Montreal!

Yeah, jeez, just get good boots, good socks, a good coat, some plain ole longjohns and the weather's no big deal.

the other worst is having to walk over the rosemont overpass to the metro - always windy. oh how i recall the (supposedly dangerous) heyday of walking across the tracks.
xps
yep. i got good warm boots last year and wear two pairs of wool socks when it's this cold and everything is fine. except my nose gets cold and when i put a scarf over it, my glasses fog up. but hey.

longjohns OVER your pants??

then another pair of pants on top

then a pair of shorts

i wouldn't be caught dead in good boots

Bah, -40 windchill is a way of life on the Prairies, I tell you.:P

but it's a dry cold!! ;)

i walked downtownish and back again this evening and it felt like it was warmer out but apparently it wasn't, so i guess i just became hardier.

I felt the same way too

Regina: 71% humidity
Montreal: 72% humidity

The 'dry cold' business is something Prairie folk say to make themselves feel better.

haha i always figured...

guys guys, look what environment canada says:
Tuesday night A few clouds. Wind west 20 km/h. Low minus 25. Wind chill minus 36.

i walked home, about a 25 minute walk, just now, and it wasnt so bad. no wind.

i moved to boston from mtl years ago and i get (srsly) frostbite nostalgia. i also become very obnoxious to the locals, as in: "this is what you call winter? pshaw!".

i recall the days of toes brick-numb in my bauers through a haze of imaginary breath vapor.

or vapour, if you will.

The 'dry cold' business is something Prairie folk say to make themselves feel better.

Plus it's bullshit anyway:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=help&pagecontent=weatherlore#Q2

planning a family trip to montreal for early july if anyone has tips for places to stay or things to do appropriate for 2 adults and an almost-3-year-old. we're looking at hotels but also might do an airbnb, possibly in the plateau area. we'll have a car with us.

try not to have to rely on yr car; if yr kid can handle the bus/subway, try to stay near Parc Avenue, St-Laurent blvd, or the Laurier, Mont-Royal or Beaubien metro stops.

^ this is correct

you might want to check out casa bianca, a very nice little hotel/inn-like place right facing the mountain.

otherwise, i can help advise you on airbnbs/locations/etc... feel free to msg me

thanks dudes! i'm pumped for this trip (obv. since we're planning it 6 months in advance). i've never been to canada.

if you come early july, you may overlap with the jazz fest, which is a mixed bag but there is a TON of outdoor kid-friendly free stuff.

(accoms might be harder to come by though, so planning early is smart.)

do you think it would be better to avoid those dates if we don't care about jazz?

it's not a jazz music festival anymore

well, it is if you look at sheer percentages, but there's a lot of other stuff. but yeah, if nothing about it interests you there's plenty of other stuff to do so might be wise to steer clear those specific days.

there's also the just for laughs comedy festival which has tons of great shows every year, often affordable, but if you have a kid, maybe that won't be so much for you.

i think what we're all saying here is your child is going to have to stay home

ya, i guess i should ask, how attached are you to this kid

does the kid need a passport?

this is our first attempt at doing a real vacation (i.e. going somewhere interesting for fun, not to visit extended relatives) since having a kid but it does kind of suck because we can't really go out too late at night or just chill out in bars or coffee shops for a super-long time. but that's more for the parenting thread than this one.

she has a passport, she went to france with her mom last year. i, on the other hand, probably need a new passport.

ya well the reason i mentioned jazz & comedy fest is they have a lot of daytime/early evening, stroller-friendly outdoor stuff.

i had the time of my life at the jazz fest as a kid. now, einh

cool well i think we're planning on that first week in july to take advantage of our july 4 holiday so we'll be up there with the rest of the tourists. looking forward to it!

how many days you thinking?

i think 4-5 days in montreal. we're driving up from chicago and will probably stay in toronto overnight on the way up and down, with maybe an extra day there too to see the toronto sights.

As far as stuff to do with a 3 year old goes, the Biodome, Insectarium and botanical garden is a lot of fun. The planetarium is also going to be open by then (right next to the biodome), though that might be for kids who are a little older.

my son, who was 3 last summer didn't really enjoy going to the various festivals, mostly because he does not enjoy huge crowds.

He liked going up mount royal and walking in the old port (he likes boats)

biodome is the most fun thing in the world for a kid

I don't know if there's anything going on in the days you'll be in Montreal, but Piknic Electronik can be a fun family thing to do also.

yeah, if I could only recommend one thing for a 3 year old it would definitely be the biodome. Lots of animals, but relatively small so it only takes a couple of hours to visit. Perfect for kids that age.

xp

never been to biodome :S

sorry to keep reviving with touristy questions, and i know this is the montreal thread so people may be biased, but: should plan a day to spend in toronto on the way home or use that day in montreal instead? the difference is between 4 or 5 full days in montreal

Depends on how much you want to be in Toronto for that day, obviously. Perhaps there is some Igloofest events you want to see, but apart from that it feels like the dead of winter (to me, at least).

Oh wait, this will be the summer and with your kid. Nvm. Montreal is truly amazing in the summer, you'll find stuff to do for 5 days,

Yeah one day in Toronto... There's stuff to do but... I dunno

zing

Montreal in summer deserves your extra day more than toronto does imo.

i agree with these suggestions about jazz fest and biodome/insectarium/botanical gardens. parc jean drapeau is also great (also where the buckminster-fuller-designed biosphere is, and piknic electronik sunday-afternoon electro-danceparty too). i will likely be writing about summertime family things to do for tourism montreal in, like, May, so... stay tuned? probably mostly about kid-friendly stuff at festivals, parks, outdoors, museums activities, etc. The Montreal Circus Festival (Montreal Completement Cirque) will also be on in July and that's pretty kid friendly!

also i have been making a blog about montreal in summer as seen via g00glemaps http://summerstreetview.tumblr.com/

This is amazing