Bonjour / hello, friends! We returned from a long weekend trip to Montreal on Monday and I’ve really got to hand it to Canada again; the country’s just been a wonderful place to visit every time we’ve gone. We have enjoyed every trip up to our neighbor to the north and will definitely be heading back sometime soon for another little adventure that we’ve got planned.
Our drive from New Jersey to Montreal took just under seven hours, not counting a stop to refill on gas and eat some dinner that we brought along from home (Anybody else find PB&J sandwiches to be a great road trip treat?).
As we approached Samuel De Champlain bridge, the blue glow from the bridge’s up-lighting guided us across the St. Lawrence River and into the sparkling city. We navigated some road work to reach our Airbnb which was situated in a duplex on the edge of downtown, nestled in between Chinatown and Old Montreal. Our travel companions for this trip, Mike’s brother and sister, had arrived a few hours before us and so we called them and asked them to open the front door as we unloaded our stuff from the car. Somehow, though we know how to travel light for flights, car travel is a different story. We (I) have a tendency to look like we’re (I’m) moving. I know I’m not alone in this practice, so I feel no shame in it.
After moving in, we went off in search of parking as our Airbnb only came with one included parking space, which I told Mike’s sister to take. While researching for our trip, I did a Reddit deep dive on parking safety in Montreal and was surprised to find that car theft seems to be a significant cause for concern in certain sections of the city. Per the Reddit angels’ advice, we opted to park in an Indigo underground parking garage a few blocks away from our Airbnb, where we wouldn’t have to move or worry about our car. It came at a steeper price tag than I had hoped, $38 CAD/day, but peace of mind is worth a lot to me, especially while travelling. Besides, that price is actually much cheaper than what you’d pay for surveilled parking in New York.
We climbed the widely-spaced wooden steps up to the front door of the apartment and I imagined what doing so would be like in the snow and ice, thinking it could only be treacherous. Inside, the Airbnb was bright, clean, and inviting. We got settled in and went to sleep, tired from the long drive and eager to be ready for an early start the next morning.
Day 1: Mile End & Mount Royal Park
My plan for our first full day in Montreal was to sample Montreal’s staple culinary offerings: bagels, smoked meat sandwiches, and poutine. The rest of the group got on board with this plan and we headed off toward the Mile End neighborhood to get started.
The walk to Mile End from the Chinatown area was long, but it was fun to get a better feel for the city by taking it slow. There’s no better way to do that in my opinion than by walking. Our walk to Mile End took us past Chinatown and through Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. We strolled St. Laurent Boulevard, taking in what I thought of as “urban cozy”. St. Laurent Boulevard was reminiscent of South 2nd Street in Philly and Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles for me. I am always fascinated to find a sense of familiarity in a place that is entirely new to me.
Montreal’s artistic identity shone through in large, colorful murals that adorned the sides of buildings along our route. The art had life to it, a funk and swagger that would have fit right in in Asheville, NC. I’m smiling thinking about it. Montreal had an undeniable personality, like any city worth its salt does.
According to this Youtube video that I watched in my research for this trip, “When it comes to bagels in Montreal, there’s actually two institutions. There’s not three. There’s not one. There’s two… There’s Fairmount Street with Fairmount Bagel and there’s St. Viateur Street with St. Viateur Bagel. Which one is better? That’s a pretty heated debate.”
Having lived in Brooklyn, I am no stranger to good bagels. New York bagels are boiled and baked, similar to Montreal-style bagels, but New York bagels are larger-than-life bread monstrosities, whereas Montreal bagels are not. In my opinion, a good New York bagel is approximately the size of your face with a bad bee sting reaction and has a slightly crispy outer crust with a fluffy, doughy inside that has a little stretch to it when eaten fresh out of the oven. New York bagels lean neither sweet nor savory. Montreal bagels are different. I will not partake in the debate of whether New York or Montreal bagels are better, because for me, they are too different to compare in that regard and both hold their own ground, so to speak, in their own ways.
Montreal bagels are smaller, more manageable sized bread rings than the New York variety. They are boiled and baked, not in just any old oven, but in a wood oven. The traditional style comes coated with sesame seeds, which adds both texture and flavor to the finished product. To my palate, Montreal bagels are slightly sweeter than New York bagels. They still have that crispy outer crust which acts as a great partner to the doughy inside without being overwhelmed by it.
We tried Fairmount Bagel and then St. Viateur bagel. I had read that Fairmount Bagel’s bagels were on the more dense side and I was expecting to prefer St. Viateur’s bagels. I was surprised to find that I actually preferred the Fairmount bagel, noting a slightly more pronounced sweetness in them than in the St. Viateur bagel. Don’t get me wrong, both were delicious and worth trying. If you find yourself in Montreal, get both and be sure to bring some cash along with you for these two cash-only establishments.
In want of somewhere to sit down after our long walk to Mile-End, we strolled through a residential neighborhood that reminded me of a mixture of South Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Savannah, GA, towards Parc Outremont. The park was a pretty oasis tucked into the sprawl of the city and had public restrooms and a plethora of benches overlooking a serene pond. We spent a good little chunk of time there, resting our legs and feet to prepare ourselves for even more walking for the next step in our day’s adventure.
We picked up some light picnic fare on our way over to Mount Royal Park and began the climb up to the Mount Royal Chalet and Kondiaronk Belvedere, which promised excellent views of the city. We wound through the pretty woods of the Olmsted Trail on our way to the “Grand Staircase”. In French, “grand” means big and trust me, this staircase was “grand” indeed. We climbed and climbed and climbed and reached the top of the stairs and climbed some more until Olmsted Trail led us out onto the terrace of the Chalet.
We enjoyed our little picnic in the shelter of the Chalet. Inside, the Chalet had a rustic, lodge feel to it, with many heaters bordering the walls and a large fireplace in the center of the back wall. I imagine it would be a very cozy respite from the cold for outdoor enthusiasts and visitors in winter. The Chalet also has convenience amenities like a café and public restrooms and water fountains, located downstairs. After our little picnic, we headed out onto the terrace to check out the view.
Whenever we visit somewhere, I like to look up places to take in the view of the city. For Montreal, the Chalet at Mount Royal was said to be one of the best viewing opportunities and I can see why now. Obstructed only by a few high-reaching branches and other spectators, the view of the city is excellent and expansive.
View acquired and tired as hell, we made our way back down the grand staircase and through Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and downtown, deciding to delay the next two stops on our barely-begun food tour until dinner. We passed by Schwartz’s Deli along the way and even got in line, thinking we might order a smoked meat sandwich to go, but we abandoned that idea pretty quickly after assessing the length of the line, ready to be off our feet.
Later in the evening, we ordered a Schwartz’s smoked meat combo that came with rye bread, pickles, and slaw to make our own smoked meat sandwiches and had it delivered to our Airbnb, along with some poutine from Frite Alors! The smoked meat from Schwartz’s reminded me of the “mile-high” pastrami sandwiches from Katz’s Delicatessen in New York. The meat had a salty tang and peppery crust and just melted in your mouth with each bite. So good! From Frite Alors! we ordered a regular poutine as well as “La Tunisienne” which had lamb merguez and onions in addition to the regular fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Both were excellent. With full bellies, our self-guided Montreal food tour for the day was complete.
Day 2: Old Montreal
Okay; I’m ready to go back to Old Montreal already! Old Montreal was like a smaller version of Old Quebec, in my opinion. The charming stone facades of the old buildings, some dating as far back as the 17th century, were dotted with storefronts, shop windows, and restaurants that curated a very inviting atmosphere for tourists like us. While it’s probably not the place to go to get the most local experience, we were not locals, and we shamelessly enjoyed the experience of strolling Rue Saint-Paul.
After perusing the cozy street’s offerings and visiting the plaza outside Notre-Dame Basilica, we were ready for some brunch. We opted to go to Maggie Oakes and sat outside, taking in the lively ambiance and live music of Place Jacques Cartier. I ordered a traditional breakfast platter of scrambled eggs, ham, potatoes, and toast and a Boréale Blonde to go with it. The food was delicious and the beer took me back to memories of sitting at the bar at Q-de-Sac Resto de quartier in Old Quebec.
We headed back to our Airbnb, stopping to admire the impressive City Hall building on our way. After a nice, generous break to play some boardgames and take advantage of some much needed down-time after the previous day’s walking extravaganza, we headed back out for dinner at Jacopo, off of Place Jacques Cartier.
Inside, the restaurant was cozy and dark with exposed stonework and low lighting. The Italian menu had something to please everyone in our group and even made for some tough decisions when it came to deciding what to order. I opted for the Ragù a l’Agnello which was a dish with fresh pappardelle, braised lamb, and a flavorful tomato based butter sauce. Anybody else hungry?
After dinner, we brought our leftovers to the Airbnb and headed right back out to see Rue Saint Paul at night and seek out some dessert. A street performer danced to Volare in Place Jacques Cartier as we made our way down the gentle incline, beckoned by the glow of the lanterns affixed to the stone walls of the buildings flanking the street.
We walked past the shops and around the corner to Café Olimpico where we bought a Nutella horn, pistachio chocolat, and some pistachio gelato to share and devoured them immediately in the street, to our tastebuds’ content. We strolled a little more along the glowing Rue Saint Paul and past a statue of three gossipers tucked away in a corner, before heading back to our Airbnb to call it a night.
While we didn’t get to wandering around McGill University’s picturesque campus or the Olympic Stadium on this trip, I think we did just enough to get a taste of the city without trying to pack too much in to our short visit there. I imagine we’ll be back someday and can work around those unseen things then, but in the meantime, the travel bug in me is satisfied.
On our way home, I pumped gas for the very first time (New Jersey is currently the only US state where it is illegal for drivers to pump their own gas) and we stopped in Saratoga Springs, NY for some lunch and a brew at Druthers Brewing before perusing my favorite bookstore, Northshire Books, to stock up on some cards for upcoming birthdays and weddings. With our little Saratoga excursion and my new skill acquired, our trip felt complete, and we continued on home with fresh memories of Montreal in our heads and future travel plans and new experiences on the horizon, awaiting us.
cozy does it 