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Montreal: The Perfect Winter Wonderland
My favorite things to do and see
I’ve visited Montreal several times. My longest visit was when I spent my 13th summer there. That was a time of freedom and fun, as I took public transport everywhere. The city felt safe and accessible to a New York City kid.
In winter, the city becomes a winter wonderland, particularly during the Christmas season, when it’s decked out with lights and displays. The city bursts with life despite the cold weather.
Here you’ll find boulangeries and cathedrals, parks and bookstores, quirky ethnic neighborhoods and impressive museums.
As a child visiting in winter, I used to love the late night foreign films at Concordia University. It’s here I discovered Bergman and Kurosawa. I also enjoyed visiting libraries with their collections in English and French. I never did learn more than a few phrases of Quebecois, though. Just enough to get the bus drivers to interact with me. I also learned to eat pizza with a knife and fork… very strange for someone used to folding a slice in one hand.
Montreal is a perfect getaway for New Yorkers. It’s a slice of Europe within driving distance. It supposedly takes 6 hours to get there but I’ve done it faster. This makes it a decent road trip for a long weekend.
