Eastern Canada Trip 2013 Day 9 Friday September 20 Toronto to Montreal

UPDATED: February 10, 2021

This is the ninth of a series of posts dealing with my third trip to Eastern Canada. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification.  These are indicated by “NOW”.

Last night before turning in, Dave and Jan cooked me burgers on a BBQ. Evelyn the cat was playing with Jan and definitely liked my suitcase. I left Dave and Jan’s place a little early and just missed a 47 bus (Toronto Transit). I could have used a different route but wanted to connect with a streetcar. The next one was half an hour later. I took it to Dundas W and transferred to a 505 streetcar (Toronto Transit). I got off near Dundas Square and sneaked in a quick early morning visit. I bought a hot dog from a stand near the Coach Terminal (hey, it was open).  This being Fri there was already a line; ah well, already having issues with memory cards; this was an excuse to take fewer photos.  There was mist as the Megabus drove first to Kingston (where I got out briefly and got a root beer; couldn’t find a water fountain), then, mist now gone, as it continued on to Montreal. It arrived nearly on time.

I grabbed lunch at Valentine, at the food court. Ice rink part of the train station. I walked to Metro Bonaventure in the complex and bought a 3-day pass (rest of transportation today thus Société de transport de Montréal or STM). I just missed a bus but it proved to be a short walk to Auberge Bishop, a nice looking hostel in a castle-like building. They couldn’t find me in their system but I had my docs so all was okay. It was too soon to check in so I stored by suitcase and went for a walk. Walking along Ste Catherine. I found I was near the McDonald’s I had lunch at last year. I bought DVDs at the nearly Movieland Dépôt, visited Librairie Astro (will get some comics once I update my comic list) and Capitaine Quebec Comics. I checked in fully at the hostel, returned to Ste Catherine, visited Odyssey Bookstore on a side street. I couldn’t find Archambauilt, near a park with water jets, visited Future Shop, got DVDs from Video Boutique, then being hot, took a Yellow Line from Station Berri-UQAM to the two Islands that make up Parc Jean-Drapeau. My map is in my room and can’t recall the larger one; I crossed over to the smaller one (a couple were swimming in I think a blocked off area). I switched back over to the main island and took photos of the Biosphere (only the bars surrounding the complex, not the complex itself are spherical).

[NOW: I now believe the ice rink and food court were at a building near the train station but not at it. Auberge Bishop, Librairie Astro, and Odyssey Bookstore (which was on Rue Stanley) are now closed. I didn’t get the comics I planned to buy. The branch of Archambault was actually in the Underground City. The water jets are at Place-des-Arts on Rue Jeanne-Mance. The islands are Île Sainte-Hélène (where Station Jean-Drapeau is) and Île Notre-Dame. After above I returned back to Berri-UQAM.]

I walked through Le Village gai (tamer than last year); I got on a 15 bus that promptly turned around and went the other direction. I got off, dashed to a nearby Metro Station, where I took a Green Line train to Station Jolette. I walked south to far Ste Catherine E. Most of the places on my list were gone but I did get some DVDs at Superclub Vidéotron (many branches of this franchise still exist). I was in a very francophone area and figured out the bag check in but needed translation when asked if I had a membership. I had dinner at a Dairy Queen that was part Orange Julius and then walked to Rue Ontario, soon arriving at the Promenade Ontario shopping district.

[NOW: The station I got on the Green Line at was Papineau. That Superclub Vidéotron is now closed]

Mplex was gone. I visited another Superclub Vidéotron, got DVDs at Idée Fixe, visited Video Ontario. I was losing light I decided to postpone most of the rest of my itinerary (I am glad I visited this eastern area once but it ate up so much time I wouldn’t do it again). I hiked to Station Frontenac, took a train to Station Berri-UQAM, switched to an Orange line, arrived at Place d’Armes. I grab a drink at McDonald’s en route to the core area of Montreal Vieux (Old Montreal). I rested a bit, wandered the area a little more, walked to Metro Champs-du-Mars and from there to Station Lucien l'Allier. I then returned to the hostel and showered. As with Toronto’s hostel, the showers are co-ed but at least cubicle divided.

[NOW: That Superclub Vidéotron, Idée Fixe, and Video Ontario are now closed. I actually did revisit some of that eastern area the following year. That McDonald’s was actually in Old Montreal, on Rue Notre Dame E. It was another Orange Line that I took to near the hostel.]