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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jul 20, 2009 11:17:30 GMT -5
Just a quick note on Quebec City. Won't get longwinded on you, folks.
Mrs Dis and I got out of Dodge for a few days and I took her to Quebec City. We hit it at the right time because there was a lot going on.
The first night we arrived the lady at the front desk told us that KISS was playing on The Plains of Abraham. We got in around 6 PM after taking about 45 minutes to get through Montreal and with all of the construction along Hwy 40. So we ended up missing that one.
Not having a real good grip on French isn't a problem in the Old City. I heard English everywhere and the majority of shops downtown have bilingual service. However, the further out you go, the less English you'll hear. For those who know the area, we stayed on Boul Wifred-Hamel just off the Henri IV. I found it really dropped barriers if you just try a bit to speak French, but everyone is super nice and helpful anyway.
There are a lot of affordable restaurants in Old Quebec and a lot of pricy places as well if that's your choice. One highlight for us was the restaurant, Le Kameleon. It's in the Old City tucked away off the main drag. I read in an online review that because of the location there's probably more locals in there than tourists (a good thing). You could get anything from a pizza to a rack of ribs or top sirloin. The decore is bright and colourful. The food is presented very well and everything tastes great. The staff looked after us extremely well. Their service was excellent! To the owners Bianca and Patrick, je vous remercie ... Chapeau!!
There's a lot to see in Quebec, itself. I'd been to the Citadel on more than one occasion but this was the first time I was there as a tourist. The Old City and Citadel are must-sees, but there's a lot to see in the general area surrounding Quebec as well. We went to Montmorency Falls as well. There's a cable car that will take you to the top, but there's also a stairwell too. We took the cable car up, crossed the suspended bridge and took the stairs down.
Got to Ste-Anne de Beaupré as well. A magnificant church that tells a lot of stories in their murals.
There was a lot more to see but we just ran out of time. If you have the chance to get to Quebec City you won't be disappointed.
Cheers.
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Post by CrocRob on Jul 20, 2009 11:54:02 GMT -5
My sister and brother-in-law just got back from NL and said that the roads up through Montreal and past Quebec City was beyond terrible due to construction.
I haven't been to Quebec City in quite a while. Maybe this season when I'm in Montreal for my annual pilgrimmage I'll take a couple days and head over there. Good to know French isn't mandatory, though. Mine's a bit rusty!
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Post by Skilly on Jul 20, 2009 12:39:24 GMT -5
Good stuff Dis .... This year our family vacation will be a week in New Brunswick and a week in PEI. Will be my first time in either province for more than a drive-thru ...
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Post by Polarice on Jul 20, 2009 14:28:04 GMT -5
I'm going to Montreal near the end of September, I was hoping to have enough time to drive up and spend some time in Quebec city for a change. Good stuff Dis.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jul 20, 2009 16:41:22 GMT -5
Thanks guys. A couple of things I didn't mention; Le Kameleon is owned by Doc's neice, Bianca. Doc, thanks for setting up the reservation for us and our friends. I wanted to talk to Bianca a little more but they were swamped and that's a good thing.
Also, centretown Quebec can be rather confusing if you've never been there. The best thing to do if you're driving is look for "Place d'Youville." It's an underground parking lot that $9 bucks maximum for the whole day. It's centrally located around Rue St Jean, the Old City, and the National Assembly.
Wear your running shoes if you can. The Old City is very hilly but very scenic and well worth the walk.
Cheers.
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Post by jkr on Jul 20, 2009 16:52:17 GMT -5
Dis, We're headed for Montreal from Ontario in a couple of weeks. Is there anyway of avoiding the construction hassle or do we just have to fight our way through?  |
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Post by ValkyrieNS on Jul 20, 2009 17:42:03 GMT -5
Dis, We're headed for Montreal from Ontario in a couple of weeks. Is there anyway of avoiding the construction hassle or do we just have to fight our way through? Not Dis [obviously], so PBI... According to the Construction Commission of Quebec, the summer construction vacation is July 19 to August 1, inclusive. You might be catching the tail-end of it on your way in, depending on your departure date. As for specific routing, I'll defer to Dis on this matter, since he's just been through it  |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jul 20, 2009 18:33:50 GMT -5
Dis, We're headed for Montreal from Ontario in a couple of weeks. Is there anyway of avoiding the construction hassle or do we just have to fight our way through? Not Dis [obviously], so PBI... According to the Construction Commission of Quebec, the summer construction vacation is July 19 to August 1, inclusive. You might be catching the tail-end of it on your way in, depending on your departure date. As for specific routing, I'll defer to Dis on this matter, since he's just been through it Montreal via hwy 401, hwy 20 was pretty clear this side of the city. But, going through the city and along hwy 40 was pretty slow in some spots. Couldn't tell you about the South Shore, though. Apparently, there's construction along hwy 20 on the other side of the city as well. Some of our Montreal members might be able to be more specific. Cheers. |
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Post by franko on Jul 20, 2009 20:02:30 GMT -5
Doesn't the Montreal highway construction season last from January 1 through December 31?
Going by Via to Quebec City in October or November. Ya, I know . . . but our anniversary is the end of November [long story] so we'll celebrate within a month of the date. Since summer hasn't started yet, perhaps we'll have a late fall.
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Post by Doc Holliday on Jul 22, 2009 15:40:12 GMT -5
Thanks guys. A couple of things I didn't mention; Le Kameleon is owned by Doc's neice, Bianca. Doc, thanks for setting up the reservation for us and our friends. I wanted to talk to Bianca a little more but they were swamped and that's a good thing. Thanks a bunch for the good words Dis, they are nice passionate people that work extremely hard. I'll make sure to pass on the compliment. I love Old Quebec, you're right in the heart of a true historial meca and all around you are people from all over the world visiting and buzzing about... I find it really has a unique beat. And the restaurants... boy Oh boy.... I'm supposed to try le Chateau Frontenac for a night and a supper this fall... I'll let you know about it. |
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Post by franko on Jul 22, 2009 16:09:25 GMT -5
I'm supposed to try le Chateau Frontenac for a night and a supper this fall... I'll let you know about it. Look for me -- I'll have my Kovalev new jersey on . . . though for some reason I don't think my wife have the TV tuned to RDS on . . . [editted for a family board] |
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Post by Doc Holliday on Aug 10, 2009 13:32:53 GMT -5
Disapointing spot for me in Quebec city: Le Charbon Steakhouse. Has the reputation of being a great steakhouse so I went there last weekend and was really disapointed. I had a New York which was full of nerves and my wife had the filet mignon which was, unbelievably enough, rather tough ! The vegetables were soggy and the mushrooms were rubbery... Good service though, but unless you plan on spending 100$ per person for mediocre food in a great setup, avoid the place.
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Post by franko on Aug 10, 2009 14:42:02 GMT -5
Thank you, Via Rail -- round trip tickets for $80 per.
The Chateau had a deal on through Via [or was it that Via had a special on through . . . oh, never mind].
Anyway, I booked the train tickets, she booked the hotel, and one day I'll remember where it is that we are staying . . . but we'll be looking for a great evening meal, so ya'd better warn Bianca! [thanks for the recommend, Dis. We are always looking for something new -- last time we were in QC we tried Thai for the first time -- far from the last!]
Here's hoping the weather is dry/fallish!
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Aug 10, 2009 20:44:10 GMT -5
No worries, Franko. I see CO has added a feature where we can upload images from our drives. I'll try it out and see what happens. I think some of the images might be too big though.
As a matter of fact I just tried uploading an image and it was too big. I'm going through my Quebec pics and I don't think any of them are under 1024 kb. Bummer.
Just the same, getting around the Old City isn't difficult at all. You'll have no problem finding Bianca's restaurant either. And if you're staying in the Chateau Frontenac you'll be right there close to everything.
* The boardwalk (don't know how many steps it is but try to do it from the top by the Citadel),
* The Old City,
* The National Assembly,
* City Hall (Hotel Dieu, is that right?), and
* The Citadel
I think you'll have a great time actually. Let us know how it turns out, buds.
Cheers.
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Post by franko on Aug 10, 2009 21:37:30 GMT -5
Well, Dis, it always helps to ask she who must be obeyed where we are staying [and then after the dirty look check up the reservation for yourself]. We are at the Manoir Victoria, a [googled] three minute walk to Le Kameleon [in fact, not far from anywhere from the look so it. Looking forward to the weekend [I've had a busy two weeks since I came back from holidays ] |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 11, 2009 9:35:04 GMT -5
The Habs will actually be there September 20th for a pre-season game. The tickets sold out pretty quickly as you can imagine as that is a city that strongly supports its Q team in that big old, white barn. It's too bad as I will be there for a few days arriving that day, but at least I will have no problem finding RDS somewhere as long as they are showing the pre-season games this year.
The Old City and Halifax are two of the greatest places in Canada just to get out, walk about and explore. Looking forward to it.
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