So as I left off…this Cincinnista had an amazing wedding…and now off to the honeymoon. After two well needed days to re-cooperate, Tom and I headed to a well needed 5 day get away in Montreal.
Despite flying international, the flight was pretty easy. Our first bit of fun was being on the entire two flights with the FC Cincinnati soccer team and their coaches. As my kids are huge fans, of course my motherly duty was to get as many autographs as possible along with their head coach, John Harkes. I was so impressed with their professional, nice demeanor not to mention…they are pretty cute!
Once we arrived in Montreal at the Hotel Intercontinental, we laid low our first night at the in-house bar called Sarah B. Known as an historical absinthe bar…which is banned in the U.S. now by the way….we ate fabulous calamari along with wine and cocktails.
Speaking of food, Montreal lives up to its reputation of amazing food! From the Boris Bistro with it’s amazing risotto, to the french XO Le Restaurant’s delicious filet mignon, to Notkin’s Oyster Bar, I was never starved for flavorful cuisine. The only thing that helped stave off a few calories was the tons of walking we did exploring different parts of the city. My only complaint dining wise was that as California chardonnay kind of girl, the french whites were tough on my palette. I know…boo hoo, right?! We did stumble in to an American style Bistro called Houston’s one happy hour, and I got my American Chardonnay fix!
Beyond food and drink, the biggest thing Montreal offers is an amazing mix of culture. As many people know, it is a French speaking city with all types of cultures and nationalities. Luckily, this Cincinnista took 4 years of french in high school only to really get by with “bonjour” and “merci” with a bit of a french accent… but hey, A for effort right? Tom and I loved the powerful Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pompeii exhibits at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts not to mention our last day find: the L Hotel in Old Montreal. The L Hotel first grabbed us when we walked by on day one accidentally to later find that it’s owner, George Marciano, the founder of Guess Jeans, houses a world class art collection of contemporary art. From a Marciano portrait by Andy Warhol, to Jean Miro to Sam Francis, prints and originals by some of the top early 1900 artist’s can be found. And the service while having drinks while looking at beautiful art and interior design….Merci Beaucoup!
That’s it for now. Back to reality. Fall is around the corner and stay stunned for the late fashion and style news there! Cheers!
