Let's Take a Day Trip

MONTREAL — One of my favorite things to do on a random Saturday is cross the border into Canada and explore one of the nation’s largest cities.

While Toronto is a place I enjoy, Montreal is probably my favorite Canadian city. There’s something about it that immediately makes me feel like I’ve traveled much farther from home than I actually have. French is everywhere — on signs, menus, and in conversations happening around you — and when you combine that with the architecture, food, and overall atmosphere, Montreal feels like a true international destination without having to cross the Atlantic.

This weekend, I had a preplanned trip to “The MTL,” as some call it, with absolutely no itinerary.

I knew three things: I wanted to eat well, get my steps in while enjoying the weather, and have a good nap.

Mission accomplished.

My Saturday started with an early-morning nonstop United Airlines flight that left Chicago shortly after 7 a.m. A short flight later, I landed in Montreal with most of the day still ahead of me.

First order of business: brunch

Once I landed, my goal was simple: find a good breakfast or brunch spot.

I hopped in an Uber and headed toward Old Montreal to drop my suitcase off at my hotel, SonoLux. The hotel would end up being an experience of its own, but more on that later.

After leaving my luggage, I headed to Dandy, a popular brunch restaurant basically across the street and down the sidewalk.

Then I saw the line.

It was wrapped around the block.

I immediately thought, Oh no. This is not it.

Except apparently, it was.

As I walked around looking for alternatives, I quickly realized Dandy wasn’t the exception. Restaurants throughout the area had people waiting outside. Saturday brunch is clearly serious business in Montreal.

And on this particular Saturday, I couldn’t really blame anybody.

It was around 75 degrees, sunny, and seemingly without a cloud in the sky. With Montreal’s much colder fall and winter weather waiting around the corner, people were taking advantage of a beautiful late-summer Saturday.

So, I got back in line.

About 35 minutes later, the host began making his way outside, asking people how many were in their parties.

“One,” I told him.

One of the underrated advantages of solo travel is that sometimes being a party of one works in your favor. Not too long afterward, I was escorted inside and seated at a counter overlooking the kitchen area.

The restaurant itself felt lively but intimate. From my seat, I could watch the action happening just feet away as plates made their way out of the kitchen.

The menu was relatively simple, which I actually appreciated. Instead of pages of choices, Dandy seemed focused on doing a smaller selection of brunch dishes well.

I ordered the ricotta pancakes with maple brown butter sauce and lemon cream, along with bacon and a fried egg.

Those pancakes were worth the wait.

They were rich without being overwhelmingly sweet, with the lemon cream adding some brightness to all that maple and butter. Even the egg, as simple as it was, was seasoned well with salt and pepper.

I’m watching my carbs these days, but I also believe in allowing myself to be “bad” every once in a while — especially when I’m traveling.

And if I was going to do it, those pancakes were a pretty good reason.

Something else stood out to me: everything tasted incredibly fresh and simple. Even the tap water caught my attention. I watched it come straight from the faucet, yet somehow it tasted better than plenty of bottled water I’ve had.

Maybe Montreal was already getting to me.

Wandering through Old Montreal

After that heavy breakfast, walking was pretty much mandatory.

Fortunately, Old Montreal is exactly the kind of place where you don’t need a destination.

I wandered through the neighborhood, taking in the older buildings, busy sidewalks and historic streets before eventually making my way to the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal.

It’s difficult not to stop and stare.

The basilica’s Gothic Revival architecture towers over Place d’Armes and immediately gives the area a sense of history. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about visiting older cities: standing in front of buildings that existed generations before any of us were here.

Coming from the Chicago area, where I’m used to impressive architecture, Montreal still feels different. Old Montreal in particular has moments where the stone buildings, narrow streets and French signs can make you forget you’re only about a two-hour flight from home.

That’s exactly what I like about it.

And then I donated to the Canadian economy…

After walking around for a while, I headed back to SonoLux, changed clothes and decided to catch an Uber to Casino de Montréal.

I figured I should see what the casino scene was like north of the border.

Let’s just say I was a loser.

Literally.

Looking back, there were several more productive things I could have done with that money — like buying another plane ticket somewhere.

Lessons learned.

But even the trip to and from the casino gave me another look at Montreal. On the ride back, I caught beautiful views of the skyline and the St. Lawrence River. Seeing downtown from across the water gave me one of those quiet travel moments where I wasn’t necessarily doing anything — I was just enjoying where I was.

And sometimes that’s enough.

SonoLux was not what I expected — in a good way

Back at the hotel, it was finally time to accomplish another major item on my itinerary-that-wasn’t-an-itinerary:

A nap.

But first, we need to talk about SonoLux.

I booked the hotel through Hotels.com and wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. It isn’t the kind of big-name hotel brand I’m accustomed to seeing, like Marriott or Hilton, and that actually ended up being part of its appeal.

Walking through the doors didn’t feel like entering a conventional hotel.

There wasn’t the typical sprawling lobby with a long front desk and people standing around waiting to check in. Instead, the space had more of an upscale restaurant, bar or lounge atmosphere. The experience is technology-forward, including self-service check-in, which contributes to the feeling that SonoLux is doing its own thing rather than trying to recreate a traditional hotel.

Then I got upstairs.

The room was modern, dark and sleek, with warm lighting built into the design. My room had a large bed dressed in crisp white linens, and two robes were waiting for me when I arrived. The darker walls and minimalist décor gave the space an almost cocoon-like feeling — which turned out to be perfect for someone whose afternoon plans involved closing the curtains and disappearing for two hours.

Even the shower controls caught my attention. Instead of a basic faucet and knob, the controls had a modern push-button design that looked more like something you’d expect to see in a high-end spa.

SonoLux felt less like a standard hotel room and more like somebody had taken elements of a boutique hotel, upscale lounge and modern apartment and blended them together.

I had never stayed somewhere quite like it.

And yes, that nap was everything I hoped it would be.

Back to one of my Montreal favorites

Two hours later, I woke up refreshed and ready for the most important decision of the evening:

Dinner.

Instead of experimenting with somewhere new, I went with something I already knew I liked — Deville Dinerbar in downtown Montreal.

There are times when traveling when trying a new restaurant is part of the adventure. Then there are times when you know exactly what you want.

I wanted the short ribs and mac and cheese.

The short ribs were tender enough to fall apart with barely any effort, sitting alongside mac and cheese that was gooey underneath a beautifully crusted top. It was rich, heavy and absolutely not the meal you order when you’re trying to count calories.

But again, I was in Montreal.

We’ll get back on track Monday.

Montreal continues to win me over

That’s what I love about this city.

Montreal is a foodie city, but it’s also a city where I don’t feel pressured to constantly be doing something.

Of course, there’s plenty to see. You can explore Old Montreal, visit museums, tour historic churches, walk along the waterfront, experience the nightlife or, apparently, donate some money to the casino like I did.

But you can also come here with no itinerary at all.

You can wait in line for pancakes. Walk until your legs tell you they’ve had enough. Stop and admire a centuries-old building. Take the long way back just because the skyline looks good. Check into a cool hotel. Sleep for two hours in the middle of the afternoon. Wake up, eat an unreasonable amount of mac and cheese and call it a successful day.

For a major city, Montreal somehow still feels laid-back.

Maybe it’s the French influence. Maybe it’s the food. Maybe it’s the architecture. Maybe it’s hearing two languages throughout the day and feeling like I’ve traveled much farther than I actually have.

Or maybe it’s all of it.

Whatever it is, Montreal continues to win my heart over and over again.

And the best part?

I didn’t need an itinerary to make it happen.