Will you help me plan my Canadian adventure?

The provincial museum in Victoria is very nice. Also, if you can get out into the wilderness that is the rest of Vancouver Island, it is spectacular. Trees more than 1,000 years old on Meares Island, Pacific Rim National Park, Cathedral Grove.

You don’t mention stopping in Banff and at Lake Louise, which is really amazing.

Stanley Park is Vancouver is well worth seeing. The whales (Killer [don’t sit too close or you’ll get splashed] and Beluga). Also, the Sun Yat Sen gardens.

Winnipeg has a great zoo, botanical gardens and museums. It is also home to the Royal Winnipeg ballet and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. I know it isn’t on your list of places, but it is right on the way.

@WestRiverrat, That’s funny to recommend Winnipeg. I would not consider the peg to be among the top Canadian tourists destinations. (I’m from there, and its a great city, but be real now..) I’d say check it out if you’ve got a friend there who can show you around, otherwise your best bet is vancouver, montreal, toronto, quebec city, and if you have time to see the maritimes, I’d check that out too.

As for your list, in Vancouver you gotta walk around Granville Island for sure, bike along false creek, check out olympic village (district built when hosting olympics), and check out Commercial Drive (that’s where all the nice cafes, shops, music, bars are. aka, it’s ‘hip’) Granville street (not island) has more of the clubs and such if you’re into that scene. There’s a beautiful museum of anthropology on the UBC campus that I’d really recommend.

I don’t know Victoria well, but I remember it being small, that one day there is enough to walk around and see lots of it.

Montreal, you gotta get the bagels from St. Viateur and the smoked meat from Schwartz’s. That is a must. Those two things are what Montreal’s most famous for. Oh, and get poutine somewhere as well. Just ask around for the best poutine place in the city. (Poutine is a french canadian dish consisting of fries, gravy, and some special cheese curd).

one thing to be said for winnipeg, the zoo has been turned into the first urban polar bear sanctuary. THAT would be cool to check out.

You can buy pot from the fruit carts in the square on Victoria Island. They keep it in a separate compartment under the main fruit holding platform.

Thank you for the recommendations!

@adr I hear that a lot from locals where ever I travel. They don’t seem to appreciate what is available locally, I even get that when I travel to Chicago. I even got it in NYC once.

I am a native Montrealer now living out west. I would be pleased to be your guide to all the highlights. All I ask is that you cover my expenses.

Dr. Lawrence, I appreciate the offer! Were I able to meet your request, I would seal the deal.

If you have any favorite restaurants you can recommend in Montreal, I’d appreciate your suggestions, and I’ll leave an extra tip in your honor.

I have not been able to visit Montreal recently enough to provide up to date information. If it is still there, the crepes and especially the onion soup at “Crepe Bretonne” are terrific. I remember many places by how I used to drive to get there rather than by their names or addresses. That makes it hard to give you the kind of answer you deserve.