At the end of my last post, we found yours truly finally making it to Quebec City after a long, treacherous drive through driving snow and dark highways.
It was sort of late the next morning when I finally pulled myself out of bed. I'd decided to just sleep in since I had arrived so late the night before. That being said, "sleeping in" meant around 10am. I guess my body's not used to really "sleeping in". I got dressed and decided to take the car and explore what Quebec City had to offer and hopefully find a camera battery along the way.
I began driving along the St. Lawrence River and have to say, it's one impressive body of water. It reminds me of the Hudson River in a lot of ways, not so much downstream by NYC, more like up further north, like near the Tappan Zee Bridge. The choppy waves had sort of a "majestic" feel to it, much like the city itself. I choose the word "majestic" because it's appropriate for this small, yet proud city that prides itself on its history, it's trademark "Fleur De Lys" and French heritage.
As it turns out, I discovered that the city is somewhat divided into two main parts: The Upper Town and the Lower Town. The city's number one attraction by far is the Château Frontenac, a hotel that looks like a majestic castle, situated at the top of this steep hill, which makes it look even more intimidating, yet beautiful. It can be seen for miles. The Lower Town, where my hotel was located, had a lot of the old world charm that came with the historical aspect of Quebec City. Cobblestone streets, old narrow alleys, tiny shops and restaurants really made you feel like you were back in the old days. Especially when you got to the "center" of the town where there's a large church and a very large open space, probably where the whole town gathered to hear the news of the day.
It was here where I came across a cute little pub called Le Pape Georges, located just outside of the center of town. A small, cozy wine bar, it reminded me of an old school version of "Cheers", where everyone knew each other and enjoyed each other's company. They were also very accommodating to strangers such as myself, to the point where after a few minutes, I found myself getting on with locals as if I was one myself. I really liked my conversations with the cute bartender (with a great French accent) and this cool local named Daniel, who filled me in on life in Quebec City.
It also reminded me a lot of Third and Long, for many of the same reasons. Comfortable place, great staff, pretty cool patrons... you get my drift. Overall, my visit to Quebec City, while short, was a welcome departure from what I'd experienced in Montreal. Not to say anything was wrong with Montreal- they are just two totally different cities. Montreal is more modern and cosmopolitan while Quebec City has more of a small town feel to it, though it's a city in its own right.
Today I made the long trek back to Montreal and I have to say that the drive back was much more pleasant than the one going up to Q.C. . Maybe the fact that I could actually see where I was going helped. In any case, when I returned, I checked into my third (and last) hotel of the trip: The Loews Vogue Hotel. Once again, I found myself in yet another NICE hotel (the Bureau of Tourisme outdid themselves). This one was more of a traditional looking hotel while the first two had a "modernist" twist to it. That being said, they put me on the top floor in apparently one of the best rooms of the house. My bathroom has a jacuzzi tub in it AND a TV! The bathroom alone is bigger than my bedroom in NYC!!!
The ongoing drama of the trip has to be the communications snafu between the Bureau of Tourisme and these hotels. Apparently when they set up this trip for me, they booked these great rooms and prepaid for all of them through a third-party agency. However, it looks like the third-party agency didn't get the memo to any of the hotels because each time I went to check out of a hotel, they were ready to charge my credit card until I had to explain to them that the rooms were paid for. I had to show them my confirmation sheets and even had to have them call the Bureau for verification. Needless to say it was a pain in the ass and somewhat embarrassing for me (as well as the Bureau) to have to go through all of this craziness.
One pleasant surprise took place today: After I checked in, I was beginning to unpack my bag when I got a buzz on my doorbell (yes folks, my room has a doorbell): It was the concierge, delivering to me a rollaway tray with a bucket of sparkling wine and a small, elegantly prepared birthday cake with a card from none other than BABY DOLL and REDSKINS GIRL! Talk about a surprise! I was totally caught off guard yet thoroughly touched by the gesture.
Now if I could only eat the cake! One downside of this trip: The rich foods of Canada. I feel like a constipated elephant.
Enough rambling for now. I finish my trip tomorrow before flying back early Saturday morning. Look forward to seeing everyone when I get back. Enjoy Halloween in NYC- I plan on doing the same here.
FRIDAY NIGHT: "After-Work" Happy Hour (5-10pm), $4.00 Mixed Well Drinks and Draft Beers! Halloween Night at Third and Long! Great drink specials all night long!
SATURDAY: "Kick the Keg" Saturdays (12pm-8pm), $2.00 mugs, ALL BEERS ON TAP!
SUNDAY: "NYC Marathon After-Party" 4pm-close! Join us as we celebrate everyone who participated in this year's Marathon! Great drink specials and giveaways!
Nuff Said!
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