So much has happened! We took a weekend trip to Montreal, I had my 28th birthday, and my boyfriend Andy and I finally secured a new apartment! It's been a whirlwind and it doesn't stop there, this past weekend we were in Maine for a wedding, the following weekend we'll be going to see Ed Sheeran, and then the following weekend we'll be moving into the new place!
But anyway, back to the task at hand, I wanted to write about our short Montreal trip! Montreal is the perfect weekend trip for anyone in the tri-state area. It is about a 6 hour drive (or 2 hour flight, if you can spare the couple hundred bucks!) You are also able to check the wait-time at border control online here. I actually found it to be a pretty pleasant drive, as you're mostly driving through upstate New York which is very mountain-y and picturesque. Montreal is identical to a European town, very clean, and the people are very friendly and welcoming.
We stayed in a really beautiful modern studio apartment in the "Le Plateau" area of Montreal. We were close to a ton of eateries within walking distance, as well as a grocery store and other shopping. (Although all of their stores close at like 7PM for some reason, which I found difficult...)
I'll be sharing my favorite things we did as sort of a highlight reel for you.
1. Chez Victoire
This was the first place we went to eat after we arrived in Montreal. I actually found it via Yelp and we chose it based purely on it's proximity to the Airbnb, as we were pretty tired from driving in and waiting about an hour at border patrol. However, Andy and I both agree, this was the BEST place we ate in Montreal. They had absolutely delicious and innovative French cuisine in a beautiful, modern environment. My favorite part of the meal was marinated mussels. It was unlike anything I would have expected. The mussels were served chilled. I recommend going to Montreal for these mussels alone! For our mains I had salmon with sea snails and steamed vegetables in a creamy sauce and Andy had a steak with French Fries and a salad.
2. Parc du Mont Royal
Hands down the best panoramic view of Montreal from above! There's a reason why it comes up on every "must do" list for Montreal. However, please be smarter than us and have an Uber driver drop you off at the TOP, unless of course you're planning to walk/run up there for exercising purposes. :) I wore a cute outfit and was sweating bullets by the time we got to the top! Thankfully I was able to cool down and dry off enough for some pictures. There's a lovely little cafe up at the top where you can get coffee and pastries as well. So many amazing photo opportunities here!
3. Montreal Botanical Gardens
This place is truly amazing. The gardens are so big and kept so beautifully, with many different sections; Chinese, Japanese, a children's area, a cafe/eating area and they were actually going to be having a concert the day we were there as well. We were there on the perfect day as well, it was warm and sunny, so it made for some great photos. There is also an insectarium and planetarium there as well, but we did not have the time to check those out. Another bonus is that the 1976 Olympic Park and Tower's Observatory are located across the street! You can buy tickets for these at the gardens and then simply walk over and take a look at everything. The observatory view was really extraordinary.
4. St-Viateur Bagel
As someone who has had amazing NJ and NY bagels, I can confidently determine these are the best bagels on the planet. They were so good that we went here the day before we were leaving, and then I went again and got to-go bagels before we left for our journey home! I daydream about these bagels in my spare time. The cool thing about this place is that it's open 24/7. They do only accept cash though, so make sure you get some Canadian cash before you visit this place! However, I have to say they were kind enough to let Andy go run to an ATM to get some money and come back to pay. I stayed as collateral. Haha!
5. Old Port/La Grande Roue De Montreal
I think this area was Andy and I's favorite, we spent basically two days here. It's right on the water and there's a beautiful little area with cafes and the La Grand Roue De Montreal, which is basically a little enclosed ferris wheel that takes you up so you're overlooking the water. There's a line of food trucks and boardwalk style street-shops as well which was fun to walk up and down. They also offered some cool obstacle-type courses and a zip line! Neither of which we were prepared to do...but would be fun for people far more adventurous than us. Haha.
That concludes my Montreal highlights, we visited a few other eateries, ice cream, etc, but these were the best places we visited that I felt were worth sharing with the blogosphere! I hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for future posts about moving and tiny apartment decor. I've got some ideas brewing!
xoLiz
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