Montreal

Agree with Quebec City. If you're a history buff, tour the Plains of Abraham and wander the narrow streets of the walled city.

 

In Vieux Montréal, check out the restaurant at Place D'Armes (Aix). It's fabulous.

Get your money from an ATM; don't go to one of those Travelex places. They'll keep way more of your money than you deserve. Exchange rate is frighteningly close to 1 = 1 these days.

Boréale is a pretty good brew (I like the Rousse variety). From Vieux Montréal, the subway stop at the Palais des Congres is pretty convenient.

Asian restaurants just north of Vieux Montréal are worth checking out, if you're into Asian food.

It's a great city, probably my favorite in North America.

And, not to bring work into it, but check out La Presse, for my money the best-designed newspaper in the world.

 

Strip bars. Lots of them. I've never been, but I've heard they're great. And, as I recall from college, when I was a bouncer at a strip joint, the imports we got from Montreal were killer.

Beer: I only drink one brand of beer: OV. Old Vienna. My friends all make fun of me until they try it. You won't find that in America. Hell, you can barely find it in Canada in some cities.

Ottawa is a good idea. Awesome city. I've been there twice and both times focused on Parliament Hill. It's some amazing stuff. I've never been to Quebec City, but it's probably just as good as someone else pointed out.

Again, beer: Just Say OV!

 

Wow, haven't seen anyone admit to drinking OV (we had our own play on the initials back in the day) in ages.

When you go to the beer store do they offer to dust it off for you.

For me, beer in Montreal is either 50 (Cinquante!) or Brador.

 

Check the CFL schedule to see if the Al's are playing. Games are at McGill University stadium which is right downtown.

 

No, they don't dust off the labels. No, I'm not 65. No, I'm not a grandfather. And no, the intials do not stand for Old Vagina!

It's the first full bottle of beer I ever drank. Summer of 1990. I was 14. I got wasted.\

By the way, OV is even better on tap!

Funny you mention 50, though. That's my second choice!

 

I live in Ottawa, and I like it here, plenty of stuff for a nice day out, but if I was going to choose between Quebec City and Ottawa for a night, I'd pick Quebec City every last time. The Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- it's spectacular. Plus, it has bars. Plus, it has girls, many of whom are French. French girls can suck an anchor off its chain.

It is a little farther, though... Ottawa is two hours from Montreal, QC is three. If you're going up there, go overnight. And if you can afford it, stay at the Chateau Frontenac, one of the world's memorable hotels.

As for beer, go hardcore for the Unibroue family of products. Most famous is La Fin du Monde ("The End of the World"), which is nine percent booze. They have two other nice-percenters -- Trois Pistoles and Don De Dieu (although it's a wheat beer, which I'm not a big fan of generally.) My favorite, though, is Maudite ("Damned"), which is eight percent.

From the Unibroue web site: "Maudite has a deep amber-red color with a rocky foam head and an appealing aroma of wild spices and floral hop notes." Fuck yeah, it does.

They come in nice little souvenir gift boxes, too, with a couple of quart bottles and a glass.

Just don't drink the hamster shit at the bottom of a bottle of Maudite. Imbibe that, and you'll start speaking Pig German and not understand a goddamn word you're saying.

 

Oh, and when in Montreal, go to a bar called Lupin. Look for the bullet holes in the wall. That was some kind of night.

 

Red-light district and casinos. Or the other way around if you win some cash.

 

I've had La Fin du Monde. I like beer but fuck, that will knock you on your can.

 

God bless Quebece!

I move to nominate Quebec City or Montreal as the location for the next SJ outing.

 

First full beer I ever had was a 50 (in a stubby bottle). It's been all downhill since then.

Do they still make O'Keefe?