^TM

North America with a French Accent

by Howard and Madelyn Miller

The world's second largest French-speaking city, Montreal, is like no other on this continent. A cosmopolitan center, it owes its unique flavor to an original bouillabaisse of Amerindian, French and British traditions spiced with the customs and styles of all the Montrealers who came later.

Today, Montreal's charm lies not just in its romantic past, but also in a unique me large of artistic and cultural offerings, urban life and natural environment.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

A great way to get to know and understand Montreal is to start in Vieux-Montreal. I stayed at a charming bed and breakfast, Les Passants du Sans-Soucy. (171 rue St. Paul Ouest 514-842-2634) Each morning, owner Daniel Soucy makes marvelous omelettes with your choice of herbs and cheeses. Guests lucky enough to snare one of their nine cozy rooms wander down for breakfast at the long wooden dining table and share tips and tales of their visit to Montreal while enjoying a marvelous breakfast.

To get an overview of Montreal's colorful past, visit Pointe-a-Calliere in Old Montreal. At the site where the first colonists landed, a strikingly modern archeological museum has been built over a 17th century crypt and 19th century foundations. You can walk over Plexiglass floors that let you peer down into representations of layers of history. Costumed docents add to the air of authenticity. While its treasured artifacts bring New France back to life, Montreal's polyglot heritage is well-represented at some 19 additional museums. Don't miss the McCord Museum of Canadian History which chronicles the lifestyles of both early aborigine peoples and 19th century tycoon inhabiting Montreal's "Golden Square Mile." The decorative Art Museum is the only North American museum to feature exclusively international design from 1935 to the present.

CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS

You can barely walk a block without coming across an art gallery, museum, monument statue or street artist immortalizing the Montreal scene. Art abounds, from galleries in the stylish Sherbrooke Street area with the daring new addition to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, to the audaciously avant-garde Musee d'art Contemporain.

The Canadian Centre for Architecture houses the world's only combined architectural study centre and museum in the elegantly restored Shaughnessy House with sleek modern wings. It is a fitting combination of art and architecture in a city famous for both.

For concerts and performances, check the schedule of the Place des Artes and catch the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Les Grands Ballets Canadians and the Opera de Montreal.

SHOPPING

A world fashion capital, Montreal is a shopper's dream at bargain prices. A favorable exchange rate on the Canadian dollar has made city boutiques and department stores even more attractive. Plus, Montreal has more outlets than any other

Canadian city. I more than paid for my trip during one stop at The Bay Fashion Liquidation Centre. (9100 boulevard Cauendish, St. Lauent corner: Trans Canada Highway 343-4848 Photo available) I found thick cotton sweaters that were originally $40 that had further color-coded discounts off the store's lowest sale price. And when you figure the price after the exchange price, they cost less than $7 each.

By following Sandra Phillips Smart Shopping Montreal, I was able to find discount shopping malls and factory shopping buildings. The concept of factory shopping is completely different in Montreal than in the United States or even Ontario.

In the past, one had to "know" someone to get into a factory, usually on Saturday morning. But now "open to the public" is very much on the upswing with some factory buildings busier on Saturday mornings than the regular malls. These factory showrooms, mostly located in the Chabanel area, are really only supposed to be selling off their samples, but nowadays you will find exactly the same first quality merchandise as in any store or boutique in town.

In the center of town, the underground city stretches over 18 miles of shop-linking major office towers, hotels, department stores, restaurants and cafes, subway stations and even rail and bus terminals. In fact, it is possible to live in the city below without even having to face winter blizzards or summer heat waves.

However, dedicated diners might want to emerge to sample one of the thousands of restaurants that have made Montreal a culinary capital on a par with European cities. Whether you're a gourmet or gourmand, there is a choice of cuisine from 75 countries in a variety of settings -- from grand hotel dining room to cozy cafe.

DINING

My first meal in Montreal was at Chez la Mere Berteau (1237 Rue Champlain 514-524-9344), a cozy bistro that is one of those "discoveries" that you proudly tell friends about. Madam Berteau is the wizard in the kitchen, using the freshest ingredients to inspire her creative culinary presentations. Her husband greets, seats and helps serve and makes you feel like family. Try the escargot, lamb and save lots of room for dessert!

Cafe Cine-Lumiere has a great prix-fixed meal and entertainment is also included. Classic films are projected and patrons don earphones. Lots of fun and a don't-miss for mussel lovers.

Stash's Restauracia Polska (200 St. Paul Ouest Vieux Montreal 514-845-6611) Start with pierogi, light dumplings served with sour cream and filled with meat and cheese ($8.25 - a large portion big enough for two.) The menu advises that everything tastes better with vodka and the patrons seem to believe this. Friendly discussions and a warm ambience pervade.

Zen What a find. This Four Seasons Hotel offers an upscale Asian buffet with a choice of 41 items for $21.95 at dinner. The sleek setting is also popular for power lunches and the high-tech decor is worth seeing. This place is truly "champagne taste on a beer budget: in that you feel indulged but still have change.

These are a few suggestions to get you started. But wander

around and you will discover your own favorites.

Back to TravelLady Magazine