Quebec City: Notes and Itinerary

 

Quebec City from our hotel room Christmas morning

A seven-day family Christmas trip to Quebec City. We stayed in the Delta Hotel in Quebec City (690 Boulevard René-Lévesque Est) and took Ubers and walked around the city, particularly Old Quebec.

December 22 – bitterly cold and windy, Angie and I had lunch at INOX Brewery – Shared Platter European Hot Dogs. Everyone else arrived after 10pm, it was a full day of travel for them.

December 23 – Exploration of German Christmas Markets across the city. Made our way to the Petite Champlain, ride the funicular, lunch at 1608 Bistro good charcuterie and french onion soup. Breakfast and Evening meals in the hotel.

Angie and I shared the Charcuteries & Formages fins du Terroir – Pour 2 at the 1608 Bistro

Christmas Eve: the high temperature was only in the mid-teens, but without wind it was very bearable, one can almost say that it was pleasant. The old aphorism, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” applies. Brief stop at Second Cup Café in Place D’Youville. Shopping for food and snacks at Metro Plus. I felt like we were cheating a little because I already felt at home at the Richelieu, a smaller, more intimate grocery store near our hotel.  We walked through interesting neighborhoods, while Miranda and Liam played in the snow. We bought bread at Boulangerie artisanale Epi-Fanny (Rue Saint-Jean). In the afternoon, walk to the Plains of Abraham, where famous battle between the French and British colonial forces took place in 1759, to see the Saint Lawrence River. Dinner at Sapristi…bistro bar, a popular Italian place near St. Jean Gate.

Christmas Day: Breakfast buffet at the hotel, continuing conversation about ground cherries. Walk on the Plains of Abraham, overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. Dinner at the Cochon Dingue (1614 Rue Saint-Jean) with French Canadian Cream Pie.

Boxing Day: Aquarium de Québec with arctic foxes and polar bear (ours blanc). I walked along the citadel and found the memorial to the Irish famine. Café Félin Chat-Nous (cat café) for hot chocolate and coffee.

The view of the Saint Lawrence River, over Petit Champlain

Irish Famine Memorial in Quebec City

Shy Iris

Having hot chocolate and tea

Beautiful Bianco 

December 27 – Miranda and I went to a record store (CD Melomane Inc – 248 rue Saint-Jean), I bought Steve Terre’s Rhythm Within, and Bowie’s ChangesOne for her. Lunch: L’Atelier (in the bubbles). Musée de la Civilisation. We had dinner at hotel with Mom and Beau. While Christian, Heather and the kids had dinner with friends who were also visiting the city.

Eating in the bubbles at L'Atelier

December 28 – Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. Lunch: fondue at Restaurant Le Petit Château. Maple Taffy at the Château Frontenac. Sledding at the Plains of Abraham. Angie and I went to the Dufferin Terrace Tobogan Slide. Late dinner (appetizers) at Bistro Hortus.

Lunch at Restaurant Le Petit Château 

Hot taffy poured over ice, then it can be rolled up on a stick for a warm treat

Sledding on the Plains of Abraham

The toboggan run

Post-toboggan meal at Bistro Hortus

December 29 – Leave Québec; got everyone else on the way and then Angie and I took a walk. The temperature was above freezing for the first time this week. Quick snack at Sapristi…bistro bar. Train ride to Montreal, dinner at Les Soeurs Grises Bistro-Brasserie (32 McGill Street).

December 30 – Breakfast at Pigeon Café (inspired by Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!). Depart from Montreal, all day ride to Poughkeepsie.

 

Montréal Canadiens

 

Bell Centre

It might not be your team, but one cannot help but be moved by the energy in the Bell Centre as the Canadiens take the ice at the beginning of the game. A video recording of the team’s history, founded in 1909, winning 24 Stanley Cups, and producing the likes of Richard, Morenz, Béliveau, and LaFluer, all of whom were from the city, starts the countdown to faceoff. At the conclusion of the video, the narrator argues that it is the city that made the men, and therefore the team, rather than vice versa. The people were the heart of the Canadiens, in other words.

As the last home game of the year, and the Saturday prior to Christmas, the mood in the arena was festive and celebratory. The scoreboard repeatedly showed fans wearing both Canadien sweaters and Santa hats with the team’s logo. The anglophone family sitting to my right, a mother, father, and two teenaged daughters, were very much into the contest on ice, discussing players and the flow of the game. While the parents enjoyed a couple of beers, the young women indulged in pizza and popcorn.

When Angie and I walked down to the Bell Centre Plaza earlier in the afternoon, we met a couple from Munich who were going to attend the game later. Decked out in Canadiens gear, they recounted their two-week trip to Ottawa, Buffalo, and Montréal to see NHL players from Germany play. The man was a Montréal fan, while the woman preferred the Washington Capitals. Nevertheless, they were excited about the prospect of seeing Moritz Seider play for Detroit that evening. At the game that night, I did not realize it until well into the third period, the man sitting to my left and his two companions, possibly a brother and father, were all speaking German. Perhaps a sign of the NHL’s global reach.

The chiens chauds (hot dogs) at Canadiens games are legendary. Although I had a satisfying pregame mean, at second intermission I felt compelled to sample one along with a locally brewed L’Amer IPA. The dog, skinny but flavorful, comes on a toasted bun, which is its most distinctive feature, along with ketchup, mustard, and relish. About ten days prior, when the Penguins were playing in Montreal, the broadcasters, Steve Mears and Colby Armstrong, indulged in chiens chauds during the first intermission, eating them on air. Armstrong related how during his playing days the Montreal staff would deliver a pile of dogs to the visiting team’s locker room at the conclusion of the game.

 

chien chaud

Game Report 

The River Trail (Winnipeg)

 

The Red River on a bleak October morning in Winnipeg

The River Trail in Winnipeg runs approximately four miles along the Red River with associated trails branching off along the Assiniboine River. The confluence of the two rivers, a location where indigenous people gathered and traded for over 6000 years, is considered one of the most important places in the interior of North America. As part of the Trans Canada Trail, the signage specifically tries to tie the various European and Indigenous cultures of Manitoba and the city together.

Selkirk's Settlers

On the northern part of the trail, specifically in Stephen Juba Park, signs and monuments honor Selkirk’s settlers, a group of Scottish migrants who began arriving in 1812. Fleeing dire conditions in Scotland, the colonists were sponsored by the Earl of Selkirk to establish the Red River Colony, close to Winnipeg. Difficult conditions and tribulations followed.

"Education is the New Bison"

Closer to the city center, adjacent to the Museum of Human Rights at the Forks, trail signage concentrates on the indigenous history of the area. While historical explanations illustrate the importance of the area as a meeting place, contemporary indigenous culture is represented as well. A statue by Val T. Vint, called “Education is the New Bison,” places emphasis on learning as the new key to economic and cultural wealth. The buffalo in the statute is constructed of books, marking a new way forward for indigenous communities. The trail also recognizes the continuing legacy of hardship and devastation as well. The Manitoba memorial for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women occupies a prominent place on the trail, and has flowers and candles left for “those who are not here.” Around the city, several displays of REDress, red dresses displayed in various ways, are prominent. The art installations, a play on words, are a call to redress the injustices faced indigenous communities. Similarly, Canada declared 30 September as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Residential Schools. Flags remained at half-mast in many places during the month of October.

The Memorial for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women

VJ’s Drive Inn – Winnipeg

 

Originally opened in 1958 as Juniors, VJ’s is located across Main Street from the train station in central Winnipeg, this local dive has a loyal following. VJ’s is a very small place where there is barely enough room for four or five people to order. There is no seating inside, and a few picnic tables adjacent to the parking lot and is a cash-only establishment. The entire menu consists of hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries, typically not my normal fare. However, when in Winnipeg I suspect one must sample the local cuisine. I order a hot dog, which automatically comes with chili, mustard, onions, and pickles. It was raining and the picnic tables that are outside were wet and messy. I chose to eat my hot dog standing in the parking lot. It was good, and it is clear why and how VJ’s has been in business for over 60 years.

A fellow patron, wearing a Montreal Canadiens, waiting for his order. 

The menu board

Nønsuch Brewing Company, Winnipeg

 

A funky, but elegant, brewpub wedged between the River Walk and Chinatown section of the city. After checking my vaccination record and identification, the female server commented that it must be my first time visiting given that I was from Pennsylvania. COVID protocols meant that ordering and serving was done through a phone app, but the service, nonetheless, was kind and friendly. I ordered deviled eggs and Baltic Porter. At first one might think that the combination was strange, and I would tend to agree. However, a commercial during the hockey game on television the night before, from Canadian egg producers, argued that having a egg as a snack was not weird. And it was weird to think otherwise. No doubt that I was primed by the commercial, but I also remember that in the early twentieth century it was common for bars in the United States to serve hard boiled eggs as well.

Despite the rather plain exterior, the interior of Nønsuch is lavishly decorated in soothing colors. Comfortable tables and couches, with soft lighting set a mood. A small after work clientele made up most of the patrons. Most of the tables would turnover before a Friday night rush. Electronic music played in the background, capping off a sophisticated, cool ambiance.

The Baltic Porter was described as, “A deceptively smooth gateway to the dark side.” At 6.8% abv it certainly was. After asking how I liked it, I told my server that the description was accurate. Without know the alcohol content, it would have been very easy to have another one or two. With a mile and a quarter walk back to the hotel, and at 5:30 in the afternoon, a second beer would likely have meant an early night for me.

Dining in Manitoba

 

The Forks Market, a converted train depot, in Winnipeg

In Manitoba, the weather has turn too cold for outdoor dining and it is required for dining patrons to show proof of a full regiment of vaccines and a photo ID to dine in an indoor restaurant or facility. Usually, a hostess will check or, in the case of The Forks Market, a venue with multiple eateries and a common dining area, an enforcement officer will come around and verify one’s status. I have a photo of my vaccination card at the ready on my phone and produce my driver’s license when asked. One woman even commented, “It’s nice to see a Pennsylvania license.”

The sign on tables announcing the verification procedures

Smith Restaurant (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

 

My original plan for a late-night sushi run, after watching hockey, was thwarted when the restaurants in The Forks Market closed earlier than I had anticipated. Instead, I retreated to Smith Restaurant, located in the same building as my hotel, where I order their Pork Belly Char-Siu. Described as “marinated Manitoba pork belly,” served with kimchi fried rice, a spicy aioli, toasted sesame seeds, and cilantro. The rice also contained egg and peas. It was very delicious and a perfect light, late-night meal.  With it, I had a brown ale from Little Brown Jug Brewing Company, also located in Winnipeg.

Thinking about Montreal

Montreal is a hip town, where even a house band in the local brew pub sounds cool while singing, “A Few of My Favorite Things” in French. Although it is a wonderful city in the summer, it is more appropriate to explore Vieux Montreal with a chill in the air and a bracing wind. It puts us in the moment; I am aware of my surroundings and the warmth each building potentially provides. I made my way to a local brew pub, where the beer was rated as excellent and the ambiance was inviting.

Sitting near the bar at a high-top table, I watch people enjoy the evening, good beer, and interesting food. Between my poor French and the loud background noise, I could only understand about ten percent of the conversations around me, but I can deduce what is going on. Two young men at the table next to me discuss their frustration at work; while a couple behind me are on a date, peppering each other a series of questions.

It is the second week in November and the late fall is making its impact felt as a light and persistent rain changes over to snow shortly after sundown. With sunset at 4:30 in the afternoon, a 7:30 dinner feels like a late-night supper. I enjoyed my light dinner and the drafted beer so much, a few nights later I cajoled Kevan into accepting a Saturday dinner invitation at the Bistro-Brasserie Les Soeurs Grises. I had a pint of the Appât-Si-Noir before we had dinner and duck carpaccio as an appetizer. As we chatted, I noted the television behind the bar each had different hockey games. People would occasionally steal a glance to keep themselves updated on the games that mattered.

When I returned to the hotel after dinner, I rode the elevator with two guys, dressed in complete fan attire, who just came from the Canadiens game. I asked about the game, and they recounted with great detail the exploits and highlights of the game. I mentioned I had been to the game Thursday night and I spent the rest of the elevator ride recounting my experiences.

It has been fourteen years since I attended my last baseball game at Olympic stadium. Yet, there is a deep imprint the Expos has left on the city. Youppi, the team mascot transferred to the Canadiens and you can by a costume at the team store. Also available are Expos T-shirts, jerseys and baseball cards. One might even imagine that the team never left, and was never having trouble drawing any fans to the games.

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Old Guy Hockey

While waiting for colleagues in a hotel lobby in Montreal, I overheard a man and woman conversing with his aunt and cousin. They discussed being snowbirds in Florida and lamented that they could not drive down two years prior because of a major house expense, specifically finding a major crack in the foundation. They decided it was better, and more financially prudent, not to go Florida that year. Peter rationalized that while they would not be able to escape the snow and cold, he could rejoin his hockey team in an over 65-year-old league. He told the three women gathered around him that he had forgotten how much he enjoyed playing hockey, and the following year, he declined going south again so that he could play yet another hockey season. He was looking forward to doing the same again this coming year.

When the four were saying their goodbyes, and I was still waiting for colleagues, I volunteered to take the photograph so that I could have a chance to meet the senior hockey player. Peter told me he was 71 and had two teammates in their 80s. After we took photos I asked if he would mine a photo with me so that I could send my buddy a photo. The love of hockey gave us a mechanism through which we could meet, have a chat, shake hands, share photos and stories, and have a photo taken we could share with our own community. It was a way for us to overcome our initial reluctance, very prevalent in adult males, to talk to each other and make friends – even if only temporarily. His cousin told me that I had made his day; of course, he made mine as well. A story to share with my friends at a game in the future.

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Rush-Bagot

Like every great capital city, Washington DC is a place of a number of monuments, statues and commemorations. Tourists flock to some of the most famous, often walking by interesting small and obscure monuments. One of my favorites is this small monument that denotes where the Rush-Bagot Agreement of 1817, at the former site of the British Mission on L Street, was negotiated and signed. The treaty provided for the disarmament of the Great Lakes and paved the way for better relations between Great Britain (the colonial holder of Canada) and the United States in the aftermath of the War of 1812. Today, the treaty is still in effect between the United States and Canada and is seen as one of the great achievements of arms control.

Short Observations of Vancouver

Sometimes when we travel we see what we want or expect. In a travel guide published in 1927, J.E. Ray wrote:

“One of the charms of Vancouver, to an Englishman, lies in its suggestiveness of the homeland. The climate is something like that of England. Whilst the gardens and the flowers therein might easily have been transported in their entirety from Devon or Cornwall.”

Some eighty-six years later it is difficult to discern much of what Ray saw. While some things may be reminiscent of Britain (such as the additional U in words such as labour and neighbour), in many respects, Vancouver is distinctly Canadian and emblematic of the Pacific Rim and a global city. Where else, but Canada, could you wake up to a morning newspaper where the front page has a picture of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, the two first round picks from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia (2005 and 2013, respectively) playing against each other for the first time in the NHL? (The Globe and Mail, 22 October 2013)

Much like neighboring American cities to the south, the weather is dictated by the patterns of the Pacific Northwest. Although the forecast might call for sunny skies, this does not rule out the possibility of fog, which was persistent throughout my visit. Perhaps as a result, much like Seattle and Portland, there are a plethora of coffee shops. Although there are a few Starbucks, Blenz is far more ubiquitous (not to mention Tim Hortons).

Looking down at the sidewalks in Vancouver, one will find the outline of leaves imprinted onto the concrete. There is no pattern that is discernible, just decoration that is a nicety. Also on Burrard Street, between Alberni and Georgia, there are two sidewalk markers that denote the locations of Oscar’s Restaurant (1943-1962) and the Palomar Nightclub (1937-1952).  It is a happier commemoration than looking down at the sidewalks in central Europe.

Ray does mention the Asian population of Vancouver in his account; however, he uses some unfortunate terms what is considered insensitive today. In his description of Chinese, Japanese and Indians he assigns certain jobs to each populations. The Museum of Vancouver has a very interesting exhibit on the history of the city, which includes artifacts and stories about Asian migrants. Chinese immigrants, who referred to Vancouver as “Saltwater City,” have been a significant segment of the population since the 1860s. Beginning in the 1880s the government of Canada tried to limit the number of Chinese immigrants through a series of taxes, and later exclusions that prevented anyone from China immigrating to the country.

Nelson Park is a neighborhood park in the middle of the west end of the city. I expected to find a statue of Admiral Nelson somewhere in the park; however, there was none that I am aware of. Instead, the park is a green space in the middle of a mixed neighborhood of single-family houses and stylish apartment buildings. There is a large dog park and a farmers market on Saturdays during the summer months.

Near the cenotaph at Victory Square, there is a small plaque that recalls the reading of the Riot Act in 1935. Protesters at a work relief camp in the city held a demonstration over conditions, treatment and food that escalated into a riot at the Hudson Bay department store on Georgia Street. A reminder that the effects of the Great Depression were felt worldwide. 

Powell Street and Asahi Baseball

What once was the area of the city where Japanese immigrants in Vancouver lived, today evidence of the Japanese community that once flourished along Powell Street is difficult to find. There is a small historical marker on the building at 314 Powell Street indicates that the building was once Fuji Chop Suey Restaurant, the most popular establishment in the neighborhood. The marker states that the restaurant served “Japanese-style Chinese cuisine” and was a fashionable venue for banquets and wedding.

Powell Grounds at Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver 

Just a few blocks down the street is Oppenheimer Park, which contains an old baseball backstop, which is the remnants of Powell Grounds where the Asahi Baseball team played. The team was very success in the in the city league and an inspiration for Japanese-Canadians who faced discrimination. The team was widely supported and played a brand of baseball (known as “small ball”) that is relies on skill and timing rather than simple brawn. (A 1931 picture of the team at Powell Grounds)

Ultimately, both Fuji Chop Suey Restaurant and the Asahi Baseball Team found their demise because of fear in the early 1940s. The team played its last season in 1941 and the restaurant closed in 1942 primarily because of the deportation of policy of the government of Canada. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, those who were born in Japan or Canadian-born citizens of Japanese heritage living in Vancouver were obliged to move east:

“2. Japanese Canadians who want to remain in Canada should now re-establish themselves East of the Rockies as the best evidence of their intentions to co-operate with the Government policy of dispersal.” (T. B. Pickersgill, Commissioner of Japanese Placement)

In 2013 the only minor league team in MLB-affiliated baseball located in Canada was the Vancouver Canadians. Although baseball has a rich tradition in Canada, it is often under appreciated. 

Carnegie Library (Vancouver)

The Carnegie Library, which is adjacent to Chinatown, is a majestic structure that was once an important facility in civic education and now serves the Vancouver Public Library until 1957. Today, the Carnegie branch is located in an area of town that faces substantial economic challenges. The building, in addition to continuing to host a small collection, serves as a recreational facilities and low-cost cafeteria for local residents. Inside the library there is a remarkable stained-glass window that honors English literary greats: Milton, Shakespeare and Spenser. Because of renovations inside the library, the bottom section of the window is not seen in this photograph, but honors Burns, Scott and Moore. 

community in various ways. Built in 1903, it was among the 2,507 libraries paid for Andrew Carnegie. The building housed the main branch of the

Whither the Book?

Angie turned to me and said, “Anyone who thinks the book is dead should come here.” The here to which she was referring is Strand Books in New York. We were visiting the famed bookstore on a Saturday afternoon in late September. The store, which is very big, was so crowded it was often difficult to browse for books because people were moving in and out between shelves. The line at the checkout counter stretched 20-25 people, long enough that I could overhear conversations about twenty-something dating rituals as we waited to complete our purchases.

There are other famous bookstores that engender such passion as well. Located at the corner of Pender and Richards streets in Vancouver, MacLeod’s Books is one of those used book stores where one can lose yourself for hours. It is a small space; however, there are so many books stuffed into the store that it makes shopping a treasure hunt for unknown goods.

MacLeod's Books

Featured in Macleans two years before my visit, I spent almost two hours searching through stacks of books. There are so many books that line the aisles that it leaves little room to walk, and this did not include the books that are on the shelves and perched on top of bookcases. While I was browsing the multitude of books, contorting myself to read spines that were not in an orderly fashion, I thought to myself that I was searching for books I did not know I wanted.

As I was browsing I could overhear a number of conversations between customers and the staff. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly, but not in an artificial manner that one finds in chain stores. The man and woman who worked the store while I was there figured out queries with minimum information. Among the customers was a woman from Germany, who purchased a couple of books and said that she had read about the store online. 

Persons Day

As I sit in a coffee shop in Vancouver, I write to take note that today is Persons Day in Canada. On this date (18 October) in 1929 the Privy Council declared that the word “persons” in Section 24 of the British North American Act (1867) includes females. The Act was the constitution of the country at the time and the ruling set the stage for gender equality in Canada and the subsequent expansion of rights to indigenous and minority communities. The five women who petitioned the Privy Council for the ruling adorn the $50 bill in Canada today.