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Offline baggio  
#1 Posted : 29 June 2016 04:48:35(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Hello, Montreal dwellers:

My wife and I are planning a little trip to Montreal shortly.

Does anyone know a few places in Montreal where we could go to eat and sleep AND a nice train shop?

Thank you.

"Unbearable" Silvano Wink
Offline michelvr  
#2 Posted : 29 June 2016 15:23:39(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Hello, Montreal dwellers:

My wife and I are planning a little trip to Montreal shortly.

Does anyone know a few places in Montreal where we could go to eat and sleep AND a nice train shop?

Thank you.

"Unbearable" Silvano Wink


The BEST Model TRAIN Shop is in Laval!

As an Ex Montrealer may I suggest;

Van Horne Hobby Ltee
address:111 Boul Saint-Martin E,
Laval QC, H7M 1Z1
tel:450-669-4175

But I must warn you the last time I was there I made the mistake in taking my wife with me. After an half hour she said lets go and I said politely please wait in the car........hours later she came back in saying hello!!!!! (I'm very lucky because she's a voracious book reader) Enough said!!

Here's a review. http://bs-and-t.com/the-van-horne-experience/


No Marklin but a lot of very interesting model trains both North American and European. It's hard to find so use a GPS!

Phone first to make sure they are still open!!

Michel
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Offline michelvr  
#3 Posted : 29 June 2016 15:30:17(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Oh I forgot to mention places to eat in Montreal, let me tell you a little secret!

Montreal is the culinary capital of Canada so unless you go to a greasy spoon you'll not be disappointed. Look for restaurants where you can bring your own wine with no corking fee!

We stay at Holiday Inn or the other branded hotels.

Michel
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Offline PMPeter  
#4 Posted : 29 June 2016 18:07:32(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
If you like Montreal smoked meet, a trip to Schwartz's is worthwhile. Nothing fancy, usually a 1/2 hour lineup for a shared table, cash only, but oh so tasty!!! A must for me every time I go to Montreal.

Peter
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Offline mike c  
#5 Posted : 29 June 2016 21:54:23(UTC)
mike c

Canada   
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC)
Posts: 7,880
Location: Montreal, QC
I think it is time for the Montrealer to get his two cents in…

When are you planning to visit?

The Jazz Festival begins today and goes on for the next week or two. After that, it is the Comedy Festival.
As far as trains, there is Van Horne Hobby on St-Martin just east of Boulevard des Laurentides. The easiest way to get there is to take Lajeunesse Ave north which crosses the river and becomes Boul. des Laurentides. You can also take a bus from Henri Bourassa Metro or from the new Cartier Terminus in Laval.
Train related visits to the Canadian Rail Museum (Expo Rail) in Candiac might be of interest (AMT to Candiac)
You can also inquire with Canadian Pacific RR whether a tour of the Cote St-Luc Yards might be possible. I don't know if they still do that.

As far as restaurants, Montreal has developed a pretty good reputation.
I would rather send you to a good local place than to a tourist trap. Schwartz's is a recommended lunch destination.

If you can provide more details as to your preferences, I can recommend a place tailored to your requirements.
(i.e. family restaurant, romantic restaurant, etc)

My favourites at the moment (always worth it) are:

Restaurant Damas (Syrian) on Van Horne Ave
Moishe's Steakhouse on St-Laurent Ave
Chao Phraya (Thai) on Laurier Ave

General recommendations
Joe Beef (Notre Dame St)
Au Pied Du Cochon (Duluth Ave)
Toque (Place Jean-Paul Riopelle)

I can also give you good recommendations for poutines, late night eats, chinese food and so on
La Banquise (Rachel East)
Mon Nan (Chinatown)
Grumman 78 (Food Truck)

and then there is the YUL Eat festival at the old port in early September.

As far as accommodations, I guess you want downtown. Would you prefer a straight-up hotel or more of a boutique hotel?
There are a lot of places on Sherbrooke Street, on Rene Levesque and closer to Old Montreal.
I don't recommend to stay near the airport unless it is on your last night in town, as it is hard to get around without a car and driving back to that area after an evening of joie de vivre is not recommended. You can taxi, uber, walk or bixi in the downtown area easily.

Send me a PM with any questions that you may have

Regards

Mike C
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Offline mike c  
#6 Posted : 30 June 2016 08:11:20(UTC)
mike c

Canada   
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC)
Posts: 7,880
Location: Montreal, QC
Had the opportunity to visit Restaurant Damas again tonight as I got together with fellow member Armando. We discussed many train related subjects and I gave him a few parts he needed to restore a Roco coach. I would definitely stand by my recommendation that this restaurant is worth the visit while in Montreal.

Regards

Mike C
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Offline baggio  
#7 Posted : 02 July 2016 02:09:18(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Thank you, guys, for your very helpful suggestions. MUCH appreciated.

Let me mull this over a bit.

The idea was to go the week of July 20th. I would like to see the French influence rather than the English's. Perhaps "old Montreal" may be the most fun.

Also, I am on a budget (Marklinj locos are expensive Scared ), so I would like to spend relatively little in accommodation and dining. I don't know if this changes the suggestions you made.

HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL! BigGrin
Offline mike c  
#8 Posted : 02 July 2016 04:55:27(UTC)
mike c

Canada   
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC)
Posts: 7,880
Location: Montreal, QC
In that case, hot dogs are 1.50 at La Belle Province, there are still a few 99c pizza places and a falafel sandwich can be had for around 3.00.

If you really want French influence, go to Quebec City.
Old Montreal is still Montreal and has some french influence, but not like Quebec.

Hotels in downtown/Old Montreal are not very cheap.
You usually get what you pay for.

Maybe you can rent a space in a McGill dorm or other residence? There may be some info online.
If you want a French experience, look for places on streets east of St-Laurent, like Sherbrooke Est, etc
The rest of the town is as cosmopolitan or even more than Toronto

I would think that a visitor would want a genuine experience and not a cheap one.

Regards

Mike C
Offline baggio  
#9 Posted : 02 July 2016 06:07:24(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Originally Posted by: mike c Go to Quoted Post
You usually get what you pay for.


I used to think that to be true, Mike C - I no longer do. Too often you pay a lot more for something with very little to show for it, if anything at all.

My most expensive pair of shoes, literally, was my worst buy. I learned this lesson when I was in university but it took me a while to realize that price is almost meaningless in determining quality.

As a result, I no longer assume that if something is more expensive than another, then it must be better.

As for your other comment: "I would think that a visitor would want a genuine experience and not a cheap one", frankly, Mike C, I think you missed my point. I do not look for "cheap", which by definition means of low value, I look for affordable things that give you good value for your money.

I do not need to impress anyone with the expensive hotels I have stayed at or the expensive restaurants I ate in. I have done that, have been there. It is not all that it is cracked up to be.

Finally, I found the tone of your reply a personal attack that surprised me. If you really wanted to insult me, you could have done so by way of a pm. Please do not send me one now. ThumbDown

Without meaning to, however, you did give me a good suggestion: if I want a French experience, Quebec City would be a better place.

The way you presented it, Montreal is another Toronto and if that is true (I have never been there for more than a few hours and only MANY years ago), I really should go elsewhere in order to see something different.

A la prochaine fois et merci bien de votre aide, monsieuer. ThumpUp

Silvano

(Celui qui aime manger et dormir a' bon marche' et fier de ca. BigGrin )
Offline cookee_nz  
#10 Posted : 02 July 2016 07:55:23(UTC)
cookee_nz

New Zealand   
Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC)
Posts: 3,949
Location: Paremata, Wellington
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: mike c Go to Quoted Post
You usually get what you pay for.


I used to think that to be true, Mike C - I no longer do. Too often you pay a lot more for something with very little to show for it, if anything at all.

My most expensive pair of shoes, literally, was my worst buy. I learned this lesson when I was in university but it took me a while to realize that price is almost meaningless in determining quality.

As a result, I no longer assume that if something is more expensive than another, then it must be better.

As for your other comment: "I would think that a visitor would want a genuine experience and not a cheap one", frankly, Mike C, I think you missed my point. I do not look for "cheap", which by definition means of low value, I look for affordable things that give you good value for your money.

I do not need to impress anyone with the expensive hotels I have stayed at or the expensive restaurants I ate in. I have done that, have been there. It is not all that it is cracked up to be.

Finally, I found the tone of your reply a personal attack that surprised me. If you really wanted to insult me, you could have done so by way of a pm. Please do not send me one now. ThumbDown

Without meaning to, however, you did give me a good suggestion: if I want a French experience, Quebec City would be a better place.

The way you presented it, Montreal is another Toronto and if that is true (I have never been there for more than a few hours and only MANY years ago), I really should go elsewhere in order to see something different.

A la prochaine fois et merci bien de votre aide, monsieuer. ThumpUp

Silvano

(Celui qui aime manger et dormir a' bon marche' et fier de ca. BigGrin )


If I may jump in here Silvano, I did not read anything whatsoever into Mike's mike c Offline reply to you, nor did I detect even the slightest hint that he was being derogatory, or insulting in any way. In fact he went into quite some details regarding the options and should I ever be fortunate enough to visit the region I'd be honoured to have a tour guide with such wealth of local knowledge. :-)

You stated that you were on a budget and asked for options regarding accommodation and dining and I read Mike's reply as a genuine offer to consider some alternatives that may have been worth looking at.

From time to time we get misunderstandings here but to tell another member on the one hand that a PM might have been appropriate (Mike did make this offer to you first) and then request that member not to send you one kind of shuts down the communication avenue and leaves little room to move.

We are a society of friends here and the moderators will all be agreed that one should always leave the opportunity to extend an olive-branch should it be required (and I'm not suggesting for a second that one is due).

Please do take this feedback in the spirit it is intended, ie one of conciliation and mutual respect.

Kindest

Steve
NZ
Cookee
Wellington
NZ image
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Offline baggio  
#11 Posted : 02 July 2016 08:13:50(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Cookee said:

"If I may jump in here Silvano, I did not read anything whatsoever into Mike's mike c Offline reply to you, nor did I detect even the slightest hint that he was being derogatory, or insulting in any way."

I do: sarcasm is always disrespectful, let alone the other suggestions such as the 99 cents pizza.

Mike C's reply was not intended to be helpful, it was intended to be condescending. A helpful reply would have mentioned some nice hotels and restaurants at a good price, not suggesting renting a room in a student dormitory to someone who is travelling with his wife.

If you can't see it, Cookee, so be it and let's leave it at that.

Good night. (It's 2:12 am here in Toronto.)

Offline Bigdaddynz  
#12 Posted : 02 July 2016 09:56:20(UTC)
Bigdaddynz

New Zealand   
Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC)
Posts: 18,661
Location: New Zealand
Originally Posted by: cookee_nz Go to Quoted Post
I did not read anything whatsoever into Mike's reply to you, nor did I detect even the slightest hint that he was being derogatory, or insulting in any way.


I agree, I didn't read anything insulting, sarcastic or derogatory in any way in Mike's reply.

Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Mike C's reply was not intended to be helpful, it was intended to be condescending.


Really?? Confused Mike lives in Montreal, anything he would have to say would be helpful!

Silvano, I think you are sailing very close to the wind in breaching the forum rules of no personal attacks, certainly no unjustified attacks like this one!

Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
If you can't see it, Cookee, so be it and let's leave it at that.

Good night. (It's 2:12 am here in Toronto.)


So, on that note I'm locking this topic!
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