OneCity
THREE VENUES
Montréal
By Joel Yanofsky
Summertime and, in Montréal,
the living is easy. With winter
finally over, the city makes up
for lost time by living up to
its reputation for joie de vivre.
The search for new, trendy
experiences is endless. Still, the
tried-and-true attractions —
exhilarating, interesting, elegant
— are always crowd-pleasers.
1. FOR ADVENTURE TRAVELLERS: Rapid transit
The Lachine Rapids, 10 minutes by jet boat from the Old Port in Old Montréal, are the
only rapids left on the St. Lawrence River. They're fast, wild — with two metre waves
in places — and filled with history. Riding the rapids in one of Lachine Rapids Jet Boat
Tours' Wave Jumpers, or Saut-moutons, provides some insight into the dangers the
first French explorers faced almost 500 years ago. But modern-day voyageurs are safe
in mandatory life jackets and mostly dry in slickers and wetsuit booties. It's a bracing
outing: riding in one of the jet boats is like hanging onto several high-pressure firehoses.
Lachine Rapids Tours first put jet boats on the rapids 23 years ago. The hour-long excursion
is $60 for adults (reduced rates for children). Open May to October. Lachine Rapids Jet
Boat Tours, 47 de la Commune Ouest; (514) 284-9607; www.jetboatingmontreal.com
2. FOR FAMILY TRAVELLERS: Happy feet
The Montréal Biodôme was built as a cycling venue for the 1976 Olympics. And despite
being next door to the despised Olympic Stadium (a.k.a. The Big Owe), it has become
a popular family attraction since it reopened 15 years ago as a nature museum.
Biodôme means "house of life," and life certainly abounds here. There are 750 plant
species and 230 species of animals in a setting that's a blend of zoo, aquarium and botanical
garden. It is divided into four sections, each representing one of the Americas' ecosystems:
Tropical Forest; Laurentian Forest; St. Lawrence Marine; and Arctic/Antarctic.
What makes the Biodôme fun is its offbeat selection of inhabitants, such as the capybara,
the world's largest rodent, or the sloth, top speed 0.5 kilometres per hour. But there's
no doubt who the real stars are: the penguins, dorky on land, debonair in water. The puffins,
their neighbours in the polar world, are unfairly ignored. Call it survival of the cutest.
Open daily, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost: $16 (adults); $8 (children under 18). Montréal
Biodôme, 4777 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin; (514) 868-3000; www.biodome.qc.ca
3. FOR BUSINESS TRAVELLERS: Puttin' on the Ritz
The Ritz-Carlton Montréal was built in 1912 by local investors who wanted a hotel to cater
to the carriage trade. That's shorthand for "if you have to ask how much it costs, you can't
afford it." But anyone looking for a taste of the lifestyles of the rich and famous can book
one of the 50 tables in Le Jardin du Ritz for a summer Sunday brunch and dine alfresco,
with formal white linens and engraved silverware. It doesn't get any more self-consciously
posh than this.
The most endearing attraction of Le Jardin is its duck pond. But like most visitors to
the Ritz, the time the six ducklings spend among the upper crust is fleeting. After two weeks,
they're rotated back to the farm, replaced by a younger, smaller, quieter class of quackers.
Le Jardin du Ritz officially opens on Mother's Day. Sunday brunch is served at 11:30
and 1:30. Cost: $55, including a glass of champagne. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and high
tea are also served daily. Ritz-Carlton Montréal, 1228 Sherbrooke Ouest; (800) 363-0366;
www.ritzmontreal.com
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