stm.info/English/bus/a-stminfo-arret.htm

STM FARES (bus and metro):

Tickets and passes available at most metro booths and some depanneurs (convenient stores).

Effective January 2006
Free for children under five
Monthly pass: $63 (Ages six to twelve:$33.75) Unlimited use of buses and metros
Weekly pass: $18.50 (Ages six to twelve:$10.25) Unlimited use of buses and metros
Six-ticket strip: $11.50 (Ages six to twelve:$6.00) free transfer tickets last 2 hours
Cash fare: $2.50 (Ages six to twelve:$1.50) free transfer tickets last 2 hours
Tourist Card: $9.00 one day/ $17.00 three days. (Unlimited use of buses and metros)
Transit website: www.stm.info

AMT FARES (commuter trains (f: trains de banlieue)):
CAUTION: Be VERY careful using the AMT train, it has an extremely confusing fare system. Basically you buy your ticket at a machine then board the train. No one actually collects the tickets or verifies that you paid, so it's on an honour system. Here's the catch, they send security through the trains every once in a while and give out $100 fines to those who don't pay properly. I once bought a ticket from the machine for a trip but didn't realize I also had to get it stamped on another machine with the date/time. I boarded the train and got slapped with a $100 fine. I contested it in court some months later and had to pay $75 instead.

Just to be safe: look for the name of the destination on the left side of the price list. Once you find it, try to figure out which zone it is in. Then, just buy the most expensive individual ticket corresponding to that destination’s zone. (ex. If you want to go to zone 2 from downtown: $4.00).
REMEMBER: the date and time must be on all train tickets. If not, ask someone for help before you get on the train. Also, under no circumstances are you considered a student or a senior. You MUST have a special AMT photo ID to prove if you are. Only residents of Montreal get those. So the reduit (e: reduced) and the intermediare (e: intermediate) fares are off limits to you. Only the ordinaire (e: ordinary or regular) fare is available to you. After all I’ve said, I would still be concerned about taking the train. They change the rules so often it’s easy to get caught. Try asking an AMT agent at Central station or Lucien L’Allier for help (agents are only available at those stations). Good luck, don’t get caught! (by the way, it is illegal not to have your personal ID with you (drivers licence or health card; just anything to prove who you are or where you live, not necessarily a passport). If, to get out of a fine, you tell security you haven’t any ID, they’ll just call the police)


Here's the link for the AMT fares (don't understand French? To bad! They make more money in fines when it's difficult to understand): http://www.amt.qc.ca/tc/train/tarifs/index.asp?ligne=1
If you would like me to explain the fares in detail, email me and I'd be happy to translate and explain everything.
btrayn1@po-box.mcgill.ca

TAXIS:
As any smart taxi driver will do, many pretend to get lost or go the wrong way just to run the metre. Try to have a basic idea of where you’re going and make sure the driver knows you’re not out of the loop (ie: tourist).



MONTREAL’S ACCESSIBILITY TO THE DISABLED

Our entire Metro system is not adapted. In order to get around we have the Adapted Transport See (good site):
www.stm.info/English/t-adapte/a-index.htm

Adapted transit is UNRELIABLE. Buses have been known to show up two hours late.
More reliable is a ride on the regular buses (Nova Bus) with low floors to enable wheelchair access. Using this option gets you a lot of attention. Passengers are not used to seeing these buses actually pick up disabled passengers. Unfortunately, not all of the buses are accessible, but many are. See Nova Bus link:
http://www.stm.info/English/bus/a-usager-aps.htm

Old Montreal is not very accessible. If you want to visit it, do so with expectation of traversing on the small street rather than the one-meter wide sidewalks. Many small stores on St.Catherine Street have one step with a narrow door. Our malls are all accessible. The Indoor City is not completely accessible; there are certain tricks and routes you have to take in order to travel from mall to mall. But often times you have to travel outdoors to get to another section of the Indoor City (kinda defeats the purpose). The latest urban plan for the city seeks to make the Indoor City completely accessible (fat chance).



CYCLING

Montreal is an excellent cycling vacation destination.
Bike route maps are available at:

www.velo.qc.ca/fr/reseaux_cyclables/index-MTL.lasso

OR Ulysses "Biking Montreal" available in bookstores.

OR "Velo Mag" map ($5) available at the tourism centre downtown.

Note:
Montreal announced plans to invest $5 million in downtown bicycle paths. It is touted as the most ambitious cycling plan in North America. It calls for a continuous link from the City of Westmount to downtown Berri Street via de Maisonneuve Street. Its hopes are to reduce downtown automobile traffic. $1.5 million will be invested in 2005. The entire project is slated for completion by 2007.


bicycle tours are available at:
www.velomontreal.com

rentals at Old Port
Bicycles are available for rent ($7/hour, $22/day) as are inline skates ($8.50/1 hour, $4.50 add. hour, $30/day). Special rates for families and groups. Peculiar types of bikes available as well as attaching childrens' trailers
Call 514-847-0666

Quadricycles ($5/adult, $4.50/teen, $4/child) See:
www.oldportofmontreal.com/activites/details.asp?id=96

Segways ($50/hour, must also take $20 lesson) See:
www.oldportofmontreal.com/activites/details.asp?id=313




FESTIVALS


To purchase tickets to all Montreal events check out www.admission.com.


-The Montreal F1 Grand Prix www.grandprix.ca (July 23, 24, 25, 2006), and week long festivities.

-The Just for Laughs Comedy Festival www.hahaha.com (last year: July 14 to 24, 2005) This past summer’s galas included Wayne Brady (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Caroline Rhea (The Caroline Rhea Show), Tim Allen (Home Improvement), Tom Arnold (The Best Damn Sports Show Period), Jackie Mason (once a regular on The Ed Sullivan Show) and the voices behind the animated show "Family Guy". "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" co-stars Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops and Brad Sherwood as well as Sean Masterson ("The Drew Carey Show") accompanied Wayne Brady for some improv.

-The Jazz Festival www.montrealjazzfest.com (June 29 to July 9, 2006). 2006 indoor galas include shows by B.B. King, John Zorn, Esbjorn Svensson, John Pizzarelli, Patricia Barber, and Bonnie Raitt.

-The Montreal World Film Festival www.ffm-montreal.org/en_index.html (last year: Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2005)

-The New Montreal FilmFest www.montrealfilmfest.com The newest and most controversial festival to hit Montreal. The original Montreal World Film Festival (the one listed above, previous to this festival) was thrashed by an international festival review in 2004. In response, the organizers of Montreal's Jazz, Francofolie, and High Lights festivals (Spectra) created the New Montreal FilmFest to compete with the original one in 2005. Organizers of Montreal and all Canadian film festivals were obviously peeved and felt threatened. Originally scheduled during the same dates as the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, The New FilmFest was pressured (lawsuit) to change dates.

Jan,05-the New Montreal FilmFest may not return. They are waiting for funding.

These are just a sample of Montreal’s many festivals.



Film buffs:

The Montreal World Film Festival (Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2005)
www.ffm-montreal.org

Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. ~6 to ~15, 2005, in Toronto)
www.e.bell.ca/filmfest

The New Montreal FilmFest (Sept 18 to 25, 2005)
www.montrealfilmfest.com

Atlantic Film Fest (Sept 15 to 24, 2005 in Halifax)
www.atlanticfilm.com

Vancouver International Film Festival (Sept 29 to Oct. 14, 2005 in Vancouver)
www.viff.org

Festival du Nouveau Cinema (Oct 14 to 25, 2005)
www.nouveaucinema.ca





SHOPPING

Montreal is a world-class shopping city. Walk along St. Catherine Street from Guy street to St. Laurent street, a 45 minute walk without stopping (Before Guy street it’s mostly just restaurants. After St. Laurent it gets pretty nasty-dirty, so you might want to turn back).
Or you could just plunk yourself smack dab in the middle at McGill Metro (Eaton Centre Indoor City).
Sherbrooke (parallel with St.Catherine street) you will find many hotels, designer fashion stores, and expensive art.
The walk from St. Catherine Street to Sherbrooke Street you’ll find mostly nice restaurants.



Major malls downtown:

Place Alexis-Nihon - Atwater metro
Le Faubourg St. Catherine - Guy-Concordia Metro

Les Cours Mont Royal - Peel metro
Place Montreal Trust - Peel or McGill metro
The Eaton Centre - McGill metro
Complexe Les Ailes - McGill metro
Les Promenades Cathedrale - McGill metro
Place Ville Marie - McGill metro

Complexe Desjardins - Place-des-Arts metro


Major department stores downtown:

Olgilvy’s - Peel metro, on St. Catherine street
The Bay (f: La Baie) - McGill metro
Les Ailes de la Mode -McGill metro, Complexe Les Ailes
Simons -Peel metro, Carrefour L’Industrielle Alliance


THE UNDERGROUND CITY

Note: Recently announced: the Underground City will be extended to Old Montreal by 2007. (March 㢩)

Link:
www.tourisme-montreal.org/media_target/hottopics/en/html/148_en.asp?cookie_test=1

Inground City Map:
www.stcum.qc.ca/English/metro/mtl-sout.pdf

Largest underground pedestrian network in the world.
-33km (20.5 mi) of walkway
-155 street entrances
-10,000 parking spaces
-37 movie theatres
-10 metro stations
-3 colleges
-500,000 people pass through daily

No this is not a real city with cars and traffic lights nor is it made up to look outdoors with streetscapes. It is simply malls, offices, bus/train terminuses, and entertainment linked via hallways.
You can start your underground trip at any of the following metro stations - Peel, McGill, Lucien L'Allier, Bonaventure, Place des Arts and Place D'Armes. It has seven shopping centres all connected underground.

Malls accessible to underground city:
Les Cours Mont Royal - Peel metro
Place Montreal Trust - Peel or McGill metro
The Eaton Centre - McGill metro
Complexe Les Ailes - McGill metro
Les Promenades Cathedrale - McGill metro
Place Ville Marie - McGill metro
Complexe Desjardins - Place-des-Arts metro

It includes the Bell Centre, Windsor and Central train Stations (local and international terminus'), metro stations, McGill and UQAM Universities, a United church, three competing movie centres and Place des Arts, which is host to musical and dance productions.


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE UNDERGROUND CITY
Starting at Peel Metro ending at Place des Arts Metro:
Caution: Friends and family may argue while negotiating the tunnels. Being lost indoors gets to people, the lack of fresh air makes people crazy.

-Beautiful Les Cours Mont-RoyalEXTRA COOL - Peel metro- See: http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/activites/magasin_13_g.jpg

-Food at Carrefour L’Industrielle Alliance food court. Also check out cinema Paramount Famous Players upstairs. - Peel metro -

-Giant indoor fountain/Christmas tree in Place Montreal Trust (Christmas tree (dec-Jan only) EXTRA COOL) – Peel or McGill metros - See:
http://www.mjm.qc.ca/images/montrealtrustatrium_l.jpg

-Shopping in the Eaton Centre (largest downtown mall). - McGill metro -See interior picture: http://www.yoh.ca/images/mtl06.jpg
Also check out modern Complexe Les Ailes (new mall-2002), attached to the east wings of the Eaton Centre - McGill metro – See interior picture: http://www.psa.ca/Photos/QualiteSuperieure/Bureaux/Eaton Atrium et escaliers 4.jpg

After checking out the Complex Les Ailes, head back into the Eaton Centre to continue underground trip by going to the bottom floor food court.

-Food court in the Eaton Centre is also pretty cool. They just finished renovating it. It would appear to now be the largest food court in Montreal.

-Check out Place Ville Marie where the underground city all began. - McGill metro – See both images:
http://www.fineart.utoronto.ca/canarch/quebec/montreal/montreal.jpgs/23-28.jpg
http://www.elliptipar.com/newsuse/CoveDesign/PVM.jpg

- The award winning (for architectural design) food court at Central Station’s (f: Gare Centrale) called Les Halles de la Gare,. - Bonaventure metro – See:
http://www.tvtour.com/fr/montreal/restaurants/gare/index.html

-Central Station (f: Gare Centrale) for Amtrak, Via, AMT (local) trains. NOT the Central Bus Station (f: Station Centrale). - Bonaventure metro - See:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55348010@N00/64833941/

-The tranquil Centre de Commerce Mondial (e: World Trade Centre). Nice place to rest. EXTRA COOL. See (yes it’s indoor):
http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/tour/etape15/images/15_p02b.jpg
or

-The futuristic underground tunnel between Place Bonaventure and Palais des Congres (under Place de la Cite Internationale, Square Victoria, Centre CDP Capital, and Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle. See:
http://netjmc.typepad.com/photos/buildings_spaces/montrealmetro5.html
-Complexe Desjardins’ huge atrium with mesmerizing spewing fountain. Wait for it to blow 3 stories high. See (fountain is not spewing here): http://www.bestangeland.com/quebec/DSCF0806.jpg

From here, you can step outside and take a look at the Place des arts area or walk indoor again down to Place D’Armes metro and go either to Chinatown or Old Montreal (both not indoor). You should be exhausted by now with the stress of trying to find your way through the tunnel and hopefully you have made up with friends and family. The fresh air will feel good.

Note: If you plan to walk underground to any late night events from your hotel (i.e.: a hockey game at the Bell Centre), be careful. Certain paths, after events, are blocked for crowd control, you’ll windup walking outside without a jacket after the event.




RESTAURANTS

See: www.restaurant.ca

-Peel Pub: $ Popular spot to go before games or parties. Cheap beer, cheap food ($2 huge plate of spaghetti (tomato sauce) with purchase of any beverage (coffee/tea $1.39). Spaghetti with meat sauce: $2.99). Worth a visit. In the heart of downtown on St. Catherine and Peel - Peel metro

-Thai Express: $ Try their chicken fried rice with some plum sauce. Wouldn’t recommend anything else (haven’t tried). Underground from the Paramount Famous Players movie complex in the Carrefour L'Industrielle Alliance food court you'll find Thai Express (corner Metcalfe and St.Catherine) - Peel metro -

-St. Viateur Bagel and Cafe: $$ Try their "Le Plateau" bagel sandwich or just buy a bagel. A must in Montreal. World renowned, some say better than New York style Bagels.
514-276-8044 various locations See:
www.stviateurbagel.com (Nice website for a bagel!)


-Sere Picasso $$(not accessible by metro, but they deliver): Famous for its after-hours eating. A 24-hour restaurant that serves breakfast all the time (great for after 3am bar close time). 15 min drive west of downtown. St. Jacques West, just west of Cavendish, 484-2832.

Baton Rouge: $$$ Famous for their spare ribs. Damn Good. Across the street from Place des Arts – Place des Arts metro -

La Queue de la Cheval: $$$$ Famous for their steak. Opened in 1998 and is already touted as one of the best restaurants in Montreal. On Rene Levesque. - Lucien-L’Allier metro -

Smoked Meat Sandwiches:

-Ben's Restaurant: $$ Claims to have started the smoked meat sandwich phenomenon. They have a celebrity wall of fame. It is not the nicest place inside, with original yellow 40's 50's style decor. Some say that is what makes the place cool, others say it's gross looking. Unfortunately, Ben's is also a little pricey, where a simple S.M. sandwich, fries, and a drink will cost you $11.00. For an accurate but not encouraging description of the place. Corner de Maisonneuve and Metcalf - Metro Peel - see:
www.montrealfood.com/restos/bens.html

-Schwartz: $ You definitely get your money's worth here. The place is nice and small, I found the atmosphere to be great. Like "everybody knows your name". A bit out of the way (Ben's -see above- is in the main shopping district downtown)
See: www.schwartzsdeli.com

-Reuben's: I have not tried, but according to reports is definitely in contention for top spot (1116 Ste-Catherine W., 514-866-1029)



CLUBS
www.mtlclubs.com/

Best Hotel to stay at for partygoers: Chateau Royal Hotel Suites on Crescent Street

English clubs are between Guy and Metcalf, near St. Catherine.
French and bilingual locations are on St. Denis Street and St. Laurent Street.
For good barhopping stick to Crescent Street or Bishop Street i.e.: streets between Guy and Metcalf (easy walking distances) Clubs on St. Laurent are quite spread out and you may need to take a bus between them.
CAUTION: I am officially out of the loop (Aug.9th,2003) on good clubs to go to. To get the real scoop, E-mail me and I’ll ask someone else from your age and or culture group.



WEST ISLAND BOROUGHS AND CITIES
www.westisland.ca/

“West Island” refers to the western half of the island of Montreal (not to be confused with the ‘West End’ which refers to the central Montreal boroughs of NDG and Montreal-West). The West Island is where Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Airport, suburbanites, and McGill’s experimental farm are all situated.
Three Montreal borough names: Pierrefonds, Roxboro, St. Genevieve.
Eight Independent Cities: Senneville, Baie D'Urfe, St. Anne-de-Bellevue, Beaconsfield, Kirkland, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Dorval, Pointe-Claire.

Most of the English community resides here (I lived here in my adolescence). Half-hour drive west of downtown. Once a West Islander, always a West Islander. Home to thousands of "rich West Island Kids". This tag hardly represents the entire population, but it is commonly heard from those living outside of the West Island, perhaps by those who wish they lived there.
See: http://www.westisland.ca/

Starting from the west,
-Senneville's mansions and estates (Senneville Rd. on the west coast).
-John Abbott College and McGill’s MacDonald Campus
-Ste. Anne de Bellevue's lakeshore boardwalk (Sainte Anne rd next to Senneville). For some shops and pubs. A miniature version of Montreal's Old Port.
-Pointe Claire's Fairview shopping centre-largest in West Island (corner St. Jean Blvd. and HWY 40).
-Pointe Claire's Village (on the southern shore of the island). It is the old Pointe Claire, cute shops and pubs (corner Cartier Rd. and Lakeshore Rd.). A miniature version of Old Montreal. See: http://pointeclaire.ville.montreal.qc.ca/En/visitor/visitor.asp
By the way, Pointe Claire was rated #1 city to live in in Canada a few years back.

New Montreal Note: As of January 2002 Montreal was amalgamated with all the suburbs, to form the Mega City of Montreal, the whole island became the new City of Montreal. BUT on June 20th 2004, a new government promising to undo the forced merger of 2002 held a referendum for the citizens of the old cities -the result: 15 cities on the island demerged from Montreal. Eight of them are listed above on the list of independent cities in the West Island. All 8 have a large proportion of English speakers.



ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF MONTREAL

-Mont Tremblant for skiing. The largest ski resort in Eastern North America. One and a half hour drive north of Montreal. See: www.tremblant.com
Apparently there is much more to do here than just ski. Many of the top golf resorts in Canada are located here. Check out their seasonal activities (summer too): www.tremblantactivities.com/en/individuals/index.asp

-Granby Zoo and Amazoo. 800 animals. One hour southeast of Montreal in Granby. Receiving a 35 million dollar makeover this year (2004). The Amazoo is Granby Zoo’s Aquatic Park.
www.zoogranby.ca/

-Rideau Canal in the winter for free outdoor skating. This is the largest skating rink in the world (7.8km). Try the Beaver Tails, famous on the Canal. Not real beaver tails, but a tasty dessert -www.beavertailsinc.com
Two hours west of Montreal in the city of Ottawa, our nation’s capital.
www.canadascapital.gc.ca/skateway/index_e.asp

Parc Safari. 800 animals. Includes a Safari drive-thru where you can drive your car through some of the animal exhibits. 45 min. south of Montreal in Hemmingford, near the U.S. boarder.
http://www.parcsafari.com/index.html




CAUTION:

See safety precautions:
http://www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/en/home/personalsafety.php

See visitor/resident reviews on Montreal dangers:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/vt/dd4ad/8/

-If you are going to be walking alone at night McGill University offers a volunteer service whereby patrol teams (consisting of at least one female) accompany you on foot to your downtown destination. Operates from September to May- call “Walk Safe” at 514-398-2498. See:
http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/walksafe/

-While crime is extremely low for a city of our size, common sense should be used when walking alone at night. Montreal and its metro system are very well lit at night so that should not be a problem. Our metro system is one of the safest in the world. Muggings are a rarity but it can happen. South, between Angrignon and Lionel-Groulx on the green metro line can be scary. So if you are alone on your trip at night and this concerns you, just ride the first metro car. There are a couple Emergency phone booths on every platform.

-The homeless situation has been a common complaint among tourists. Most of our homeless are harmless, they sleep downtown with their hand open, or they quietly ask you for change. Many wait at the top of escalators in metro stations. Don’t treat them like their invisible, often times they’ll settle for a smile. However, if some homeless people try to swindle you, be wise. They will walk down the street talking friendly with you then ask you for money. They may be intimidating and pushy. Just say no and continue on your way. If they persist, run. One thing my cousin and I tried in Barbados was speaking to swindlers only in French, pretending not to understand their English; unfortunately, one guy spoke French back. Don’t try to trick a French homeless person with English; he’ll just switch to English.

-The number of strip clubs. St. Catherine Street has them advertised in plane view (none in Old Montreal), so you cannot escape them. You can see completely nude posters and huge neon billboards from the sidewalks (not hardcore images). Therefore, you might have to explain the birds and the bees to your kids before taking a walk downtown.

-The driving. Vehicles do not yield to pedestrians and pedestrians do not yield to vehicles. Quebec is renowned for our crazy drivers, I recently found out that we're actually supposed to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, I hear some tourists cross on them as if the traffic had a red light expecting cars to stop, but they just plow through. Unfortunately, such ignorance is what most drivers have or they just do not care. An American comedian called Montreal's traffic lights year round Christmas lights. Not signalling when making a lane change is common, as is weaving in and out of traffic.
Pedestrians will cross the street in front of you downtown even if you have a green light. You will have to stop or slow down so as to not hit them (or you could keep driving and hit them, it's up to you). Another complaint-too many one-way streets.

-Car theft is also an issue here. Montreal is the car-theft capital of Canada, so keep that in mind when leaving your car unlocked. Although we rank 1st in Canada, we only rank 31st when factoring in American cities (for those who care: 24,088 cars were stolen in Montreal in 2002, that's a rate of 7 cars per 1000 people).

Here's an excerpt from the Montreal Gazette:
"Most of their luggage, cash, credit cards and U.S. identification papers were in the van when it was swiped from an underground parking garage [at the Olympic Stadium].
'What an impression of our first visit to Montreal,' Piko said yesterday as she and the children, ages 5 to 15, camped out in the lobby of a downtown hotel."



-Also, for those who skipped it, prepare to get some cold reception from a few French-speaking people (by cold reception I mean frowns and a refusal to speak English - we are not talking a threat here!). They are just ignorant. SOME think all English speakers are Montrealers who refuse to leave their French nation of Quebec. These people are not dangerous in any way. One way to avoid a potentially awkward situation is to learn a few French words. Your effort might satisfy their frustrations. It is far too easy to aggravate these people and not very satisfying, so maybe just ignore them.

Note: If you are a French visitor, you may encounter the same with a few ignorant English-speaking people.

-AMT-commuter trains (see TRAVELING IN MONTREAL above):
Be VERY careful using the AMT train, it has an extremely confusing fare system based on zones and age/current education. Basically you buy your ticket at a machine then board the train. No one actually collects the tickets or verifies that you paid, so it's on an honour system. Here's the catch, they send security through the trains every once in a while and give out $100 fines to those who don't pay properly. I once bought a ticket from the machine for a trip but didn't realize I also had to get it stamped on another machine with the date/time. I boarded the train and got slapped with a $100 fine. I contested it in court some months later and had to pay $75 instead. My cousin also got nailed ($100) for buying a reduced fare student ticket (considering he has a student ID from the STM), but the AMT only allow this if you are 18 and under.
Here's the link for the AMT fares (don't understand French? Too bad! They make more money in fines when it's difficult to understand): http://www.amt.qc.ca/tc/train/tarifs/index.asp?ligne=1

-Weather Related:
WINTER/SPRING (February-June):Potholes.
Because there is no ring road enabling through-traffic to bypass the city, we have heavy trucks driving through the streets. They crush the roads, causing cracks to turn into small craters (can be as wide as a beach ball and as deep as a football) needless to say, driving a car's wheel into one of these can be quite costly (a bypass is currently under construction. It will be ready in a couple of years). When the pothole situation gets out of hand, there is usually a public outcry and the media eventually gets the city to commit to 48-hour straight pothole repair.
Also: BEWARE of slushy puddles in March, some drivers LOVE to get pedestrians. When I bought...I mean I knew a young driver who got a bunch of teenagers with a two metre (6 foot) high wave of slush with his new car... he was young and immature.

SUMMER (June-August):Heat.
Just cause it's Canada, don't think it doesn't get hot here. The temperatures can rise to as high as 35c/95F. With the humidity, the city can feel even hotter (humidex). This mugginess is awful if you’re not in an air-conditioned car or room.
Many times, there are smog alerts due to the muggy weather. The elderly and children are cautioned to stay indoors.

WINTER (December-March):Freeze.
roads are hazardous in the winter. Winter tires are necessary. Obviously adjust your driving based on the road conditions. Clear roads are not free of ice. Black Ice is common when the temperature is below -10c/14f. Black Ice is next to impossible to detect on the road/expressway and causes most accidents in the winter.
The city spreads salt on the roads in the winter (to melt the ice). However temperatures below -10c/14f, salt is ineffective. By the way, salt marks up leather boots and rusts cars. Just wash or rinse your boots and car off with water after your stay here.
As I write this part on Jan.21th 2003 10:30pm it is currently -28c/-18F, -48c/-54F with wind-chill (wind-chill is the influence wind has on our skin). Today's Montreal Gazette newspaper headline- FORECAST: COLD AS HELL! (Hell’s not generally known as being cold, but anyways…)
With wind-chill, a person can get frostbite within minutes here. Frostbite is the freezing of the human flesh. As your frostbitten flesh thaws, boy does it get painful! Serious frostbite (exposed for hours) kills flesh, which eventually must be amputated (ears, toes, fingers). Suggestions: a good hat and scarf, keep your hands in your pockets (gloves are useless, eventually the cold eats through to the fingers. Mittens are better, but snow or wind can creep through the wrists).
Please don't expect to lose limbs to the cold while here. I've never met anyone who's lost fingers or ears to the cold; that only happens if you get lost taking a hike. A good indication that mild frostbite is occuring is missing feeling in your extremities. Just go inside and warm up. (Don't run your frostbitten fingers under hot water, you'll cause more damage than good; gradually warm up).

Potholes (see WINTER/SPRING above) can also be an issue in the winter as the temperature fluctuates from freeze to thaw and back to freeze. They can be hidden by snow-covered streets.

AUTUMN (August-December): Leaves
Watch for falling leaves. If one falls on your face, it can temporarily block your vision. If this happens to you, stop, remove the leaf, and then continue on your way.

Still wanna visit?

See current temperature: www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/pages/caqc0363.htm

See the ultimate conversion calculator (includes "feels like" calculator for wind-chill and humidex):
www.theweathernetwork.com/inter/tools/conversion/

See average Montreal climate: www.worldclimate.com/worldclimate/cgi-bin/grid.pl?gr=N45W073


A recent editorial cartoon depicted the homeless taking shelter in the potholes. The caption: “The mayor kills two birds with one stone”


HOW TO IRRITATE AN ENGLISH MONTREALER

-Make fun of Canada (applies only to Americans)
-Make fun of hockey
-Openly complain about how you should be served in English
-Boast about your city (applies only to Torontonians)



HOW TO IRRITATE A FRENCH MONTREALER

-Make fun of Quebec
-Make fun of Celine Dion
-Make fun of Hockey
-Make fun of their language
-Openly complain about how you should be served in English
-Boast about Canada.


THINGS THAT ODDLY ENOUGH DON'T IRRITATE MONTREALERS

-make fun of our driving (we're proud of that)
-make fun of our road conditions (we know they suck)
-proclaim how your city has more beautiful women (impossible)
-complain about the cold winters (alright, alright)
-Make fun of Canada (except Americans)
-Boast about your city (except Torontonians)



WHAT DO I NOT LIKE ABOUT MONTREAL?

-Political turmoil (surrounding language)
-Big nude posters/flashy strip club signs
-Visiting Leafs fans (Bruin fans are tolerable)
-The AMT fare system
-Crumbling road conditions
-Discrimination against English
-Discrimination against French
-Lack of wheelchair accessibility
-Muggy summer days



WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT MONTREAL?

-Mount Royal
-St. Lawrence River
-Architecture
-It’s an island
-Montreal Canadiens hockey
-Westmount
-Old Montreal’s cobblestoned streets
-Festivals
-French culture
-Irish culture
-Weather
-Smell of spring air
-No natural disasters
-Proximity to Ottawa/Quebec City/U.S.
-McGill University
-St.Catherine Street
-Public Transit




A COUPLE TIPS:

SUMMER: have sunscreen on hand. Baseball caps, sunhats, sandals/flip/flops, light clothes. Jeans in the summer can be torturous. If staying in a non air-conditioned hotel, try to bring a fan. You may be saying to yourself, “I’m from L.A. or Miami, how bad could it be?” well damn muggy. We don’t have a cool breeze coming off an ocean or a nice wind blowing through the city like Chicago. The air just sits here and gets attacked by the humidity.

WINTER: don’t go out and buy expensive winter clothes for your visit to Montreal. A beautiful fur coat is pointless when the wind makes its way through the sleeves and down the collar.
A simple, warm, zip-up coat would suffice. A button up flap over the zipper is a bonus, as is a big hood. Avoid tight collars, this impedes the scarf or neck tube’s ability to do its job properly without choking you.
Suggestion: Ski Jacket made by "Point-Zero". Pricey but does the trick. Point-Zero is a Montreal company, so they know how to tackle Montreal weather(no I do not have an invested interest in this company, but I did buy one of their ski Jackets).
A wide scarf (just under a foot), or a neck tube, this allows you to cover your neck and mouth (grandma’s wool scarf may not do the trick it has to be very tightly knitted). Remember, when dealing with the winter, your primary enemy is the wind creeping its way into and through your clothes. A thick winter hat (toque) that covers the ears is ideal and a hooded winter coat is a plus. Good pockets are extremely important. I rarely use gloves or mittens. Thick socks in tight boots are a disaster. Jeans and boxer shorts could be tough on the junk, wear boxer briefs or tighty-whities. The jeans may do well against the wind but the pant legs can freeze if snow gets on them and freeze right to your legs; however, I do wear jeans in the winter all the time.
Try using a neck tube, no, they don’t all look feminine, It can be pulled up so it covers your nose and ears. If you don’t have a neck tube, cut the top off of an old toque and voila! A neck tube.



FRENCH ROAD SIGNS:

Voie/Lane; Droite/Right; Gauche/Left (Voie Gauche/Left Lane); Prochaine/Next; Sortie/Exit; Entree/Entrance; Defence/Not Allowed; Interdit/Not Allowed; Stationement/Parking; Vers/Towards; Centre-ville/Downtown; Pietons/Pedestrians; Camions/Trucks; Lentement/Slow; Ecole/School; Paye Ici/ Pay Here; Feu/Light; Rouge/Red; Vert/Green; Ralentir/Slow down


FRENCH SHOPPING SIGNS:

A Louer/For Rent; A Vendre/For Sale; Vente!/On Sale!; Vendre/ On Sale; Vendu/Sold; Vente de Garage/Garage Sale; Rebais/Discount; Reduit/Reduced; Couper/Cut; Prix/Price; Economiser/Save; Epargner/Save; Argent/Money; Depanneur/Convenience Store(Tabacco, junkfood, beer); Tabagie/Convenience Store in the Metro; Marche au Puce/Flea Market; Cuire/Leather; Soulier/Shoes; SAQ/Hard Liquor Store; Caisse/Cashier Desk; Ascenseur/Elevator; Escalier/Stairs; Femmes/Women; Hommes/Mens; Enfants/Children; Grandeur/size; Taille/Size; Petite/Small; Grande/Large;



METRO STOP PRONUNCIATIONS: (only those requiring)

Orange Line:

De-la-Savane (p: de-la-savan)

Plamondon (p: the “N’s” are pronounced like the N in Baton Rouge)

Snowdon (p: snowden)

Lionel Groulx (p: lee-O-nell grew. NOT lie-O-nell)

Georges-Vanier (p: the “s” is silent. Van-E-A)

Lucien L’Allier (p: lucy-A lally-A. That looks funny)

Bonaventure (p:bon-(adventure without the d))

Place D’Armes (p: plass-darm)

Champ-de-Mars (p:shomp-de-marss. Mars not like marz the planet. But like the “s” in mass)

Berri-UQAM (p: berry-U-kam) The UQAM stands for Universite de Quebec a Montreal. People just say Berri-UQAM for the metro or just Berri metro.

Rosemont (p:the “t” is silent, the “n” is pronounced like Plamondon (see above))

Beabien (p: bo-B-A.)

Sauve (p: So-vay)

More metro lines to come:


RECENT NEWS:


-CANADA'S CONSERVATIVE PARTY HAS JUST WON THE MOST RECENT FEDERAL ELECTIONS. THEY WON A SLIM MINORITY; THAT MEANS THEY CAN BE OVERTHROWN EASILY IF THEY TRY TO PASS CONTROVERSIAL ITEMS (LIKE THE LAST LIBERAL GOVERNMENT).

-CANADA'S PRIME MINISTER ELECT DIDN'T WAIT LONG TO MINCE WORDS WITH THE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. AFTER THE AMBASSADOR COMMENTED ON THE U.S. POSITION ON THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE IN THE ARCTIC, PRIME MINISTER HARPER STATED "WE [CANADIAN GOV] GET OUR MANDATE FROM THE CANADIAN PEOPLE, NOT THE U.S. AMBASSADOR". MANY LEADING UP TO THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT WIN HAD SPECULATED TIES TO THE U.S. WOULD IMPROVE. THESE RECENT COMMENTS HAVE QUESTIONED SUCH SPECULATION.
(Canada claims sovereignty over all the land north to the Arctic. Russia, Denmark and the U.S. claim it is international waters. Harper has promised to beef up Canadian military presence in the arctic)

-ACCORDING TO THE CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA, MONTREAL IS NOW ONE OF THE TOP PERFORMING CITIES IN CANADA. EMPLOYMENT IS UP(April 2004), MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION SECTORS ARE DRIVING GROWTH THIS YEAR. HOUSING STARTS (house/condo construction) ARE FORCASTED TO REACH THEIR HIGHEST LEVELS SINCE 1988. MONTREAL'S GDP IS PROJECTED TO GROW AT 3% ANNUALLY UNTIL 2008.
-(April 2005) STRONG DOMESTIC GROWTH IS EXPECTED TO PROPEL ACTIVITY IN MONTREAL'S SERVICE-SECTOR(tourism). MONTREAL'S GDP GROWTH WENT FROM 1.2% IN 2004 TO 2.9% IN 2005 (but only sixth in Canada). EMPLOYMENT GROWTH A "SOLID" 1.5% IN 2005.
-CALGARY (b/c of oil) CONTINUES TO BE THE FASTEST GROWING CITY.

Current major construction projects (May. '05):
-Canada’s largest roller coaster at La Ronde.
-Three metro station extensions into City of Laval from metro Henri-Bourassa (Island north of Montreal)
-new 10,000 seat soccer stadium next to the bikerdyke pier at the old port.


MEDIA:


Newspapers:
English Newspapers-
-The Montreal Gazette: Montreal’s local Newspaper www.montrealgazette.com
The only local English daily newspaper in Montreal.

-The National: Canada’s National Newspaper www.nationalpost.com
Based in Toronto.
-The Globe and Mail: Canada’s National Newspaper www.theglobeandmail.com
Based in Toronto.


French Newspapers use Google to translate websites- http://www.google.ca/language_tools?hl=en
-La Presse: Montreal’s French Canadian Newspaper www.lapresse.com
Good local and national coverage.
-Le Journal de Montreal: Montreal’s Quebecois Newspaper www2.canoe.com
Focus on Quebec and highlights news that promotes sovereignty

For your local newspaper
You can purchase international newspapers at “La Maison de la Presse”. It is a magazine/newspaper store with outlets throughout Montreal (Peel/St. Catherine or McGill College/St. Catherine). Has The Boston Globe, New York Post, London Times, Advertiser, etc…
You can also check out your local paper online here: http://www.world-newspapers.com/



Television:
English Local T.V. Stations in Montreal-
CBC: ch 6 (cable 13) www.cbc.ca/television/
CTV: ch 12(cable 11) http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/tvlist/CFCFtvlist.html
Global:ch 11(cable 03) http://www.canada.com/globaltv/quebec/tvlistings.html
CH Montreal:ch 62(cable 14)Multi-ethnic/language Community television. Varied programming based on ethnic communities. See link for schedule:
http://www.canada.com/chtv/montreal/index.html

American feeds-
ABC VT: ch 22(cable22)www.abc22.com
CBS VT: ch 3 (cable 21)www.wcax.com
NBC NY: ch 5 (cable 23)www.thechamplainchannel.com
FOX NY: ch 42(cable 46)www.fox.com/schedule/
PBS NY: ch 57(cable 24)www.mountainlake.org/mlpb.htm


Radio:
English RADIO Stations in Montreal-
FM Radio:
(88.5) CBC Radio OneLocal Talk/Discussion/News: www.cbc.ca/radioone/
(90.3) CKUT Radio McGill University Radio. So popular among students in Montreal, I figured I should add it. Programming is varied. To find out show times see:
www.ckut.ca/welcome.php
(92.5) popular Q 92 “Lite Rock”: www.q92fm.com
(93.5) CBC Radio Two Commercial-free concerts, recordings, and local info: www.cbc.ca/radiotwo/.
(95.9) popular Mix 96 “Today’s Best Music”: www.themix.com
(96.5): Wild Country 96.5 “Nobody plays more country”: www.country965.com
(97.7) popular Chom 97.7 FM“The Spirit of Rock”: www.chom.com
(103.7) K 103 “The Monster on the Seaway”, local Aboriginal station. Has Rap/R&B (not aboriginal) after 5PM weekdays


AM Radio:
(940) 940 News “Your news. Your views” www.940news.com
(990) The Team 990 “Montreal’s sports authority”- partnered with ESPN: www.team990.com
(800) CJAD 800 News talk Radio: www.cjad.com


Ottawa feed (FM):
106.9 The Bear (106.9) “Ottawa’s Best Rock Mix”: www.thebear.fm

American Feeds (FM):
(92.9) Star 92.9 Burlington, Vermont- “The at Work Station”: www.STAR929.com
(96.7) Yes FM Ogdensburg, New York- “Continuous hit music”: www.yesfm.com
(101.3) Champ 101.3 Essex, New York- “The Greatest Classic Rock on the PlaneT”: www.CHAMP1013.com
(105.1) Cool FM Plattsburgh, New York- “good times, Great Oldies”: www.WKOL.com




MAPS:

MAP NOTE:
The island of Montreal is shaped in a peculiar way, like a foot. However, rather than depicting the island like an upright foot, many maps "tilt" the island so the island makes a V with the heel facing the bottom of the page. This helps in the district names (makes them more true), but can cause confusion when following the cardinal points (north, south, east, west). The "East-End" is actually more north than anything. According to Montrealers, Sherbrooke and St. Catherine Streets run east to west; whereas according to your cardinal points, they are running northeast to southwest. Downtown is considered south of Mount Royal. The St. Lawrence River is considered running west to east. Mount Royal is the central point of reference for Montrealers. On a map, anything to the left of the mountain is west; anything to the right is east. Behind is north. In front is downtown.

Anyways, grab a map and check out the place names. They won't make sense unless you tilt your map to the right (nord, sud, est, ouest). Just keep this in mind when you're asking someone for directions.



For THE best map of Montreal, go to any metro transit booth when you arrive and ask the person in the booth for the island map (f: le Plan du Reseau). . This beautiful map has ALL the bus routes, ALL the train routes, ALL the metro lines, and ALL roads on the island plus an enlarged inset of downtown. AND IT'S FREE!!! The metro guy will slip it through the money slot and you will walk away feeling as if you stole it or won a fantastic prize. To ask in French say "avez-vous le Plan du Reseau?” (p: avez pronounced like Ave in song “Ave Maria”. Vous is pronounced like vu. Reseau is pronounced Razoe, "a" like razor).
The transit corporation is called the STM (Societe du Transport de Montreal).

THE BEST MAPS:

Island map, as described above - pdf format, HUGE file with every street and public transit listing:
http://www.stm.info/English/info/reseau2005.pdf
Downtown map (Underground City is not updated) - pdf format:
http://www.stm.info/English/info/centre-ville2005.pdf
Underground City map (2004 updated version) – pdf format:
http://www.stm.info/English/metro/mtl-sout.pdf
Metro map - interactive (links to station’s neighborhood maps showing hotels):
http://www.stm.info/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm

Parent link for the above maps plus other great maps:
http://www.stm.info/English/info/a-plans.htm

OTHER MAPS

-Nice to look at. Fun to use. Zoom in to North America’s Montreal from map to map.
See:
www.tourisme-montreal.org/services/maps/MtlNorthAmerica.asp?SectionName=B2C

- Great resource! Zoom into any city in the province of Quebec. Great highway maps.(PDF formats)
See:
www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/en/information/carte_routiere/index.asp

If you want more info, E mail me, btrayn1@po-box.mcgill.ca
I'd be happy to help you out with anything!

BEST VIEWS (all Free)

Driving
-Champlain Bridge on HWY 10: entering the island by car you’ll see the city skyline with the Old port and Old Montreal in the foreground and the mountain as the backdrop.
-Jacques Cartier Bridge is nice too.

(Coming from the west (Ottawa, Toronto) scenery is not all that appealing; lots of duplexes and companies).

Walking
-The Chalet lookout from Mount Royal (f:observatoire). Peel metro, walk up mountain (via Peel Street)
-The Old Clock Tower at the old port (f: horlorge)(p: “h” is silent. “g” sounds like the French j in “Je”).
-The hill on Ile-Ste-Helene facing the Montreal Skyline. Perfect for a picnic, nearly deserted. Metro Jean Drapeau. Wander down one of the paths-it’s hard to explain.


LINKS:

-Montreal Transit Corporation. "Tous Azimuts" allows you to calculate your trip to the second from one Montreal location to the other, giving you a step-by-step description of what buses, trains and/or metros to take. Great maps too.
www.stm.info

-Cinema Montreal. Massive database of every movie currently playing and where, two search options, by movie or by theatres. If you need help with the best theatre near your hotel, Email me. Part of my job requires me to see a movie at least once a week so I can help you. Do not go to a crappy theatre cause its close!
www.cinemamontreal.com

-Our local News to the minute on line. Or while there click "The Gazette" banner to view our local newspaper for free online.
www.canada.com/montreal

-Our national news to the minute online.
www.cbc.ca

-Our national news online.
www.ctv.ca

-Our weather
www.theweathernetwork.com

-How to travel to Montreal (plane, train, bus, automobile or boat)
www.toutmontreal.com/english/eguide/general/howtoget.html


I updated this last on January 1st, 2006

My email address: btrayn1@po-box.mcgill.ca

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Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug