aglauser

I'm going to be in Montreal for the weekend in a couple of weeks. Any recommendations on things to do that are within the area covered by Bixi stations?

I'm thinking of things like nice parks, historic sites, good places to eat (though mid-to-low cost please). Suggestions in other categories are more than welcome as well.

Secondly, what is the rule about turning right on a red light? I vaguely remember hearing that the right-on-red laws had changed some time ago, but can't remember if the turn prohibition was lifted in Quebec generally, or just certain cities.

WorldIRC

No right turn on red in any vehicle (a bike on a road is considered a vehicle) ANYWHERE on the Island of Montreal.

aglauser

Thanks WorldIRC. I'm surprised they don't mention that on the safety page of the Bixi website. I guess it is intended more for Montreal residents than for visitors.

Cone Wrench

The Bixis should be out by then. The stations are being installed now, after the winter, but the bikes won't be out until most of the stations have been installed.
I use the Bixi quite often to get to and from work and the train station as part of my commute. I'm only on the bike for five to ten minutes.

The Bixi is very popular, but the bike is no speedster. It's quite heavy and the riding position, at least for me, is not optimum. I'm 6' tall and the seat does not go high enough. However, it works for short trips without hills. The new 7-speed models may be better for the hills.

Be aware that you start getting charged extra after you've had the bike out for more than 30 minutes. They are intended for short hops from station to station.

I've lived in Montreal all my life, but I am terrible at advising tourists on where to visit in the city. Certainly, you will want to explore Old Montreal. The Lachine Canal bike path will take you there from downtown. Also, walk to the top of Mt. Royal for a terrific view of Montreal. On a clear day you can see right down to the Adirondacks of New York and the Green Mountains of Vermont.

es82

From what I've gathered fro people in Montreal, is that the bike is best used as part of commuting from subway stop to subway stop, and not as nice for longer distance/recreational rides. You may be better off looking into a bike rental while there.

Depending on when you are in Montreal, if you like electronic music during the daytime, outdoors, in a beautiful park - you might want to check out Piknic Electronik. I think they usually start happening on Sundays starting in May / end of April at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

aglauser

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of using it to get from wherever I stay to the things I want to see, not so much riding around to see things. I will definitely check out a rental if I want to go for a longer ride.

RHoude

You have to ride into the Plateau area, on Mount-Royal, Parc Ave. and St-Denis streets. Some eateries to check out:

- Caffe Arte on Mount-Royal, a must in Montreal if you like espresso

- Montreal Pool Room on St-Laurent (best steamed hot dogs and fries in town)

- St-Viateur Bagel (the original knoshery on St-Viateur or the coffee shop on Mount-Royal Ave.), Montreal-style bagels, you have to eat one straight out of the wood-burning oven;

- Schwartz Deli on St-Laurent (Montreal-style smoked meat like nowhere else in the world)

- every Sunday, tam-tam players and percussionists meet at Jeanne-Mance Park at the foot of Mount Royal. Always a good time.

- terrasses on St-Denis street, between de Maisonneuve and Sherbrooke, in the Latin Quarter, are always buzzing

- you have to check out the best Poutine at La Banquise on Rachel street

- you can also BIXIcle from museum to museum in Montreal, some of my favourites being the IMAX Science Center in the Old Port, Pointe-a-Calliere, in Old Montreal, the Ramezay museum, on Notre-Dame in Old Montreal, the Museum of Contemporary Art, next to Place Des Arts and the Museum of Fine Art on Sherbrooke

- the Lachine Canal is a must, and stop at the Atwater Market, and a little detour at the top end of the canal to the Fur Trade in Lachine national historic site, a wonderful "pocket museum". There is also the outdoor museum at René-Lévesque Park, also at the top end of the Lachine Canal. I recommend a return along the bike path on the shore of St-Lawrence River, with a stop at the Lachine Museum, right on the bike path. There are almost always surfers and kayakers that ride the rapids. They can't be missed as you ride along the shore. I always recommend an ice cream break at the parlour located at the Verdun Marina, also right on the bike path. This one can be an all-day outing for which a day bike rental may be better than BIXIs. I recommend CaRoule on de la Commune street in Old Montreal or the bike shop across Atwater Market, on the bike path.

That should keep you busy cycling in Montreal! May even get to think about moving here... ;0)

Cheers,

Ron in Montreal

aglauser

Wow, thanks for the great suggestions Ron. Thanks especially for reminding me that I'd better try some bagels while I'm there. I was introduced to the Montreal-style bagel by Kettleman's in Ottawa, and as far as I'm concerned they're the only way to fly.

RHoude

I worked for a caterer delivering the daily supplies to a bistro this past Winter and had to drop by the St-Viateur Knoshery to pick-up loads of bagels on a regular basis... Oooh! The delight! Those "fresh-out-of-the-oven" bagels just melt in your mouth like candy! Skip the butter or cream cheese... I always got a frown from the Bistro's Manager, cause she knew she would alway be 2 bagels short on the order... But I made up for it in other ways!

Now... did I tell you about Poutine??? But that's a whole other story...

I guess I'll have to go bike now... I'm getting heavier just from the memories!!! 80)

Cheers,
Ron

RHoude

Gee! and I almost forgot... You have to stop by "Le Bilboquet" at the Old Port of Montreal. They have the absolutely best home-made ice cream. They run a counter in a red recycled container on the boardwalk, not very far from the Montreal Sciences Center.

Cheers,
Ron

Chris R.

The original Bilboquet is on Bernard no? Also a great street for a drink or dinner in the summer...and only a hop away from St-Viator bagel. As well, go see ABC cycles on Parc ave (corner st-viator) for my favorite bike shop in MTL (I used to work there when I was younger and raced for them as well!)

You should also have lunch at Olive & Gourmando in the old port (St-Paul corner St-Pierre) and have the Cubain sandwhich. Trust me.
Best place for dinner and drinks is Garde Manger on St-Francois-Xavier in the old port as well. Owner is a buddy of mine. beautiful women and amazing food and wine. Trust me again.
Wanna buy a Honda while in town/ Come and see me just up the street at Honda Centre-Ville! Bluery and Rene Levesque...huge Bixi stand in front of my store....

Breakfast at Sparrrow on the weekend (st-laurent), hockey game? Watch it at Chez Serge (also on st-laurent)
Go and walk around on Mount Royal and see the trails, the views from the top and enjoy the outdoors right downtown.
We always train on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (F1 race track) most days and there are tons of road cyclists there every day.

Montreal is the best city in the summer....honestly.

PeFSQ

If you are going for bagels at St.Viateur, enjoy them with a delicious latte on the patio of one of the two Italian cafes in the area: either Cafe Olympico or the Club Social. Both are across the street and approx. one block east from the bagel shop. Both are very cozy places with a lot of social life, personally I prefer Club Social, but as I said both are excellent.

aglauser

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, especially Ron. Ron, you and I (and my partner) seem to have similar tastes.

In any case, the conference which my partner was attending was this past weekend, so we were in Montreal for most of Friday and Saturday.

Friday we got the 747 bus from the airport to downtown and headed straight for the Bixi station. We had a great culinary tour (La Banquise, Caffe Arte, St-Viateur, Schwartz's). Checked out the Old Montreal area a bit in the evening. All in all, a great day, with lots of zipping around on the Bixis. Alas, I did not encounter the fabled 7 speeds that Cone Wrench referred to. Since we were not rushing, I didn't find the heaviness of the bikes to be a problem, even though we had a few small hills (mostly those on Rue Berri). It was pretty neat to try out the unusual features of the Bixis - drum brakes, internally geared hubs and built-in generator for the lights.

Saturday I was on my own due to the conference, and headed down to Caroule to see if they had any bikes for me to rent. I can't say enough good things about Caroule. The staff I dealt with were great. Even though they were busy they took the time to chat with me, suggest some routes and fit my rental bike for me. They even offered to keep my giant backpack in the back for me so I wouldn't have to haul it all around all day.

I was lucky to get a bike - reserve ahead if you can. I don't know if this is the usual sort of road bike they have, but I ended up with a Norco CRR. Definitely the fanciest bike I've had the pleasure to ride, and likely will be for some time. I ended up heading to the Estacade and the path connecting path to the Récré-O-Parc and got to see the Lachine Rapids. In retrospect, I should have taken the photo from the drive side, I know. Sorry, I'm a hopeless newb when it comes to photographing bikes.

img_2846 (smaller)..jpg

All in all, a very nice trip indeed! I will definitely be back again.

RHoude

Hi,

Happy you liked your visit to Montreal and that we could be party to it.

The 7-speed BIXIs are only beginning to come out, and yes, finding them is a little bit of a lottery. I read in a thread on a Montreal cycling forum that a new 10-speed BIXI is being trialed.

Cheers,
Ron

RHoude

Yes, it is. The location in the Old Port is a kiosk they run during the Summer.

Cheers,
Ron