Montreal
Went up on United Airlines and Air Canada to Montreal for the New Year to visit family. Normally, my flights are uneventful...and even if eventful, readily resolvable. On this trip, mechanical delays meant that I missed my connecting flight in EWR. The plane had some steering problems with the wheel and it would have been good that the pilot figured that out before we were already on the runway about to take off. My question is how come they didn't see that coming in? The planes don't stay on the ground long enough these days in my opinion.
After determining it wasn't going to be fixed at midnight, United moved all of us to a different plane. All well and good but there were no agents were available to address people who were going to miss their connecting flights. I had already jumped on the phone in the plane and was able to get to an agent to inform me that it was possible to take a direct flight in the morning on Air Canada but she couldn't get a hold of anyone. Kind of insane that no one was available since they are based in Montreal and it is 3 am locally. Instead I was offered a continuing flight to Boston before getting to Montreal. Not ideal but I thought it would be easier than getting off the current flight and trying to get someone to take the luggage out of the plane. In hindsight, it may have worked out.
After landing in EWR, I inquired with the United Club agent if the luggage was routed to BOS or not. She informed me that I would have to claim the luggage in Boston and then recheck to Air Canada. So I asked if it could just go all the way through and she said it was good to go. Sigh, famous last words.
Before getting on the flight to BOS, grabbed a slice of pie from Tagliare. It was conveniently located near my gate and it was really good! I was surprised and definitely will return to this location. With all the new eateries in EWR, I'm still not impressed with all the hipster food at premium pricing.
Upon arrival in BOS, I thought I would be able to grab lunch before getting on my Air Canada flight. Apparently, Air Canada is in a separate section of the airport and away from the general terminal with all the eateries inside. Had I known I would have to leave and go through security, I would have been ok with grabbing my luggage before heading to the ticket counter. I confirmed with the counter agent that the luggage would be forwarded to YUL. At this point, the agent said she saw the ticketing and there was no issue.
Landed in YUL and was greeted by the surliest customs agent at the entrance. Since the US and Canada shares borders, it is usually fairly easy to go through. As I was heading to the US line, the agent pointed towards the international line and I said I was a US citizen and she still kept pointing to the non-US/Canadian line. After waiting 10 minutes and not moving in the line, I went back out to find the "ABC" kiosks and found out that there is an electronic process to cross the border. Similar to Nexus or Global Entry, the system is designed for North American residents. So glad I didn't stay in the international line as it was not moving and growing longer.
After passing through customs, no luggage was in the carousel. Went to the United Airlines baggage claim office but was sent to Air Canada instead. They could not locate the luggage and I had a feeling it was stuck in Newark since the rerouting was from EWR. Without luggage and armed with a very nice toiletry bag from Air Canada, braved the 19 degree weather in Montreal and grabbed an express bus to the Le Centre Sheraton. The express airport bus is really nice and is designed to stop at the major points in downtown Montreal. There was a stop right across the street from the Sheraton and at $10 CAD per person, a pretty good deal. Taxis are a flat rate of $40 from airport.
The Sheraton was nicely situated and the staff was pleasant. I did not get to swim in the indoor heated saltwater pool but I heard it was nice. I was not able to get an upgraded room but it wasn't surprising. The Sheraton Club is a nice spot but no free booze. I don't stay at many international SPG hotels but I was expecting free booze. The food selection was OK in the evenings. I did not have breakfast but I saw the waffle and crepe machines so it must be fine to make in the mornings.
After settling in, went out to dinner to Au Pied de Cochon. Martin Picard is famous and the restaurant has been visited by Anthony Bourdain. It is essentially Quebec food and they are known for the foie gras. The table ordered several poutines (foie gras and regular), duck in a can, pork chop, dumplings, duck fat fries, and the duck special. We had 8:30 reservations but they didn't seat us until after 9 pm. They did give us free beer and ice tea for the extended wait. The food was good but the wait time for the food took a while. We didn't leave the restaurant until almost midnight because of the wait for the food. Overall, I enjoyed everything but I wouldn't order the dumplings or the duck special again. The foie gras poutine was awesome.
The next morning, had some coffee and pastries at Melk Bar. The pastries were very good especially the chocolate chip cookies. It was crispy and chewy at the same time. I'm not much for chewy cookies but I ordered a second one.
Without luggage, went to the nearby stores the street over and did some light shopping. The hotel was conveniently located next to the retail downtown area and it made it easier for me to grab stuff. For lunch, went to Deville Dinerbar. I ordered the shephard's pot pie and the toasted marshmallow shake. The shake was tasty with the Nutella swirls in the vanilla ice cream. The pie was typical shephard's pie. A little on the pricy side for comfort food but it was an easy walk from the hotel. The apple pie ice cream sandwich was ok.
After the late lunch, went back to the hotel to rest and check on the luggage situation. The folks at Air Canada couldn't figure out where the luggage was but the United Airlines folks seemed to have the luggage in EWR and knew where it was last scanned. The luggage would remain in EWR until almost the last day of the trip. They did relent and say they would reimburse for interim expenses. I do not think that the Air Canada policy to wait 24 hours is a good policy but we shall see how they respond to my claims.
I was hoping to see fireworks for NYE at the Old Port area. I was told it would start at 10 pm but it was a false statement. I did get to briefly walk around the Old Port and see all folks walking around and enjoying the free concert. It was quite packed but friendly. Nothing too wild or aggressive. Unfortunately, I could not stand the cold for two hours straight and opted to go to a restaurant for a late dinner. Since the car was parked in Chinatown, walked back to the parking lot and see if anything was open in Chinatown and ended up at Saigon 27. It was expensive for Vietnamese food but it was also open. Service was slow and we ended up being there after midnight and missing the fireworks.
The next day, ordered smoked meat sandwiches for takeaway at Schwartz's Deli. Famous for the smoked meats, I had the smoked meats sandwich. Simple sandwich of meat and bread, I enjoyed it with my Colt Cherry Cola. It hit the spot as did the fries. After brunch, moved to the Embassy Suites Montreal. Ironically, it is next to Chinatown and the Old Port area which would have made it more ideal location than the Sheraton. The Embassy Suites was next to the Westin which I also considered staying but opted for the Sheraton. The hotel upgraded me to a suite after I requested having an accessible room. I did so on the off chance that some of my group was going to stay an extra night and someone wanted to have a handheld showerhead rather than the stationary showerhead. Kids have a way of making the oddest requests.
After determining it wasn't going to be fixed at midnight, United moved all of us to a different plane. All well and good but there were no agents were available to address people who were going to miss their connecting flights. I had already jumped on the phone in the plane and was able to get to an agent to inform me that it was possible to take a direct flight in the morning on Air Canada but she couldn't get a hold of anyone. Kind of insane that no one was available since they are based in Montreal and it is 3 am locally. Instead I was offered a continuing flight to Boston before getting to Montreal. Not ideal but I thought it would be easier than getting off the current flight and trying to get someone to take the luggage out of the plane. In hindsight, it may have worked out.
After landing in EWR, I inquired with the United Club agent if the luggage was routed to BOS or not. She informed me that I would have to claim the luggage in Boston and then recheck to Air Canada. So I asked if it could just go all the way through and she said it was good to go. Sigh, famous last words.
Before getting on the flight to BOS, grabbed a slice of pie from Tagliare. It was conveniently located near my gate and it was really good! I was surprised and definitely will return to this location. With all the new eateries in EWR, I'm still not impressed with all the hipster food at premium pricing.
Upon arrival in BOS, I thought I would be able to grab lunch before getting on my Air Canada flight. Apparently, Air Canada is in a separate section of the airport and away from the general terminal with all the eateries inside. Had I known I would have to leave and go through security, I would have been ok with grabbing my luggage before heading to the ticket counter. I confirmed with the counter agent that the luggage would be forwarded to YUL. At this point, the agent said she saw the ticketing and there was no issue.
Landed in YUL and was greeted by the surliest customs agent at the entrance. Since the US and Canada shares borders, it is usually fairly easy to go through. As I was heading to the US line, the agent pointed towards the international line and I said I was a US citizen and she still kept pointing to the non-US/Canadian line. After waiting 10 minutes and not moving in the line, I went back out to find the "ABC" kiosks and found out that there is an electronic process to cross the border. Similar to Nexus or Global Entry, the system is designed for North American residents. So glad I didn't stay in the international line as it was not moving and growing longer.
After passing through customs, no luggage was in the carousel. Went to the United Airlines baggage claim office but was sent to Air Canada instead. They could not locate the luggage and I had a feeling it was stuck in Newark since the rerouting was from EWR. Without luggage and armed with a very nice toiletry bag from Air Canada, braved the 19 degree weather in Montreal and grabbed an express bus to the Le Centre Sheraton. The express airport bus is really nice and is designed to stop at the major points in downtown Montreal. There was a stop right across the street from the Sheraton and at $10 CAD per person, a pretty good deal. Taxis are a flat rate of $40 from airport.
The Sheraton was nicely situated and the staff was pleasant. I did not get to swim in the indoor heated saltwater pool but I heard it was nice. I was not able to get an upgraded room but it wasn't surprising. The Sheraton Club is a nice spot but no free booze. I don't stay at many international SPG hotels but I was expecting free booze. The food selection was OK in the evenings. I did not have breakfast but I saw the waffle and crepe machines so it must be fine to make in the mornings.
After settling in, went out to dinner to Au Pied de Cochon. Martin Picard is famous and the restaurant has been visited by Anthony Bourdain. It is essentially Quebec food and they are known for the foie gras. The table ordered several poutines (foie gras and regular), duck in a can, pork chop, dumplings, duck fat fries, and the duck special. We had 8:30 reservations but they didn't seat us until after 9 pm. They did give us free beer and ice tea for the extended wait. The food was good but the wait time for the food took a while. We didn't leave the restaurant until almost midnight because of the wait for the food. Overall, I enjoyed everything but I wouldn't order the dumplings or the duck special again. The foie gras poutine was awesome.
The next morning, had some coffee and pastries at Melk Bar. The pastries were very good especially the chocolate chip cookies. It was crispy and chewy at the same time. I'm not much for chewy cookies but I ordered a second one.
Without luggage, went to the nearby stores the street over and did some light shopping. The hotel was conveniently located next to the retail downtown area and it made it easier for me to grab stuff. For lunch, went to Deville Dinerbar. I ordered the shephard's pot pie and the toasted marshmallow shake. The shake was tasty with the Nutella swirls in the vanilla ice cream. The pie was typical shephard's pie. A little on the pricy side for comfort food but it was an easy walk from the hotel. The apple pie ice cream sandwich was ok.
After the late lunch, went back to the hotel to rest and check on the luggage situation. The folks at Air Canada couldn't figure out where the luggage was but the United Airlines folks seemed to have the luggage in EWR and knew where it was last scanned. The luggage would remain in EWR until almost the last day of the trip. They did relent and say they would reimburse for interim expenses. I do not think that the Air Canada policy to wait 24 hours is a good policy but we shall see how they respond to my claims.
I was hoping to see fireworks for NYE at the Old Port area. I was told it would start at 10 pm but it was a false statement. I did get to briefly walk around the Old Port and see all folks walking around and enjoying the free concert. It was quite packed but friendly. Nothing too wild or aggressive. Unfortunately, I could not stand the cold for two hours straight and opted to go to a restaurant for a late dinner. Since the car was parked in Chinatown, walked back to the parking lot and see if anything was open in Chinatown and ended up at Saigon 27. It was expensive for Vietnamese food but it was also open. Service was slow and we ended up being there after midnight and missing the fireworks.
The next day, ordered smoked meat sandwiches for takeaway at Schwartz's Deli. Famous for the smoked meats, I had the smoked meats sandwich. Simple sandwich of meat and bread, I enjoyed it with my Colt Cherry Cola. It hit the spot as did the fries. After brunch, moved to the Embassy Suites Montreal. Ironically, it is next to Chinatown and the Old Port area which would have made it more ideal location than the Sheraton. The Embassy Suites was next to the Westin which I also considered staying but opted for the Sheraton. The hotel upgraded me to a suite after I requested having an accessible room. I did so on the off chance that some of my group was going to stay an extra night and someone wanted to have a handheld showerhead rather than the stationary showerhead. Kids have a way of making the oddest requests.
After seeing my group off, enjoyed some cocktails at the hotel reception and then heading out to dinner at Papillon Bleu at 200, rue St Jacques, Montreal, QC, H2Y 1M1. Not much was open on New Year's Day but this Chinese Szechuan restaurant was open. It was completely empty but it worked out fine. The honey garlic chicken and garlic noodles was very good. The peanut butter dumplings were interesting, the sauce has a very heavy satay taste which is how the dumplings are "peanut butter."
The next day, had breakfast at the hotel. The home fries were very good. I was surprised to see that they didn't have waffles but maybe it was due to the size of the breakfast crowd. There wasn't enough room for people. After breakfast, I didn't get the chance to have a late checkout so I wandered around downtown and picked up more clothing items. After the light shopping, checked out of the room and walked over to Chinatown and picked up dragon beard candy from Dragon's Beard Candy on 52b, Rue De La Gauchetiere Ouest, Montreal, QC H2Z 1C1. It isn't a big shop but the inside was very clean and efficient. I also walked over to the Old Port area and picked up pastries from Maison Christian Faure. They had two kinds of chocolate croissants, one with the traditional filled and the other was a swirl. I've never seen that kind of chocolate croissant but it ended up tasting better than the traditional filled. I also had the caramel brownie pot de crème, a chocolate cake bar of sorts, lemon meringue, and éclair. The best dessert was the pot de crème and the chocolate cake bar.
Grabbed a taxi to the airport and asked the gate agent about the luggage. I had requested that the luggage be resent back since it did not arrive before my trip ended. I was directed to the baggage claim department because the United Airlines folks could not figure it out. After talking to both United and Air Canada, it appeared that my luggage had arrived the night before and was delivered to the Sheraton in the morning. After debating requesting Air Canada to pick up the luggage and ship it back, scrambled back to the Sheraton and picked up the luggage to bring it back to the airport to recheck the luggage. Really, my luggage had a nice vacation at EWR while I was in Montreal.
The flights on United Airlines was uneventful. I had an opportunity to volunteer off a flight in EWR but I was too late in line. I had initially thought that the flight might be oversold and hoped for a voluntary request. I was right but I was not able to capitalize. Hopefully, my claim with Air Canada about the excess charges will be honored as well as my complaint to United about the delay of flight.
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