| Montréal Expos / Olympic Stadium | |
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Phone: 514/790-1245; 800/361-4595. Web: www.montrealexpos.com Online ticket sales? Yes (through a linked third-party Web site). Online broadcasts? Yes. Capacity: 46,500. Year Built: 1976. Last Visited: July 1998. League: National League, Eastern Division.
Not that Olympic Stadium is totally horrible; it was built in the 1970s before the advent of luxury boxes and private seat licenses. (Indeed, the lack of both is what kills the Expos from a revenue viewpoint.) The best seats are actually very good, but the poorer seats (like those in the outfield bleachers) are quite dreadful, with a poor orientation to the rest of the playing field. We're seeing that most stadiums built in the 1970s are totally lacking, both in providing revenues to teams and in serving the elevated expectations of fans. The Metrodome, Kingdome, Olympic Stadium...I don't think that fans will be weeping over the eventual demise of these stadiums, invoking the same sense of loss as did Crosley Field and Sportsman's Park when they were shuttered. Indeed, Olympic Stadium gets four baseballs on the basis of Montréal being a great travel destination. Put Olympic Stadium in, say, El Paso and it would receive a one-baseball rating. Things might be looking up, however. Everyone seemingly recognizes that Olympic Stadium is inadequate for baseball (or any other professional sport, for that matter -- the CFL's Montréal Alouettes play their games at McGill Percival Molson Memorial Stadium at McGill University), and the slow wheels that pass for provincial government in Quebec have announced that they're considering the possibility of making interest payments on bonds for a new downtown stadium. That, folks, is what passes for a major commitment in Quebec. Still, it's more than what the city of Montréal is willing to do, and it does increase the chances that major-league baseball will remain in Montréal. The concern here, naturally, isn't whether major-league baseball remains in Montréal; the concern is that Olympic Stadium meets the wrecking ball it so richly deserves, paving the way for a more intimate ballpark in downtown Montréal. Or, perhaps, an even more intimate ballpark that would support a minor-league team should the Expos flee Montréal. Trouble is, there's really no place for the Expos to move (sure, northern Virginia is bandied around as a potential site, but do you really think that Peter Angelos would forfeit his territorial rights? Fat chance), and without a potential new home for the Expos the team has little leverage in its negotiations with local governments. Hence the stalemate. However, Montréal will be a great baseball-travel destination now and in the future; Montréal is too large a market to be ignored by minor-league baseball in the off chance the Expos do move.
A wide variety of liquors are on the menu as well. Labatt Blue is on tap, while Labatt 50, Bud (ugh), Labatt .5 and Molson Dry are available in bottles. White and red wine, vodka, scotch, rhum (remember, this is Canada), gin, Amaretto, Grand Marnier and cognac are all sold by the glass as well. Something called an "Expos Double Play" (vodka, scotch, rhum and gin) is on the menu as well; presumably, this means you'll be seeing double after seeing a double.
Begin your shopping expedition by hitting the Montréal department stores, which can seem exotic when compared to American department stores. Downtown, there's Eaton's (677 rue Ste-Catherine ouest) and the adjoining Eaton Centre; both offer relatively mainstream goods at reasonable prices, although there's been an attempt to go upstream during a recent remodelling at Eaton's. If you visit Eaton's, go to the 9th floor and visit the Le 9e, a restaurant built in 1931 and patterned after the Art Deco dining hall of an ocean liner, the Ile de France. La Baie (The Bay, short for Hudson's Bay Company) is two blocks north and is even more modest (some might say frumpy). Between La Baie and Eaton is Henry Birks et Fils (1240 Carré Phillips), a fine-goods shop (jewelry, glassware, china, pens) where it appears that very little has changed between the store's opening in the end of the Victorian era and now. Down the street is Oglivy (1307 rue Ste-Catherine ouest), a smaller department store devoted to quality items (Aquascutum, Jaeger, et al). The basement level level has been remodelled; if you're in need of a quick snack and want to watch the EuroTrash in action, this is place to be. A few blocks away is Holt Renfrew (1300 rue Sherbrooke ouest), which is more upscale that the other stores in the chain -- this store also houses a Tiffany store. Montréal is a surprisingly literate city, and there are several bookstores worth checking out. The Indigo bookstore (1500 McGill College Av., at the corner of rue Sherbrooke) is a larger bookstore built on the American superstore model. (It shares space in the same Place Montreal Trust complex with Marks & Spencer, a Canadian outpost of the British retailers. Unlike the British stores, this Marks & Spencer accepts credit cards.) A few blocks west on rue Sherbooke is Chapters, Canada's largest bookstore chain, which is crammed into a smaller, funkier space. Both bookstores have the obligatory coffeestores within, although the Chapters loses some points because it houses a Starbucks. (The equivalent of Starbucks in Canada is Second Cup, and there are Second Cup coffeestores scattered around downtown Montreal, including a 24-hour Second Cup on Sherbrooke.)  And, of course, no discussion of Canadian shopping would be
complete without a discussion of Roots and Club Monaco, two clothing chains
that have managed to seep into the American consciousness.
Roots is a clothing store specializing in a
more "casual" look -- sweatshirts, t-shirts, khakis and shoes. Think
of clothing that the actor Dave Foley would wear, and you've visualized the
essential Roots look. There are two Roots stores on rue Ste-Catherine ouest:
one directly across from Eaton (716 rue Ste-Catherine ouest) and one closer to
Oglivy (1223 rue Ste-Catherine ouest). Also in the Place Montréal Trust
complex (1455 Peel St.) is Club Monaco.
Think of it as a hipper, less expensive Banana Republic, and you'll have a good
idea of why Club Monaco is so trendy.When you're all shopped out, take a walk down to the Old Montréal/Vieux-Montréal district, the original part of the city that dates back to the late 1600s. It's a mix of banks (due St-Antoine was once considered the "Wall Street" of Canada, though that designation now belongs to the Toronto financial district), shops, small museums, historic churches and restaurants. It tends to the touristy at times, and you'll definitely want to closely look at a menu before dining. La Marée (404 place Jacques-Cartier) is regarded as being one of the best restaurants in Montréal (this in a city where anything less than an exquisite dining experience is considered a disappointment).
There's one mandatory stop on Crescent: the Sir Winston Churchill Pub (1455 rue Crescent). There are a total of 17 bars at the Sir Winston, and on a nice summer night your best bet is to sit on the sidewalk terrace (if you can grab a table) and watch the world go by. Upstairs is Winnie's (1459 Crescent), where the likes of Mordicai Richler have been known to hang out. If you're into dancing, check out Thursday's (1449 Crescent), which has a legendary dance floor. Sessions (1432 Crescent) usually has something going on every night of the week. And if you're feeling bored at 4 or 5 in the morning, hop a cab and head for the Casino de Montréal, which features 3,000 slot machines, 116 gaming tables (blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Caribbean stud poker, Pai Gow poker and more), the obligatory Keno lounge and two horse-racing lounges. The place is usually packed: We visited the casino on a Thursday night and couldn't get near a gaming table, except for the large-stakes tables. The restaurants there are surprisingly good as well.
I've stayed at the Bonaventure Hilton International (1 place Bonavenure) and the Queen Elizabeth (900 bd. René-Lévesque ouest; 514/861-3511), and I can recommend both. The Bonaventure Hilton is definitely upscale, with a rooftop swimming pool and garden (complete with ducks and other wildlife), daily breakfast buffet and fitness area. The rooms are generally well-appointed, though they can be on the smaller side. The Canadian Pacific Hotels' Queen Elizabeth (or La Reine Elisabeth) is the largest hotel in Montréal, yet it doesn't feel overwhelmingly huge. Though both are considered to be two of the more expensive hotels in Montréal, you can always score a weekend special for reasonably priced rooms. (Do as I did with the Queen Elizabeth: just keep asking for the lowest price until something comes into your price range. I ended up with a large room and free breakfast buffet as part of a weekend bed-and-breakfast deal.) Both are connected to the Underground City, although the Queen Elizabeth is more centrally located, built on top of the VIA Rail Center Station (itself worth a visit, both to see a great railway station and to grab a bite in the delightful Les Halles food court). Also downtown are the incredibly upscale Ritz-Carlton (1228 Sherbrooke ouest; 514/842-4212), where patrons are still encouraged (though not necessarily required) to wear jackets in public rooms after 5 p.m.; the Hôtel Wyndham Montréal (1255 Jeanne-Mance St.; 514/285-1450), which is only slightly less upscale; the understated and chic Loews Hotel Vogue (1425 rue de la Montagne; 514/285-5555), where the rooms are known for their feather pillows, Jacuzzis and cherrywood furniture. More moderately priced are the Delta Montréal (450 Sherbrooke ouest; 514/286-1986), the Montréal Marriott Château Champlain (1 Place du Canada; 514/878-9000), the Radisson Hôtel des Gouverneurs (777 University St.; 514/879-1370; it's at the fringe of downtown but also easily accessible to Old Montréal) and the Holiday Inn Montréal Midtown (420 Sherbrooke ouest; 514) 842-6111). Again, Montréal has a glut of hotel rooms on weekends, and some planning on your part should yield a good deal.
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| Last changed May 8,
1999. Copyright 1999 Kevin Reichard. All rights reserved. All logos are the right of their respective copyright holder. |
