I spent last weekend in Montréal. It was my first time in the city, and it was absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed the architecture, exploring the different neighborhoods and learning more about the easily navigable city. However, I’d prefer to visit again in the summer months — at about -20 degrees, it was far too cold for my liking!

I arrived Thursday at noon after an early-morning flight from Philadelphia and started my afternoon with a leisurely lunch at Les 400 Coups before embarking on a tour of the city. My hotel, Les Place D’Armes, was situated in the Old City, just steps from one of my favorite spots, Notre-Dame Basilica. Unassuming from the outside, it’s spectacularly beautiful inside. That evening, after a delicious multicourse dinner at Society for Arts and Technology’s Foodlab, to combat the cold, I enjoyed a hot mug of grog in a traditional yurt atop the building’s roof. What a unique experience.

The next day, a morning snowshoe to the summit of Mount Royal Park worked up my appetite for bagels from St. Viateur Bagel Shop, coffee from Café Olimpico and smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz’s. I spent the evening exploring the city’s trendy Plateau neighborhood, window shopping in the chic boutiques for unique clothing pieces.

Unfortunately, the threat of an impending snowstorm forced me to change my evening flight home Sunday to an evening flight home Saturday, which meant I missed celebrating Nuit Blanche. However, I didn’t have to leave before indulging in brunch in the Old City at Communion and trying my hand at ice fishing on the St. Lawrence River. Check back in the next few weeks for video of my ice fishing excursion!

Montréal is absolutely a city I’d love to get to know even better!

— Kim Krol, managing editor