Just booked a flight to Montreal for the Caps @ Habs game on Sat. Feb. 4. This will be our first time visiting. Would appreciate any and all advice relating to visiting the city, going to a game there, etc.

Underground City is nice, the Cathedral and Art Museum are both pretty good. As far as Bell goes, get there early and try to get a tour in, the pre game entertainment (music, videos) is aces.dunno if the Forum is still open/can be toured, but the old barns are kinda neat.

As far as restaurants go, Dunn’s is a deli, but a damned good one.

Montreal is about a 2.5 hour drive from me; you’ll have a blast.
We went to the game 2 years ago that ended the Caps 14 game win streak. Try Priceline for a room, we got lucky w/ a room from Novetel, which was 2 blocks from the rink.
My wife and I both wore Caps jerseys and only received good natured digs and comments. In Ottowa the Sens fans are some of the most polite people I’ve ever meet in an opposing teams rink.
As far as what to do try and visit the Cathedral in Old Town, it’s impressive. We live out in the sticks so just wandering around a city is fun for us.

I did a semester in Montreal – its an awesome city.

Stay downtown – somewhere near McGill University is central.

Climbing Mont Real is pretty awesome in winter and the church on the top has the dead heart of a monk who built it on display.
The old Montreal port area is nice too – and there is an outdoor skating rink there in winter.

walking down St Catherine’s at night is an experience in itself.

I don’t have a favorite poutine place, but you should try it as much as possible. Its even good in fast food restaurants.

Lots of restaurants and bars on bishop and Mackay between Sherbrooke and St Catherine’s. Lots more on St Laurent north of Sherbrooke. Lots of live music too. Its a fun town.

I’ve been a few times to visit friends in school there, and I always make a point of doing 2 things:

1. Climbing Mt. Royal in the snow, sometimes straying off paths and finding my own way up it. Enjoying the view and taking cool photos.
2. Getting a bunch of bagels from Fairmount to bring home and then ending up eating most of them on the drive, because they’re so yummy. (Kind of a hike from downtown, but very enjoyable if you walk up boulevard Saint-Laurent. Not far if you have a car.)

Be sure to stay warm, it’s colder than Moscow at that time of year!

I have never been to Montreal, though I’d love to go!

However, I was watching “Unique Eats” on the Cooking Channel this weekend, and they featured two Montreal restaurants. The first, La Banquise, is apparently a great place for poutine and features 25 different kinds. It seems very highly rated at all the usual outlets.

They also featured Brit & Chips, which is a fish & chips place with a Montreal spin. Both of these places looked amazing on he show.

Have fun!

Last March, we took a trip to Montreal and stayed at “Le Nouvel Hotel & Spa” which is actually within walking distance of Bell Center (a few blocks) and reasonably close to the subway.

It’s located on 1740 Boulevard Rene Levesque West and plenty of restaurants in walking distance.

We were in Montreal this summer. Au Pied de Cochon is fabulous…not cheap, but so good. Pudding chomeur was amazing. Anthony Bourdain has featured this place on his show. Make reservations — now is not too soon. The restaurant is not well-marked on the outside — we drove past a couple of times before we realized This Was It.

There is a route 515 bus which circles the downtown/historical district. We did not drive around downtown — distances were not onerous, but it was August, not February.

I wish we had gone to La Banquise, but DH is not into poutine. Open 24/7, no credit cards. Younger S and I should have left him and gone ourselves. Even the dive pubs in Old Montreal have good poutine.

We liked Schwartz’s — the long line is for sit-down. We did takeout and headed to the park, though that will not be an option in Feb. Also brought home Fairmount bagels.

Stayed at the Embassy Suites — 208 St. Antoine Ouest, right across from the congress and around the corner from Notre Dame. It’s 1.4 km to Bell Centre, and a quick ride straight down Rue St. Antoine (or the subway).

Old Montreal is a short walk from the Embassy Suites and there are lots of restaurants and bars down that way. S reported that the bars were expensive, but he does not have much with which to compare. He did wear a Caps t-shirt in Montreal and survived. :)

Have fun!

I never post, but I’ve been to Montreal for several Grand Prix races so perhaps I can offer some advice. We stay at Auberge Bonaparte, which is lovely, and the breakfast is great.

I like several of the galleries on Saint Paul including Galerie Le Royer and Galerie Saint-Dizier.

Finally, we usually have a meal at Chez L’Epicier, even if it’s just dessert and coffee at the bar. It’s an interesting experience and the food is fresh and beautifully presented.

I’m envious of your plans, going to a Caps game at Centre Bell is on my “to do” list. Have fun.