…or city of shoppers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/04/2009 (6307 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Montreal may be known as the city of festivals, but it’s also a popular shopping destination, with each neighbourhood offering its own distinctive stores and vibe. To shop (or even to window shop) is to see Montreal. A word to the wise, though: Be sure to travel light (to keep your arms and elbows free), and wear easy-to-doff clothes for all those trips to the change room. Most important, keep in mind that there is an entire city full of smart stores waiting to be explored, so spread your money around.

Here’s how to shop till you drop on a weekend spree:

Day One:

Morning: For a quick energy boost, head to Laurier Street and its delicious bakeries and food shops. Make a stop at Au Pain Dore (1145 Laurier W.) for its delicious French bread and pastries, rivaled only, perhaps, by Le Fromentier (1375 Laurier E.), at the eastern end of Laurier, where the neighbourhood turns more bohemian. Le Fromentier (try a maple-topped croissant) shares space with a cheese shop where you can pick up some of Quebec’s artisanal cheeses. Stop at La Maison Cakao, at 5090 Fabre, a small side street off Laurier. Its hot cocoa, which goes down like melted chocolate in a cup, gives new meaning to the drink. Pick up some of the famous brownies to take home — if they last past the hotel room.

Afternoon: Along St-Laurent Boulevard is a stretch called The Main, because this part of town considers itself the centre of things. Stretching for blocks along this famous north-south road are chic clothing boutiques, designer furniture stores, bookstores, galleries, cafés and restaurants. Check out Scandale (3639 St-Laurent Blvd.), with fashions by Quebec designer Georges Levesque. Lola & Emily (3475 St-Laurent) is another Montreal trendsetter. The nearby Euro Deli (3619 St-Laurent) is a good place to stop for a quick lunch.

Alternatively, head to busy Ste-Catherine Street for a fix of Maison Simons (977 Ste-Catherine). Simons on a Saturday is not for the casual shopper. The department store is packed with rack upon rack of great deals on up-to-the-minute items. A shirt dress that’s a rip-off Calvin Klein goes for $29, a trench coat for $55, and there are rows of this summer’s must-have dresses as well as the latest jeans and accessories. And that’s just for girls. Deals on men’s fashions encompass designer brands mixed in with the store’s own label, Twik.

Evening: Crescent Street, with door-to-door bars, clubs, restaurants and cafés, is an easy choice after a day of shopping. It’s close to downtown hotels, offers plenty of choice and the establishments are open late enough to accommodate a post-shopping nap. Onfourfloors, Newton (1476 Crescent St.) covers all the bases under one roof; it has a restaurant, dance club, lounge and terrace.

Day Two:

Morning: Begin your day with a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal; 1379-1380 Sherbrooke St. W.; mmfa.qc.ca), Quebec’s largest and oldest museum. This will serve two purposes: The cultural immersion will ease your retail guilt, and the museum shop is a great place to pick up unusual gifts, art books and interesting jewellery.

Afternoon: All that culture works up an appetite. For lunch, head to Old Montreal. The 18th-century historical district has been revitalized into a chic part of the city where Montrealers both live and work. Make your first stop at Olive & Gourmando (351 St-Paul St. W.), a cafeteria-style café serving excellent salads, sandwiches, soups and baked treats. Wander the cobblestone streets, where avant-garde galleries and stylish boutiques stand side-by-side with tacky tourist shops.

The Bonsecours Market (www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/marchebonsecours), near the Old Port, is a showcase of Quebec designers and craftspeople. It houses 15 boutiques featuring top-quality local creations, from crafts, fashions and jewellery to reproduction Quebec furniture — all at artisan prices.

Evening: Stay in Old Montreal for its excellent restaurants. Modavie (1 St-Paul St. W.) offers a fusion of Italian and French cuisine with some live jazz tossed in. Restaurant Bonaparte (447 St-Francois-Xavier) has three rooms decorated in the Empire style of the Napoleonic era, and a varied French menu. Or there’s Cube (355 McGill St.), one of Montreal’s best — and priciest — restaurants.

Wrap up your evening with a stroll around the old city. Chances are you’ll stumble on a festival of some sort. Just don’t leave your purchases behind.

Hotels:

The fashionable boutique hotels are clustered in Old Montreal, but we preferred a downtown location because it was closer to the shops. You can’t get much closer than Loews Hotel Vogue (1425 De La Montagne; loewshotels.com), steps from store-lined Ste- Catherine Street and across the street from Ogilvy. Small and cozy, the Vogue is also kid- and pet-friendly. There’s an oversize marble bathroom with Jacuzzi in every suite and, at $159 a night for a weekend in April, leaves you with enough cash left over for splurging.

If the Vogue is full, the higher- priced Hotel de la Montagne is steps away (1430 De La Montagne), and the Ritz-Carlton is around the corner (1228 Sherbrooke St. W.). Or check into one of the downtown hotels participating in Montreal’s Sweet Deal promotion, which offers the second night’s stay for half price until May 31 (montrealsweetdeal.com). From June 1 to Oct. 14, it’s 50% off the third night., with rooms starting at $137 a night.

— Canwest News Service