Quote:If I choose Business class for the Toronto-Montreal leg (the Sarnia-Toronto leg only has Economy available), the price jumps to between $400 and $600Check the http://www.viarail.ca/ultimate/en_index.html]discount page - if you book at least a week early, that drops to $260 for the Toronto-Montréal leg. (And you arrive a dozen blocks from the Palais de Congres, saving you a huge chunk of the taxi fare from the airport as well.)
Quote:hey, Rob, what's Economy like on ViaRail for ~12hrs for a *big* guy?Let me put it this way: I'm 6'1", and I refuse to travel VIA economy. But that's because of some miserable experiences trying to fit into Economy a decade ago. Thnigs may have changed since then.
Quote:With a whole week, I figure I'll have three days or so to bum around Montreal and soak up the local color. Anyone familiar with town who can list some "don't miss" items?Alas, the Just For Laughs festival is this month, and Festiblues (the city's blues festival) doesn't start until August 13, so I can only recommend permanent attractions...
If you have any interest in nature at all, the http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/]Biodome is not to be missed. There are, of course, http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page ... ema=PORTAL]other museums in Montréal as well, including the Just For Laughs Museum.
The view from Mount Royal is worth the trip. (You'll need http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page ... ema=PORTAL]a map of the city to find your way around, though.)
Speaking of maps, http://servicesenligne2.ville.montreal ... =Serv_corp]here's a PDF map to the city's tourist attractions. It's in French.
(And if for some reason you decide to detour to Ottawa on the way back, I can take a half-day off work and show you some of the sights here...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012