Brokaw Leslie - Frommers EasyGuide to Montreal and Quebec City 2014

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Leslie Brokaw has been a travel writer since 2006, contributing to 10 Frommers guides to Montral, Qubec City, and New England. Her first books were coauthored with her stepfather, long-time Frommers contributor Herbert Livesey.

Erin Trahan is a Boston-based writer and editor. In addition to co-authoring recent editions of Frommers guides to Qubec, she edits and publishes The Independent, a magazine about independent film, online at www.independent-magazine.org. She also writes about movies for WBUR, Bostons NPR news station. Learn more at www.erintrahan.com.

Matthew Barber is a freelance writer who has contributed to two previous Frommers guides. He is a correspondent for the food section of the Boston Globe and writes about home cooking and vegetable gardening at the website www.crispybits.com. He lives in Boston with wife, Leslie Brokaw, and their son and dog.

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I f the province of Qubec had a tagline, it could be: Any excuse for a party. An enormous joie de vivre pervades the way that Montral and Qubec City go about their business. The calendars of both cities are packed with festivals and events that bring out both locals and guests from around the world year-round.

Montral is a modern city with pizzazz at every turn. Downtown skyscrapers come in unexpected shapes and non-corporate colors. Theres a beautifully preserved historic district, Vieux-Montral (Old Montral), and a subway system (Mtro) thats modern and swift. And the citys creative inhabitants provide zest to the ever-changing neighborhoods of Plateau Mont-Royal and Mile End, large neighborhoods of artists lofts, boutiques, cafes, and miles of restaurantsmany of which are unabashedly clever and stylish.

Qubec City, more traditional and more French, is replacing its former conservatism with sophistication and playfulness. With an impressive location above the St. Lawrence River and carefully tended 18th- and 19th-century houses in its historic quartier, this city is almost impossibly romanticand unlike any other in North America.

MONTRALS best AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Enjoy an Afternoon or Evening of Jazz: In downtown, Vieux-Montral, and the Plateau, jazz is a favorite pastime of locals and visitorsespecially in July, during the renowned Festival International de Jazz..

Savor Gourmet Meals at Affordable Prices: Experience all of French cuisines interpretationstraditional, haute, bistro, Qubcoisthe way the locals do: by ordering the table dhte specials. Youll get to indulge in two or three or more courses for a fixed price that is only slightly more than the cost of a single main course. Most restaurants offer the option..

Explore Vieux-Montral: The citys oldest quarter has an overwhelmingly European flavor. Place Jacques-Cartier is a popular outdoor square, and in every direction from there youll find museums, bistros, and boutiques worth savoring. A revitalized waterfront just adjacent also inspires strolling or biking. A walking tour of the neighborhood is on .

Romantic Qubec City

Every narrow street, leafy plaza, sidewalk cafe, horse-drawn calche, pitched roof, and church spire breathes recollections of Frances provincial towns. But to get the full Qubec City treatment, amble those streets in the evening and find a bench on Terrasse Dufferin, the promenade alongside the Chteau Frontenac. The river below will be the color of liquid mercury in the moons glow, and on a clear night, youll see a sky of stars. Faint music from the