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Fall Trip To Eastern Canada

Fall Trip To Eastern Canada

Old Dec 17, 2017, 8:49 am
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I really hope you were able to see some of Yorkville/The Annex/The Distillery/The Beaches neighbourhoods - my definite favourites and recommend to all visitors.
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Old Dec 19, 2017, 6:41 am
  #17  
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Things We Did In Toronto Day 2

We went downstairs for our included breakfast at the Marriott Toronto Downtown Entertainment District an hour before ending. The breakfast restaurant was still very busy and we were originally given a table for two with a chair pulled up on the side before being moved to a proper table for three people. The breakfast was ok but the breakfast sausages had a a bit of "cheap" texture to them. I felt it was more inline with something that would be served at Holiday Inn Express vs at a Marriott affiliate.


After breakfast, we headed back up to our room to get ready for a day out and about town. Based on the calculations based on Google Maps data, by the end of the day, we would have walked 7.5 miles today. First thing we did was walk along Wellington St heading towards Old Toronto. Our first destination this morning was the St. Lawrence Market which was about a mile away on foot. When we arrived at the market, I was surprised at how clean and immaculate it was inside. A complete opposite from Lima's Mercado Central that we visited last year. After walking along the aisles on the main floor of the St. Lawrence Market we headed downstairs which while does not look as glamorous as the main market hall, we found ourselves a little gem of a pasty shop which was beckoning us over from the aroma of buttery pastries baking in their ovens.


We could not pass by Stonemill Slow Crafted Bakehouse without buying anything here! The aroma from the baking going on was very very intoxicating. My mom purchased a bunch of pastries and when she went up to pay, she was informed that we get a free one for buying so many pastries and breads. Stonemill Slow Crafted Bakehouse is one of those cash only businesses that I mentioned in my last post so I was called up by my mom to pay. I paid for the airfare, hotel, rental car for this trip and my parents were supposed pay for the food and incidentals during this trip. I came back to the table where my dad was sitting and while laughing told him that he lucked out from paying with the whole Cash ONLY thing. Before leaving for this trip, my dad didn't transfer any money into his No Forex/No ATM fee checking account thinking he was going to use his CC, which gives him a rebate for all of his purchases. I did move money into my No Forex/No ATM fee checking account so I was the only one who got cash out during this trip and paid for all Cash transactions starting with the purchase from Stonemill Slow Crafted Bakehouse.


After hanging out and enjoying couple of the pastries that we just purchased, we decided to head back towards our hotel taking Front St. We walked in front of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Royal York Hotel but did not go inside. When we arrived back at our hotel, we dropped off the pastries that we purchased earlier and headed back out since it was lunch time. After doing a bunch of research online the night before, we decided to head back to Chinatown and have lunch at Kings Noodle Restaurant. On top of the reviews online, the place was packed with customers when we passed by the restaurant during our walk yesterday afternoon. By the time we arrived at Kings Noodle Restaurant, we've already walked 3 miles since venturing out this morning so we were ready to eat. Without a single word, we were given a table and then shortly later, again without a word our order was taken. Communication by the wait staff was pretty much through a small nod as acknowledgement that they heard you. Our food, when ready were slammed on the table in no apparent order. While this kind of service may offend the uninitiated, for the initiated like my parents and I, we know some of the best food in any Chinatown come from restaurants like this.





I ordered 4 items from the waitress. One house special rice dish, a soup noodle dish, a BBQ rice plate with greens added, and one order of shrimp dim sum. When the items arrived, we shared and sampled each one of the dishes. The soup, house special and the BBQ rice were all delicious, but i've had better shrimp hargow dim sum back in California. Again, this was a cash only establishment so I went up the the register to pay for lunch.



With our bellies full, our next stop was Little Italy. We headed up on Spadina and cut into Kensington Market before finally arriving on College St. From Kings Noodle Restaurant it was about another 1 mile walk to Little Italy and when we arrived, we saw what was according to their window "Toronto's Oldest Gelateria" so we decided to go in and have some dessert and coffee. It wasn't busy when we arrived around 2:30ish but business must be good for them to have been around for 58 years. Once we were seated, I ordered a pistachio cannoli, Sicilian Ice Cream Dessert, iced coffee for myself and hot coffee for my dad. My mom stuck with water. Everything was good and the coffee nice and strong.

Since we had early reservations at the 360 CN Tower Restaurant for dinner, I checked to see if there would be enough time to do more walking or if we would have to turn back. After coming to the conclusion that we probably will make it and if not just grab an Uber, we paid our bill for the coffee and dessert and headed up on Crawford St towards Bloor. Google map was showing the Koreatown was the next closest ethnic neighborhood nearest from where we were. Once we arrived on Bloor, we walked towards Spadina which would take us into the heart of Koreatown and then also put us back on Spadina. Just from my non scientific observations, Little Italy and Koreatown here in Toronto seemed quite small vs the ones you find back in California and New York.

Once we reached Spadina, we walked back towards Lake Ontario. We walked past the University of Toronto along one of its perimeter and parts of town that seemed a little sketchy. We kept walking at a higher pace without making eye contact until we were back in Chinatown. We headed back to our hotel where we plopped down on the sofa and bed and rested for a bit before dinner at the CN Tower.

More pictures from Toronto Trip Report
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Old Dec 19, 2017, 6:45 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by Phrantic
I really hope you were able to see some of Yorkville/The Annex/The Distillery/The Beaches neighbourhoods - my definite favourites and recommend to all visitors.
Unfortunately we did not. Next time!
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Old Dec 19, 2017, 8:47 am
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Dinner At CN Tower

For our last dinner in Toronto during this trip, we had reservations at the 360 Restaurant at CN Tower, while I made reservations almost 4 months out, yesterday night I realized I screwed up, and when I went online to correct my mistake, the only reservation left was at 4:45PM. For some reason, I made reservations for tomorrow night when we would be long gone from Toronto and in Quebec City. I had originally planned on having lunch at the 360 Restaurant, but my mom wanted dinner instead because she heard the view was better at night. Since the CN Tower was literally 5-10 walk from the Residence Inn Entertainment District, we headed out about 20 minutes before since we needed about 15 minutes for check-in and security, according the CN Tower website.


Security to get into CN Tower was airport style but very relaxed. Camera's and phones were not required to be put through the x-ray. Only big bags and purses. Once we were past security, we followed the signs for 360 Restaurant which eventually brought us to the restaurant check-in desk on the ground floor. Our reservation was confirmed and I was given a piece of important looking paper which turned out to be nothing at all. We called further down the corridor where group pictures were taken before we were allowed on the elevator up to the restaurant. The elevator had a glass bottom floor but with all of the scuff marks on it, it just didn't have the scary factor.


Once we arrived up at the restaurant, we checked in again with the hostess. We were told that the manager would show up shortly to seat us and just as he finished saying that, the manager showed up and took us to our window side table. When I made reservations, in the notes I requested a window table and very happy that it was granted. In 2015, when we ate at the restaurant atop of the Space Needle, we sat in one of the inside tables and it just wasn't the same. My parents started to argue about which one of them gets to sit by the window, so I gave up my seat up against the window so the both of them could have the window seats. Being near the window is important for picture taking but being right up against it wasn't.








The restaurant rotates at a very slow rate and takes about an hour to make one full rotation. By the time we paid the check and left, we stayed a little over an hour based on where our table was facing.

The menu was extensive and had both a la carte and prix fix. My mom ordered a la cart and my dad and I ordered from the prix fix menu. To sum up the experience in one sentence: The view is spectacular but the food not so great. The view from the restaurant is spectacular that when we went down to the observation level which btw is located below the restaurant, we did not find it interesting at all. The windows up at the restaurant were spotlessly clean but on the observation level, the windows were dirty and the outdoor open air deck had wire fencing all around which really killed the mood. Also, the glass bottom floor was scratched and smudged so just like in the elevator, lost a lot of the scary factor.

My mom's steak cost just as much as the one we ate at Mastro's Beverly Hill, but taste and texture were seriously subpar for such an expensive price. Even with a steak knife it was hard cutting through the meat. My dad and I ordered the same main course which was described a "crispy pork." There was nothing crispy about the pieces of pork belly that we got.

Since it will cost you to go up to the CN Tower anyways, if it is in your budget, go eat at the restaurant. Not for the spectacular food but for the spectacular view. You will not have to wait in line with the rest of the crowd trying to get up to the observation deck and access to the observation deck is included for restaurant guests (Not Skypod).

More pictures from CN Tower and 360 Restaurant.
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Old Dec 19, 2017, 11:04 am
  #20  
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Via Rail Business Class Toronto to Quebec City via Montreal Part 1

After two nights in Toronto, it was now time for us to leave Toronto and head to our next destination, Quebec City. While we could have gone to Quebec City faster by flying, the cost to fly to Quebec City in coach (All cost including transport to airport, luggage etc. ) vs taking the train to Quebec City in Business Class was so close, I decided I wanted to try something different and take the train. About a month out before leaving for Canada, I booked three train tickets on Via Rail in Business Class. The booking was painless but I did have to call into Via Rail to make changes to the seat assignment because the computer generated one had the three of us spread all over the place. There is no non stop train from Toronto to Quebec City. Just via Montreal with a change of train.



We had to be up very early to get ready. Once we had double checked everything in our room, I completed checkout via my Marriott App, and then hailed Uber to come pick us up. It was way too early and too cold this morning that I wanted to be lazy. Our Uber driver dropped us off at Toronto's Union Station and we proceeded into the main hall. I saw that our train Train 60, was already posted on the board and boarding time was close, so I decided to go directly to the platform instead of the Business Class Lounge. At the entrance to the platform for our train, a line had already formed so after scouting to see if there was a separate business class line, we joined the only line available. Via Rail staff were busy moving and setting up equipment for boarding. After what was about 15 minutes waiting in line, an announcement was made for business class passengers to come forward to board. My parents and I got out of the line we were in and headed up to the front where our tickets were scanned, my luggage weighed and tagged before we proceeded up the escalator to the platform where our train was waiting.



Up on the platform, Via Rail employee asked us if we were in Via Rail business class and then directed us to the front of the train which was where our car was located. At the single entrance to the business class car, two business class attendants greeted us and welcomed us aboard. We walked through the galley and then stowed our luggage on the luggage rack before finding our seats. My seat was on the side with the single seat and my parents were sitting together across from me. Later before departing, one of the business class attendants came through the train to explain how to operate the emergency window which my parents side had. The attendant took a second to look at my parents and then turned to me to ask if I would be willing to operate the window in a emergency. After the attendant disappeared into the galley, we cracked up laughing. My mom made commented that they obviously looked too old and frail to help. It was really hard for me to keep a straight face until the attendant disappeared into the galley.




Our train pulled out of the platform on time and shortly afterwards, the business class attendants came through for morning beverage service. We were offered juice, tea, and or coffee. The attendants also asked if we wanted coffee with breakfast and left an empty mug on our tray table if we did. Next came the hot towels which came pre-packed in plastic wrapping. Breakfast service started shortly afterwards with two meal carts each starting from one end of the business class car. There were two options for breakfast on today's train. The hot option was the omelette and the cold option was the cereal and fruit. Both options came with either a croissant or bagel and or both with cream cheese, butter and or jam. If a passenger asked for something, NO did not seem to be in the Via Rail business class attendant's vocabulary.


My parents and I opted for the omelette which was described over the intercom as "western omelette." The only thing that made it "western" was the little bit of salsa on it. Overall the meal was good! The breads were served from a basket WARMED! More drinks were offered, including milk and water while the meal trays were being distributed. After plenty of time was given for passengers to enjoy their breakfast, the attendants brought the cart back down the aisle to collect the meal trays and also offer refills to anyone who wanted one. All of the passengers who originated in Toronto go their first choice but based on what I overheard, some of the passengers who boarded later down the line didn't have a choice.


In the middle of the route, one of the business class attendant came through the train with a tray of mints for anyone who wanted one. Also they were very gracious about filling requests by the passengers. For example, a couple sitting behind my parents asked if they had any more breakfast breads an hour or so after everything was cleared away but the attendant brought some over to them heated and all!

Aboard the train, BYOD programming was available through the WiFi system. Also the internet speed was pretty decent compared to the terrible system that Amtrak offers aboard their trains.

The first leg to Montreal was uneventful and we arrived early into Montreal's Gare Central.

More pictures from Via Rail Business Class on Train 60.
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Old Dec 19, 2017, 4:30 pm
  #21  
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Via Rail Business Class Toronto to Quebec City via Montreal Part 2


After getting off Via Rail Train 60 from Toronto, we headed up to the escalators to the main station building of Montreal's Gare Central. I went up to the posted platform for Via Rail Train 624 but the Via Rail employee guarding the entrance looked at my bag and told me it needed to be checked. I didn't want to get into it with the employee so I followed her instructions and checked my luggage to Quebec City. BTW my luggage was carryon approved and even weighed in Toronto to make sure it was legit. After coming back from the checking my bag I went back to the employee and showed her our tickets to board but she told me that Via Rail Train 624 wasn't boarding yet and that since we were in business class, we should go wait inside the Via Rail Business Class Lounge. The Business Class Lounge was right across from our assigned platform and after entering, my parents and I presented our tickets to one of two attendants working the front desk. We were welcomed to the lounge and told she would let us know when boarding time came.


With passengers for the Ottawa train and the Quebec train both in the Via Rail Business Class Lounge, it was crowded but my parents and I were still able to find ourselves a place to sit. A variety of beverages were available including coffee and tea but not much else to eat. Shortly after we arrived in the lounge, boarding for the train to Ottawa was called and the lounge emptied out significantly. If three trains were leaving close together, I can see the lounge becoming way too crowded. Plus there was only 1 bathroom a unisex one inside the lounge which already had a line of people waiting to use it when we arrived.



Eventually boarding was called for Train 60 to Quebec City, and we were out of the lounge and down the escalators to the boarding platform. Unlike Via Rail Train 60 which consisted of all LRC Railcars, Via Rail Train 624 had older refurbished cars for coach and the LRC Railcar only for business class. When I arrived at the business class car, I was greeted by the male business class attendant at the door and welcomed aboard. Unlike on Via Rail Train 60 earlier which had two business class attendant and one trainee attendant, Train 624 only had two regular business class attendants. On this train my parents and I were all sitting on the single seat side of the train. The business class car on this train was completely sold out.


Unlike on Train 60, the business class attendant did ask my parents if they were willing to help with the emergency windows and then explained the procedure for opening it to them. Obviously this attendant didn't think my parents were too old and frail to help. Right on time, our train pulled out of the platform backwards before changing tracks and proceeding forward towards Quebec City. Since Via Rail Train 624 was a lunch time train, service started with cocktails, wine and other beverages from the drink cart along with a snack mix. Cocktails were served in 16oz cups. For comparison 16oz is the size of Starbucks Grande size. Pours were generous and request for double shot were met with "oui misure!" I had a extra strong gin and tonic along with my snack mix to start.





Drink and snack mixes were followed by hot towels pre-packaged in plastic wrapper. Announcements were made in English and French regarding the menu for lunch. There was a choice of three items on todays train. Two hot and one cold. Fish and pasta were the hot dish and the beef dish was the cold dish for lunch today. Meal carts were rolled out, one on each end of the business class car. I ordered the cold beef dish and my dad ordered the fish. While the three of us got our first choice, the lady sitting across from me did not get her first choice which was beef and had to settle for the pasta dish. Each lunch tray came with warmed bread and butter, red or white wine, and or water. Red and white wine followed feely during the meal service, after the meal and all throughout the ride to Quebec City. The 4 other Americans across from my parents and myself were well drunk and feeling good by the time we arrived into Quebec City. Requests for more cocktails were met with "oui misure" or "oui madame" from the business class attendants. It's no exaggeration to say that the whole business class car was well sloshed by the time we arrived into Quebec City. After the meal trays were collected, the tea and coffee cart came through the aisle along with bottles of the red and white wine for refills.



After the meal services was completed, a tray of chocolate were brought through the business class car for passengers to help themselves. The choice was between dark or raspberry flavored chocolate. Train 624 arrived into Quebec City Gare du Palais ahead of schedule. Once we disembarked, I headed to the rear of the train which was where the luggage car was located so I could collect my checked bag before heading out of the platform.

More pictures from Via Rail Business Class on Train 624
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Old Dec 20, 2017, 8:11 am
  #22  
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Fairmont Chateau Frontenac



Once we were outside of Gare du Palais, I hailed Uber to come pick us up and take us to our hotel, the Chateau Frontenac. We were dropped off at the main portico where the bellman took our luggage and handed me a ticket to give to the front desk at check-in. I went right up the dedicated check-in line for Fairmont's President's Club member which I am a member of where I was greeted with a Bon Jour, and I replied back in French. Then the agent switched to English and welcomed me to the hotel before asking for my name. She found my information and informed me that since I booked through Chase's Luxury Hotel Collection, that I was given a room upgrade to a junior suite and then she proceeded to list off all of the benefits that I would be getting with the Chase LHC rate. Breakfast for two was included in the LHC rate along with a $100 CAD food and beverage credit. There was a long list of other benefits such as late checkout which we would not be using. I was given keys to our room and told the agent "merci beaucoup" before grabbing my parents and heading up to our room.





Once we entered our room, the first impression of the room was OMG it is big. When I was told that we were upgraded to a junior suite, I figured we would be getting a slightly bigger room with a extra sofa or something like what we stayed in at the Marriott Copenhagen in May. Our junior suite for the next two nights was a good 2.5 times the size of a typical standard deluxe room at a SPG or Marriott property. There was a walk in closet which itself could have been a small bedroom in New York. Our separate living room still had more than enough space to sleep couple extra people on the floor if you wanted on top of the pullout bed which the sofa converts into. The bedroom had two double beds with each room having its own TV. The only thing that was tiny in our room was the bathroom which no one minded at all. On top of the TV stand was a welcome card from the hotel and a small tin of Chateau Frontenac chocolates.





Both mornings, we had breakfast at the Chateau Frontenac's Place Dufferin Restaurant. Breakfast for two people were included in the LHC rate and the $100CAD food and beverage credit more than covered the third persons breakfast. We were given the same table by the window with a view of the boardwalk and the St Lawerence River both mornings. My mom liked the view the first morning and when I requested it the second morning, the manager who escorted us to our table gave us the same one. Breakfast was buffet style with a separate pastry station that had killer croissants and other French style pastries. An omelette bar was available but the three of us did not partake in it. The maple bacon was hit with my mom and dad. The staff here were all friendly and always smiling. When the cooks working at the omelette bar saw me taking pictures, they asked if I wanted to take one of them. I said absolutely and snapped a few of the cooks. She asked me if the camera broke after taking their pictures and I told her ABSOLUTELY NOT, and said it was the best picture of the day! Generally staff members anywhere are camera shy but these two were really good sport!


To be honest, I thought the breakfast and pastries here at the Chateau Frontenac was Wayyyyyy better than the much more expensive breakfast that I had in Paris at the Novotel Le Hales in 2015. This may upset some Frenchman but during my trip in Quebec City, I thought the French Canadiens baked better pastries. Even if your breakfast isn't included like our were, I definitely recommend that anyone visiting Quebec City have breakfast here at the Chateau Frontenac. One elderly couple on our first morning came off the cruise ship and purposely came up to the hotel just for the breakfast buffet. At the table were small jars of assorted jams and honey which btw the honey is from the bees that the hotel keeps on the roof of the hotel. Both mornings, I took the honey jars with me as a souvenir.


Turndown service was offered each evening which included a second housekeeping service, the ice bucket filled with ice, maple shaped and flavored candy left on the bed and the beds turned down for sleeping with any decorative items removed.


Since the Chateau Frontenac is a tourist destination in itself, the lobby and the outside of the hotel was crowded with tourists that had been offloaded from their tour buses. What was annoying was they would all crowd around the mailbox located in between the elevators taking group pictures which prevented us and other hotel guests from using the elevator freely, or we could not get out of the elevator since there was a mob waiting to take pictures.

More pictures from Chateau Frontenac Hotel
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Old Dec 20, 2017, 9:31 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by seat38a
Since the Chateau Frontenac is a tourist destination in itself, the lobby and the outside of the hotel was crowded with tourists that had been offloaded from their tour buses. What was annoying was they would all crowd around the mailbox located in between the elevators taking group pictures which prevented us and other hotel guests from using the elevator freely, or we could not get out of the elevator since there was a mob waiting to take pictures
Thats really bad! While the hotel looks beautiful from outside I always was annoyed by the bathrooms Glad you enjoyed your stay.
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Old Dec 20, 2017, 1:44 pm
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[/QUOTE]...... the Chateau Frontenac is a tourist destination in itself, the lobby and the outside of the hotel was crowded with tourists that had been offloaded from their tour buses. What was annoying was they would all crowd around the mailbox located in between the elevators taking group pictures which prevented us and other hotel guests from using the elevator freely, or we could not get out of the elevator since there was a mob waiting to take pictures.

More pictures from Chateau Frontenac Hotel[/QUOTE]

If the situation was as dire as you seem to imply, and detrimental to registered guests enjoyment of the property, wouldn't the management of the hotel seek to either ban these tour buses and their passengers from stopping at the hotel, or at a minimum curtail the stops to a more manageable number?

Last edited by SCEflyer; Dec 20, 2017 at 1:49 pm Reason: Deleted pictures.
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Old Dec 20, 2017, 2:16 pm
  #25  
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...... the Chateau Frontenac is a tourist destination in itself, the lobby and the outside of the hotel was crowded with tourists that had been offloaded from their tour buses. What was annoying was they would all crowd around the mailbox located in between the elevators taking group pictures which prevented us and other hotel guests from using the elevator freely, or we could not get out of the elevator since there was a mob waiting to take pictures.

More pictures from Chateau Frontenac Hotel[/QUOTE]

If the situation was as dire as you seem to imply, and detrimental to registered guests enjoyment of the property, wouldn't the management of the hotel seek to either ban these tour buses and their passengers from stopping at the hotel, or at a minimum curtail the stops to a more manageable number?

Unless Fairmont starts only letting people with legitimate business into the hotel, I don't see how they can do it in a tactful manner. The buses don't drop them off inside hotel ground. They park along Rue de Fort and Rue Saint Louis and drop passengers off and they walk themselves into the hotel. But yes it is annoying as a hotel guest, when your paying $500+ a night to stay here, and you get a stink face from the people trying to take pictures because your trying to access the elevator to your own room.

Last edited by seat38a; Dec 20, 2017 at 2:26 pm
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Old Dec 20, 2017, 2:19 pm
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Originally Posted by offerendum
Thats really bad! While the hotel looks beautiful from outside I always was annoyed by the bathrooms Glad you enjoyed your stay.
Thank you, yes we did enjoy it very much. My mom's been wanting to visit Quebec City for decades. It just would have not been the same to have stayed at a Marriott or Starwood while we were here.
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Old Dec 20, 2017, 9:34 pm
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Originally Posted by seat38a
...... the Chateau Frontenac is a tourist destination in itself, the lobby and the outside of the hotel was crowded with tourists that had been offloaded from their tour buses. What was annoying was they would all crowd around the mailbox located in between the elevators taking group pictures which prevented us and other hotel guests from using the elevator freely, or we could not get out of the elevator since there was a mob waiting to take pictures.

More pictures from Chateau Frontenac Hotel



Originally Posted by seat38a
Unless Fairmont starts only letting people with legitimate business into the hotel, I don't see how they can do it in a tactful manner. The buses don't drop them off inside hotel ground. They park along Rue de Fort and Rue Saint Louis and drop passengers off and they walk themselves into the hotel. But yes it is annoying as a hotel guest, when your paying $500+ a night to stay here, and you get a stink face from the people trying to take pictures because your trying to access the elevator to your own room.




The hotel does run tours though, so many people do show up for that.
Having said that I doubt it's for busloads that are part of the tour (likely just get dumped there and told to report back in 30-40mins) but I would also be annoyed by having to push my way through the selfie crowd in order to get to my room.
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Old Dec 21, 2017, 11:16 am
  #28  
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Things We Did In Quebec City Day 1




After checking into the Chateau Frontenac, my parents and I headed outside to explore Quebec City around the vicinity of our hotel. It may sound like a cliche but everything around us felt like we were somewhere in Europe and not in North America. We hung out in the little plaza in front of City Hall on Rue des Jardins. After taking pictures until my mom was satisfied with the way the one with her and the fall foliage was to her liking, we started walking back towards the hotel since it was getting close to our dinner reservation at Chez Jules.



We arrived at Chez Jules 15 minutes before or actual reservation time but we were seated immediately. I was all ready to greet the hostess with bonsoir but she totally messed me up by greeting me first with bonjour which I wasn't expecting this late in the day. My mind kept thinking, OMG do they not use bonsoir in Quebec? whats going on and ended up just smiling and nodding in acknowledgement. Once we were seated, our waiter came up and greeted us with bonsoir(ah ha they do use it in Quebec), and I responded back with bonsoir. Then the waiter asked ca va and I responded back ca va bien. After that he went completely off in French and when he saw the dumfounded look on my face, he smiled and switched to English. I took 3 years of Spanish and 1 year of French in High School. What I've discovered so far in Canada is that I'm better able to understand conversational French with a Canadian than with a Frenchman. Canadian French seems to lack the heavy nasal emphasis which is common in France.(Just my personal observation BTW.)


We started off by ordering wine and a charcuterie platter which includes foie gras, to share. Since foie gras is illegal in California, what better time to try it than when in French Canada. Our wine and appetizer arrived and the charcuterie went really well with the basket of wonderful bread. I'm not sure if it is the proper way to eat it but I made myself little sandwiches with the meat, bread and the jar of cornichons on the table.


Orders for our main course were taken after our appetizer arrived. My mom ordered the fish with butter sauce aka Sole Meuniere Fillet, my dad the braised beef cheek and I went with the classic streak frites. While my moms dish was the simplest of the three, I thought it tasted the best. My steak frites dish was ok but I was expecting something closer to traditional french steak and fries than the version that I was served.


Once we were finished and our dishes cleared away, I ordered creme brulee for dessert. I was expecting a deep layer of custard which is common back home but from what I have read, authentic creme brle is supposed to have a thin layer of custard so that the caramelized sugar on top and the creamy custard on the bottom are balanced like the creme brulee we just ate.

After dinner, my parents went for a walk down to petit champlain but I headed back to the Chateau Frontenac to enjoy the hotel and the room that I was paying for. Last year when we were in Peru, I felt as if we paid for nice hotels such as Tambo del Inka and Palacio del Inka but never really got to enjoy what the hotels had to offer because we were always out and about. This time, I wasn't going to let that happen so headed back to our room while my parents went for their walk.
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Old Dec 23, 2017, 2:43 pm
  #29  
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Things We Did In Quebec City Day 2

After breakfast, I headed over to the concierge desk to borrow couple of umbrellas due to raining outside. I was told that all umbrellas were already gone but I was offered three rain ponchos which I accepted. We headed outside onto the boardwalk trying to manage best I can to take pictures without getting my camera wet. I brought one collapsable umbrella with me which I used for preventing my camera from getting wet. It was a challenge holding the umbrella with one hand and then taking pictures with the other.



After taking pictures of the Chateau Frontenac and the other side of the St Lawerence River, we headed on town to Petit Champlain Quarter. We walked down break neck stairs and joined the throng of cruise and tour bus passengers while at the same time not trying to loose an eyes with all of the umbrellas. After walking down Rue du Petit Champlain, we headed over to the bank of the St Lawerence River or at least the closest that we could get to it.


We headed back up to the upper city and walked down Rue Saint-Jean to the Quebec Fortification Walls before turning back for lunch at Paillard. Based on my research, there were lots of rave reviews about the pastries at Paillard so the Foodie in me didn't want to pass it up. When we arrived, there was a guy playing live music with his accordion wearing a beret and all like what you might see in Paris. After finding a table to sit at, I went over to the pastry section and ordered couple of croissants and coffee. I dropped the order off with my parents before heading over to the sandwich section of the bakery and ordered roast beef sandwich.

The croissant was very good! Flaky and buttery, Paillard's croissant just jumped to the top of the best croissant we've eaten before. The roast beef sandwich was delicious as well. European in taste vs your typical American style sandwiches. Anyone who visits Quebec City should not miss Paillard on Rue Saint-Jean.



Since the rain had let up a bit, we headed back down to Petit Champlain to try and get a better look without focusing on staying dry. At the end of Rue du Petit Champlain, I saw a sign at a maple syrup vendor offering maple taffy made on snow for $2.00 dollars a piece. Since we came all the way to Quebec, I had to try the maple taffy, which I've seen on enough travel shows. I went inside the store, paid $6.00 for my parents and myself and the girls working jumped into action heating up the maple syrup mixture. I waited over by the box of snow and when the maple mixture was ready, one of the girls brought it out and poured it over the snow in a zig zag motion.


Now, I paid the $2.00 per person for the taffy but also for the photo opportunity. What really bugged me was once the tour bus tourists saw that the maple taffy was being made, they all jammed around the snow box getting in the way of my pictures so they could get their pictures in. Some people even leaned over blocking my shot while the shop employee started to roll the maple taffy on the popsicle sticks. Just as the employee put down the rolled maple taffy on the snow and told me to let it cool for a bit longer, one of the tourists grabbed it and just a centimeter before it entered his mouth, the maple syrup shop employee who was rolling the rest of the maple taffy, told the guy thats not free! The tourist looked shocked and put it down back on the snow. Luckily there was enough maple syrup poured to make a replacement maple taffy for my parents and myself.

Just as we were enjoying our maple taffy, the rain started to pick up again. We decided to head back to our hotel and dry off and relax before dinner tonight. I wanted to take the funicular back up to the hotel but the line was way too long so we walked up all the stairs back up to the Chateau Frontenac.



When it got close to time for our diner reservation, we donned our rain gear again and headed out to La Buche which is located a short walk from the Chateau Frontenac on Rue Saint Louis. Since we are in Quebec, I wanted to try some real Quebecois cuisine before we left tomorrow. When we arrived, we were given a table in the back with a clear view of the open kitchen. As soon as your seated, the first thing that is brought out is their signature pork cracklings with maple syrup. Our waitress came over shortly and then explained the menu to us and their specialties. I went ahead and ordered their house Poutine, (pronounced like the Russian President's name) and a bottle of red wine to start. After the wine arrived, I ordered the main courses which was the black pudding and tomahawk pork chop. The waitress asked me if I knew what black pudding was and when I told her that I knew it was blood, she smiled and went off to put in our order.


La Buche also serves pickled beets and bread after placing your order. The sour taste of the pickled beets went well with the hearty meaty dishes that we ordered. While all three dishes that we ordered were good, the three of us agreed that the house poutine was the winner of the bunch. Personally, I thought the blood pudding was better than the blood sausages that I've had before. It was a little more minerally than say Argentine blood sausage, but I thought the firm texture was better than some Argentine blood sausages that I've had. The pork chop was good with the mustard sauce but I didn't think it anything special.

For dessert, we ordered the "poor mans pudding," which was recommended by our waitress. I liked the dessert, but it was too sweet for my parents. The restaurant itself is decorated like a sugar shack inside and the walls were made of stone. The lighting, the decorations, the historic building plus the drizzling rain outside made for a great warm cozy feeling.

After paying the bill, my parents headed outside while I went downstairs to the bathroom. Lets just say it was an interesting facility.
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Old Dec 23, 2017, 3:15 pm
  #30  
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Things We Did In Montreal Day 1
After checking into our hotel, the Intercontinental Montreal, we headed on out for dinner. In Montreal, Monday and Tuesday seems to be the popular days when restaurants decide not to open. Between the closed restaurants and or no reservation slots, we ended up picking a Fusion Asian place off of Saint Catherine Street about 1.5 miles from the Intercontinental. Google Maps at first had us go down to the RESO underground walkways, but once we got down there, the Google Maps app started acting up even with full cellular service underground. We came backup and chose the second recommended route via Rue Saint Catherine street. The temperature was hovering around the low 50's and dropping as it got later into the evening. Hunger, cold, and traffic traffic lights combined to made our 1.5 mile walk to the restaurant feel like an eternity.



At least by walking to dinner, we were able to experience Rue Saint Catherine which is a primary artery of Montreal. We passed by many corporate office towers and high end shopping such Louis Vuitton and others.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, there was a line outside along the building. The inside was completely packed with what looked like college students. My parents and I waited outside along with the everyone else until our a table able to accommodate the three of us opened up. We must have waited for at least 30+ minutes waiting outside in the cold. Inside the restaurant, it was nice and warm and the hot soup that I ordered came out still boiling in its container. The hot food helped to warm us up after the 1.5 walk and the 30+ minutes of waiting outside.


Now full and fully warmed up from the hot soup, the 1.5 miles walk back to the Intercontinental Montreal did not seem so bad at all. I also was in the mood again to stop and take pictures of the nighttime beautiful cityscape of Montreal.





By the time we arrived back at the Intercontinental, the temperature was in the low 40's. Any exposed skin such as my hands were starting to feel uncomfortable that I had to keep them in my pocket for most of the walk too and from the restaurant. We could have avoided the cold by using RESO walkway but everything I found online about it was very confusing and Google Maps just did not want to function underground.

Pictures from Intercontinental Hotel Montreal
More Nighttime Montreal Cityscape
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