Montréal 2019
Early in July, my mom & I packed our bags for a little runaway to Canada for a few days. Here’s what we did, where we went, and how we enjoyed it. If you want to read the full “Food of Montréal” post, you can do so here.
Day One
Drive and Arrive
On our first day, we headed out around 6AM so we could arrive around noon to check in to the AirBnB. The drive was so beautiful and we drove over this part in the road that gave us butterflies from the sudden drop. We laughed so hard but it was so scary as it looked like the road disappeared. I loved seeing all of the small and unusual towns scattered throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. When we first arrived we drove around, found our place, unloaded the car & then drove to find parking. We walked slowly back to the AirBnB to orient ourselves. One of my favorite parts of the city was all the colorful murals scattered throughout and in hidden nooks. After we unpacked and freshened up, we headed into the Old Port of Montréal to grab some food.
LOV was our first stop, an amazing restaurant for some vegan eats. After refueling we walked around and our first stop was the Notre Dame Basilica. It was absolutely breathtaking inside. I was captivated by the architecture and devotion. After we walked around the Old Port and took it all in. We needed a bit of a refresher so we stopped at Maggie Oaks for some drinks and to relax for a bit. When we headed back to the apartment we hopped into the hot tub and then went back out for a dinner at ChuChai.
Day Two
Museums and Malls
Mom and I left early to grab some food before we ventured out to the Museum of Fine Arts of Montréal. I was absolutely amazed by the pieces in the museum. The curators really know how to make interactive and breathtaking exhibits. My personal favorite was the Thierry Mugler fashion exhibit. The fashion pieces all blew my mind. Afterwards we went on the search for some good eats and found Mandy’s which oddly reminded us both of the US company by CHLOE. We then walked around St.Catherine Street which was lined with some of my favorite shopping stores. When we reached the end of the street we were pretty exhausted so we headed back to the apartment and rested before dinner at Sushi Momo. This was such a great place for unique sushi and mushroom poutine.
Day Three
Climbs and Crépes
We woke up and went on our way to climb Mount Royal ,which is actually where Montréal gets it’s name. We stopped for coffee and got some pastries to eat on our walk. There were many different trails to take to the top which made it very fun to skip across the different paths. However, my mom and I didn’t do that much research about the climb and although it wasn’t difficult, we definitely should have been dressed more comfortably. Especially me, as I hiked the mountain and reached the top all in heels. Nevertheless, the view was well worth it. We gazed, ate a croissant, and made our way back down the mountain. It was a great way to start the day.
After, we walked down and around the streets and eventually made our way to Tommy cafe for a quick café lunch. We continued hopping around the city and ended up in the Old Port once again. Due tot he extreme heat we opted for a vanilla ice cream in a cone while we relaxed for a bit. It was right here that we discovered just how amazing Canadian ice cream is. I can’t really explain it in any other words than this: America has ICE-CREAM and Canada has CREAM-ICE… it’s just 100x better. Afterwards we discovered the Science Museum and saw a 3D film on Pandas. It was adorable and we actually loved it even though it was all in French! We made our way back to the city center through chinatown and went back to the apartment before dinner.
For our last night, we wanted to have a more experiential dinner so we chose Jardin Nelson. The atmosphere of the place was amazing. It felt as though you were in an ethereal backyard. Not to mention we were seated right next to the live band so we got awesome ambiance while we ate and chatted. It was so relaxing to sit and just be in the moment with my mom. We don’t get these moments too often, and now looking back on it, I had so much fun with her just eating and sipping our aperol spritz.
Day Four
I remember waking up this last morning was so difficult. I’m not sure if it was all the food I ate on this trip or if I was just too sad to leave but getting out of bed seemed impossible. However, the promise of a great brunch made me get up and ready. We packed up our AirBnb and headed for a goodbye breakfast at L’Evidence. I ate every last bite of that meal and I was so satisfied with it being my last taste of Montréal. We then stopped at Sophie Sucrée for some vegan treats to eat on the ride home. Our last stop was the Botanical Gardens of Montréal and my goodness was it beautiful. We saw so many plants and flowers and every inch of the grounds was meticulous and charming. My person favorite were the Chinese & Japanese gardens. I loved seeing the different architecture and the koi fish made for such a peaceful walk. We got some more “CREAM-ICE” and called it a day as we drove back home.
As I said before, it was such a blessing to share these moments with my mom. We hardly ever get time just to explore and be together so I felt so lucky to do this with her. Thank you mom for everything, but most importantly for loving & raising me so well.
xo