Start the day with a solid walk.
Since your children will still be sleeping for a couple of hours, you may as well begin the holiday with a destination walk. For me, it was to arguably the city’s best bagels, St. Viateur. My round trip trek was about 7k, but carrying home a dozen of Montreal’s finest, complete with cream cheese and a smallish package of smoked salmon, earned me some carb calories to enjoy. If you’re not familiar with the style of bagel made in the area, you’re in for a treat. These are smaller than their New York cousins (not nearly as “bready,) with a hint of sweetness. Don’t tell the folks at H&H but I think I like the northern variety more.
Do a little shopping.
It might just be a mental thing, but things feel like bargains up here. You know, the price tag is in Canadian dollars, but the notification from my credit card about the purchase is in U.S. dollars, which is quite a bit less. I had forgotten to bring my (rented) long coat to Canada and decided to treat myself to an early holiday gift – a new lightweight down coat from Uniqlo that will be perfect to pack for an early 2022 vacation in Rome. I’ve wanted to drop in on a Uniqlo store for a long time and was thrilled with my purchase. Merry Christmas, Silvia!
Check out the architecture in the Vieux Port.
It’s just lovely in that area, despite the tourist shops hawking all things hockey and maple. Stroll and soak it all in.
Eat a delicious meal in Chinatown.
We sussed out Cuisine Cantonese on our walk, noting the review in the window from 1994, and returned to rendezvous with the rest of the fam for a late afternoon linner.* It seemed a good bet, since the place has obviously been in business in a long time and they offered one of our favorite dishes, squid with salt and hot peppers. We went big with our order knowing that leftovers could be stashed in our fridge and reheated later. Everything was well prepared, served quickly and courteously and very much enjoyed. There’s something about eating Peking duck on Thanksgiving that my irreverent children and I really love.
Take a well deserved nap.
Check out a little live music.
The area we’re staying in, St. Denis and Sherbrooke, is filled with restaurants, shops and bakeries, but I was most thrilled to find the perfect jazz bar a short walk away. Diese Onze, once I located it, was exactly what I want in a venue – a step down from street level, dimly lit, with a generous bar and menu for snacks to complete meals. Bonus for the civility of a place that allows one to order a bottle of wine, sip a couple of glasses and then cork it up to bring home for Friday’s cocktail hour.
Despite not having my famous sausage, apple & mushroom stuffing or the typical array of holiday pies, my day was absolutely complete. Hope yours was, too.
*Linner combines lunch and dinner efficiently into one meal.
