NE Trip 2016
Day 5 - Thur Sep 1 2016

Started the day with a so-so breakfast at the Hilton Restaurant.  Not bad, just nothing special.
We took a 20 minute walk to the Old Port. On the way, we stopped to get Canadian cash from an ATM.  Then we stopped into a little bakery shop - Janice to use the bathroom and I to try to get change for the Canadian $20 bills.  The owner of the shop, an attractive young lady, gave us change and explained about the Canadian cash.  We might stop there for breakfast tomorrow - or head up to the Mile End neighborhood where my cousin Theo lives.

We walked towards the Old Port, but were quickly disoriented and frustrated.  We decided to take a tour bus.  Might have been a little expensive, but turned out to be worth it.  It was an open double decker and we got seats on the top.  The guide was from France and had to do part of the tour in French and English.  His English wasn't terrible, but he had a heavy enough accent to make him difficult to understand at times.  We got off the bus at Mount Royal (Mont Real - hence Montreal) and hung out for a few minutes.  We caught the next bus.  Still a French accent, but not as strong - easier to understand his English.  The buses run every 15 minutes or so and follow a route that has 9 stops.  You pay the fee and get a wrist band that allows you hop-on-hop-off access for 2 days.  We got on at stop 2, got off at Mount Royal, back on and off again at stop 1.  The guide asked if anyone knew the most famous food in Montreal.  No - not Poutine.  It's the smoked meat sandwich.  He gave a really enticing description, so when we got off at stop 1, we went around the corner to Dunn's and split a Smoked meat-poutine lunch.  Poutine is fries with cheese curds smothered in gravy.  The smoked meat is very much like corned beef.  It's brisket, that's cooked and smoked for some number of days with lots of different spices coating the meat.  Then it's cut thick - maybe 1/4 inch and server on rye with Montreal mustard.  There are other versions, but that's the gist - and it was delicious!  Attman's better watch out if Dunn's comes to Baltimore!

We got back on the bus and took it back to stop 2.  We got off and walked past the Montreal Science Center and through the Old Port Market - streets in the Old Port closed to vehicle traffic.  Vendors, musicians and restaurants and stores.  Seems every city has a section like this.
A funny story here - We ran into what we thought were other Americans and someone mentioned Trump.  The ladies we met were adamant about being ashamed to be Americans because of Trump. Their husbands sort of stood to the side not getting into the conversation - secret Trump backers?

We stopped at the World Trade Centre Montreal on the way back to the hotel.  Interesting building on the inside.  Apparently 2 buildings separated by an alley were turned into one building when the alley was capped.  Theo texted us the location of the Crew Cafe (just a block from where we were) where we stopped in and got coffee.  We walked back to the hotel, intending to meet up with Theo and his girlfriend Heather for dinner,  After a few false starts, we finally met in an area called St. Henri at a place called Sumac - Mediterranean food.  We cabbed it there, they Ubered.  We had a really nice meal and enjoyed the evening with them.  We all Ubered back, dropping us off at the hotel which was more or less on the way for them to go home.

Tomorrow, after we pack up and check out, we plan to head to their area in Mile End.  Just plan to see the area before heading to Quebec City.