Being based in Montreal has a lot of upsides (I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I love my town) but unfortunately, it also comes with its own set of downsides. Nothing is ever perfect! One of the biggest flaws is everything that pertains to travelling outside the city: the airport is quite difficult to get to by public transit (hello dad, thanks for the ride, again) and the   Read More ...

“Are we there yet?” I was giddy like a little girl on Christmas Eve, impatient to get out of the car. The 30 minutes that it took to get to Sucrerie de la Montagne felt like hours, and for once, nothing other than the sweet maple nectar occupied my mind. You see, growing up in Quebec means that sugar shacks are a sacred, yearly family ritual. Rain, snow or shine,   Read More ...

Because I am such an avid Instagrammer myself and because I do appreciate seeing my city with a different set of eyes, I spend a fair amount of time liking photos of my fellow Montreal Instagram friends. Each has a different style and focus (mine obviously  being staircases and doors!), and most importantly, each reminds me that Montreal has so many faces that I have yet to explore. Food, architecture,   Read More ...

They say that no matter where you go, you always come back home. And while I have no idea who “they” really are or for whom it stands for, I can’t help but agree. I’ve buried my feet in the Sahara Desert, I’ve traveled further up north than the Arctic Circle and I’ve visited countless European villages, yet few places swelled by heart as much as Hotel Sacacomie did. It   Read More ...

While it is very easy to imagine yourself jetting away to an exotic location, in reality, a stress-free, successful trip needs far more organization than just a few clicks. Especially in today’s world, where we carry more devices than we can count (not to mention the charger for each of these devices) and where going through security is nothing short of nerve-wracking. The packing list below reflects the type of   Read More ...

Traveling to Morocco was always a dream of mine. The traditional yet forward-thinking spirit of its inhabitants and the varied, changing landscapes have always been the object of my fascination, and it wasn’t until I actually set foot there that I truly understood what makes Morocco so special. My trip hasn’t gone without a few bumps –I mean that figuratively and literally, some of the roads we traveled on were   Read More ...

* I wrote this post last year for the Travel and Escape blog, but I figured the timing was right to share it here as well. Enjoy! Why on Earth would I want to spend the night outdoors in the notorious Canadian cold?” you ask. Well, in Montreal, the answer is obvious: the famous, festive and awesome Nuit Blanche Montreal (a French expression that means “staying up all night”— how fitting).   Read More ...

After being convinced by ALT Hotels to actually leave Montreal and spend a weekend in the suburbs –not a simple feat for the hardcore urbanite that I am– I figured I might as well make the best of it while I was there. And even though I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I loved everything about my suburban experience, many of the establishments at DIX30 surprised me in   Read More ...

Like most urbanites in this world, Montrealers will never be caught saying they are going to the suburbs. What’s the point, they say, when everything I could possibly need is located within a few kilometres from my flat? To be completely honest, I am one of those Montrealers. I shiver in horror at the thought of crossing the bridge to the unknown that is Laval or Longueuil, much more comfortable   Read More ...

Because 2013 was the year of rediscovery and re-appropriating my own neighborhood after being away for so long, I hereby declare 2014 the official year of being a full-throttle Montrealer. That means not only telling how awesome Montreal is to everyone I know (especially those who live in the suburbs, ha!), but also taking advantage of everything the city has to offer, food, art or festival wise. And because Montreal   Read More ...