Montreal, Canada????????

I used to live in Trois Rivieres but also have U.S. Citizenship - and yes Quebec is quite different than Ontario, not just linguistically. How much time will you have in Montreal, will you have access to a car? I have been to Montreal many times but actually prefer Quebec City .. best to learn a little french before you go .. I can help you with that

To keep my answer hockey related: Martin Saint-Louis (looks like Heatley is officially a Shark, that's why I went with someone else)

** Depends on your interests. Most shops along Ste-Catherine sell your usual tourist knick-knacks, but Desjardins Centre has a couple nice shops you might like. Culturally speaking there's a Chinatown you might like, ditto the Italian neighbourhood is pretty hospitable.

Near the old Olympic Stadium there's a really cool Maurice Richard museum that's worth going to.

If you like roller coasters and the like, La Ronde is cool.

Drive up to the top of Mount Royal - the scenery on a nice day is breath-taking.

If you go to Quebec City then I would definately check out the Museum of Civilisation as well as Plains of Abraham and Montmerency Falls, if you are Catholic check out Saint Anne of Beaupre ..

Are you an animal person? In that case, check out Omega Park near Ottawa.

Traditional food .. I assume you already know poutine, but there's nothing like having it in Quebec :-) If you had it in Ontario that's cool eh, but it's like Philly cheese steak in another city. Just doesn't give the same vibes when you have it away from the source.

Also try tourtiere, sugar pie, moose or reindeer meat is pretty good also .. Try + visit a sugar shack - it's where maple syrup is tapped at the source and all that .. A uniquely Quebecois experience that should not be missed !!

yes Quebecois is different than international french (i.e. the word bonjour is typically said at the end of a conversation rather than the beginning lol) but any effort of yours will be appreciated.

**Mostly it's slang that's different. Everyday conversation is universal, in the same way that Americans understand people from Australia, England etc. until cultural / regional stuff comes into play**

Oh and don't forget that road signs are often in french only and that Quebec uses the metric system (kilometres, liters, cm, etc.)

Montréal? I've been there a few times ;)

It's a wonderful city. I've lived here about 20 years of my life (1941 to 1960, 2008 to now) with hundreds of visits when I wasn't. Europeans call it the best city in North America, and having travelled all over North America for 30+ years, I can't help but agree.

The number of words that are different between Quebecoise French and Parisian French are small. In France you fill your 'voiture' with 'brake d'essence' and in Quebec you fill your 'l'auto' with 'gaz'

Mont Royal is a BIG hill, and is certainly worth a visit.

Restaurants....................don't know where to start. Montréal has a lot of great restaurants in the downtown core, and with the ethnic wave that has come over the city between my stints living here, just about any type of cuisine is available.

As cdn24fan said, you can get away without speaking a word of French and survive quite well. I use maybe 2-3 phrases a week. Mind you, I'm bilingual, so I can understand what I read and hear.

You may be around during the Fête des Neiges de Montréal (Montreal Winter Festival) which occurs in late January/early February. Montréal's answer to the Quebec Winter Carnival down the river (it may look up on a map - but Quebec is DOWN the river from Montréal) but without a big Bon'homme.

Also, NOBODY in Montréal says Quebec City. The capital city of Quebec...is Quebec. The rest of the country can't handle greatness multiplied by two, so they call it Quebec City.

There are some very good websites out there that talk about Montréal that would give you a lot of information. I rarely leave the house because I don't like leaving my mother alone, so I haven't had a chance to explore the modern city as much as I would like

I highly recommend staying near and hanging out on St. Catherine st. I'm American and I found that this is like the "strip" or like their version of Times Square, its fun and you don't need to know French here, everyone will talk in French at first but for the most part people know at least some English. There are parts of Montreal that are very into that whole separatist movement and don't appreciate English speakers, so I stick to the tourist areas when I go to Montreal.

You'll need to know merci which is French fr thank you. If yr gonna ride the subway, everything is in French so that could be an issue, but not a big one... its not a complicated subway system.

If you learn basic French phrases you'll be fine... don't try talking to people in French too much they'll speak to fast fr you, you just need to be able to get food and get around. Like I said there are enough people who speak English that you'll be alright in tourist areas.

Edit

sorry I'm not a massive help, some of these cats really know the town... I've only visited a couple of times and its a great town, one of my favorites I've ever been too... and I've done pretty much all of America and a good portion of Canada. You'll have a blast. My times square analogy is kinda crappy... its not that big at all... the old Forum was on St. Catherine St. tho.

poke a round bro, its not a shy place.

Definitely worth learning some rudimentary French while in Montreal. A Lonely Planet or a Rough Guide isn't a bad investment.

I'd definitely second the Rocket Richard Museum...well worthy.

If you get a chance, catch a QMJHL game. Well worthy and ticket prices are dirt cheap by NHL standards. Montreal has a club...CHL.ca can give you schedules and other vitals. Watching OHL games in 2004-05 probably kept me from killing random humans.

Food:

Have poutine. I don't know why, but Poutine in Montreal always tastes better than it does in Southern Ontario. La Bainquise is open 24 hours should the need for the late night drunk/stoner food arise. Vieux Port is upscale. Au Pied du Cochon is gut-busting portions of pork, duck, and foie gras.

La Maitre is a great source for chocolates made on-site (at the risk of offending anyone's tender mercies I'll usually pick up a box for my admin to pay for whatever level of he*l I've put her through).

One cultural thing: people in Montreal smoke. I'm not advocating it or suggesting you start. I'm saying folks in Montreal like their nicotine. Be prepared.

Otherwise...happy travels. I know I'm supposed to have this raging hatred of Montreal, but...I don't know why, but I like the place.

I lived in Montreal for the last 15 years, I just moved to Ottawa.

Don't worry about language, 90% of Montrealers are bilingual. In fact quite a few are trilingual. Lots of ethnic communities (greek, Italian, Portuguese etc) that speak their native language plus french and english. You will be able to communicate in English anywhere although people really appreciate the effort to speak a couple of words in french.

Not sure what time of year you are there, unless it is the middle of winter a trip to the lookout on the mountain is a must ( it is a mountain, big hill really, in the center of the Island that looks down on downtown)

A trip to the old Forum is worthwhile, it is an entertainment complex with a movie theatre now but it is worth going to see.

The biodome, is worth a visit if you have time.

http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/

Restaurants, Montreal has some great restaurants. Not sure what your tastes are.

EDIT: Okay in february, if you have time it may be worth it to drive to Ottawa and skate on the Rideau canal. It is a canal that runs through the city that is open as a skating rink (maybe 8 or 9 miles long) Skates can be rented. Ottawa is less than 2 hr drive from Mtl

http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_conte...

If you are a gambler the Casino in Montreal is always an option.

Nightlife: Crescent street or St Laurent Blvd.

EDIT2: Mountain, you can drive up the view is worth it.

here is the view from the lookout

http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/montreal-cdn1000...

They all equipped had a Wrestlemania in Montreal. It wasn't very humorous and that is have been the Montreal screw activity happened. If they have been to have a moment Wrestlemania there John Cena or Jeff Hardy or perhaps even the Undertake could get screwed out of the name by means of Vince.

I too have been in Montreal many times. Do love old Montreal and China town, just fantastic. If you have a chance and a few bucks go to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel for their buffet Chinese food. Unreal, mountains of lobster, oysters, prongs, and priced very right. Haven't there for a few years now but the price for the buffet then was $29.95 (approx $23.00 u.s.) you can't go wrong. Bon appetit.

Trade NHL: You can be sure that Senators 15 Heatley will be traded before that for sure.. He is history.

French is pretty easy to learn, I found.

In Montreal you should go to all kinds of little shops. There is one that sells bagels, and they are the best bagels on earth! Can't remember the name though, sorry.