Can you help me with my trip to VT, NY, and Quebec?

Lake Champlain :)

I went to college nearby but that was a long time ago. Sorry I don’t have specific places to recommend.

If you don’t come up with any solid suggestions, the Lake George area is a little further south but a lovely area with lots of great cottages, hotels, and B &B places.

A AAA guide book usually steers me right with their rating system. If you don’t belong but know any friends who do, they can get you good info free.

If you’re going to Montreal, I hope you speak French. They’re pretty fanatical about it.

@Buttonstc I have not been up there in over 20 years. I plan to go to the bookstore Monday or Tuesday and thumb through some travel books. Back then when I was in Montreal I had no problem, everyone spoke English. Quebec City was a diferent story, fewer people up there were bilingual. I hope some more people answer :).

The language issue has undergone significant metamorphosis since both you and I were up there lately.

The rabid Francophile movement has the upper hand. In the past, they even threatened secession if they didn’t get their way.

There really wasn’t any of that when I was there last. We used to go to Canada frequently since we were so close (Plattsburgh) and I spent a whole summer there as a camp counselor

But that was on this small island named St Anne de Bellevue. Not much to see there :)

But the Art Museum in Montreal was really impressive.

@Buttonstc Interesting.

Unless you speak French, stay away from QC and the smaller cities. QC is a bit of a haul from the rest of your itinerary anyway. You shouldn’t have much trouble in Montreal, Anglos are tolerated there.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Were you there recently? I remember Quebec City being very quaint and unique, I did not have a bad experience years ago. My husband is Mexican so maybe we won’t be perceived as negatiely as you imply? Honestly, I have never had trouble in any city or country, I never think in those terms, but now both you and @Buttonstc have mentioned it. Hmm?

@JLeslie What time frame are you working with? I’m just back from 8 days in Lake Placid. I usually get up there at least twice a year. What price range on the lodging?

@Adirondackwannabe Ahhh, I should have thought of you considering your name and all. I’m glad you you happened on my question. I am thinking within the next month 30 days or so. Some of it will be dictated by cost, so probably want to avoid the weeks surrounding Labor Day. Price Range probably $130—$200 a night. Can I stay somewhere nice for that? Not sure what the prices are? I can go higher. I will probably be in that area for just two nights I think. I was just looking at The Haus on line. I guess that is downtown Lake Placid? I want to be able to horseback ride. I think my husband might like to go ATVing, do they have that up there? I wouldlike white water rafting, but not sure if the water will be getting too cold?

The Haus looks ok, I haven’t stayed there, it’s fairly new. It’s right in the middle of downtown LP. The Golden Arrow, Art Devlin’s, or the High Peak Resort are all nice and in that price. There’s also the Hungry Trout in Wilmington, which is nice. Horseback, you might want to look into the Bark Eater in Keene. That’s a bed and breakfast with a stable. For ATV riding I would check with the Lake Placid snowmobile club, they’re active all year round. Or ask at the Bark Eater. White water rafting check out the Hudson River Rafting club, or Singing Waters campground, although it might be too cold for rafting. It’s pretty much busy up there straight through Columbuds Day, after that it slows down a little.

@Adirondackwannabe Thanks. I am leaning away from staying downtown, preferring a more out in the middle of nature feel, since we will be in Montreal later in the week. Ok, I look some of these up :).

If you want to get out of town, then the Hungry Trout would be a good one. Right on the Ausable River.

@Adirondackwannabe I just looked it up, and I think I want something a little more luxurious.

Courtyard Marriot is nice, not downtown, and should have rooms then.

Second thought, It’s a small town, downtown isn’t too bad and it’s right on the lake. Also, the Mirror Lake Inn is a little higher end.

I have been going to this region for the past 15 years and you have picked a wonderful area. My suggestion is to start in Vermont at Burlington it is such a wonderful small city. If you like antiques this is a great place. Next go to the N.Y side of Lake Champlain check out Ausable Chasm they filmed some of the old Perils of Penelope movies there check out Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain. The Vermont and N.Y. part should take you three days. Then Head up to Montreal fantastic city too much to do there to list.
If you need low cost lodging check motels near airport pretty much guarantees the lowest rates. It’s for lodging anywhere worldwide.
We own a Lake side camp on Lake Champlain in Willsboro Bay N.Y. side

@rob1961 Is it Willsboro or Westport that also has a polo club, which JL might enjoy. @JLeslie There’s also Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Defiance, which you might enjoy if either of you likes history.

@JLeslie I’ll look through a little of my info tonight and see if that gives me a few new ideas. The food in Lake Placid is amazing. Also, you might look at The Lake Placid Lodge. It’s off the main drag and higher end.

@JLeslie It’s hard for me to assess this directly, because I’ve been a French speaker since childhood. The largest Quebec city I’ve been to recently is Trois-Rivieres, several times. There and in the countryside, people pretty much ignore anything Anglo. Major tourist centers, like Montreal and QC, I don’t know about directly, but I’ve heard that most of the resentment is toward Anglo Canadians rather than Americans. Outside the tourist areas, you’ll have a hard time finding anyone willing to speak English (even if they understand it).

I can function perfectly there, as I speak French and my late wife was a native French Canadian. I don’t know how a non-Francophone would fare.

“not willing to speak English even if they undersand it”

I think that’s probably the best way to sum it up.

Do you have an estimate on how long this has been true?

There was absolutely none of that type of attitude when I was there in my college days. But that was a loooong time ago.

I first became aware of this approx. 8–10 years ago through conversations with people living there and from reading about it.

The secessionnist movement was apparently very strong and left a lot of bitterness in it’s wake.

As far as tourist areas, my undersanding was that those engaged in commerce were fine with speaking English when the situation required it since doing otherwise would be financially detrimental.

But other things like asking directions from everyday folk could be a little dicey.

At least that’s been my understanding, which may be faulty. Certainly wouldn’t be the first time:)

The Bloc Quebecois is still very strong in the countryside and smaller cities. The best you can do is to learn a bit of French and make it clear that you are an American, not an Anglo Canadian. In these areas, people see my NH license plate and frown a bit, when I open my mouth they smile. The secession movement is pretty much moribund, but the resentment of Anglos is alive and well.

Maybe my husband and I will use Spanish instead of Engish, and attempt French when speaking directly to the natives. Honestly, I am not very concerned. I would always attempt French first, even if you had not mentioned all of this, some simple sentence to try to communicate, and then when they see my poor pronunciation I assume they will help me out in English. This is what I do in Germany, Japan, Italy, every where I have been that is not English speaking, bring along a little Berlitz book. Maybe you all right, we shall see. At least after your comments I will be more prepared to the possibility that people may be a little hostile.

Thanks everyone. If you have any more suggestions for where to stay and what to do I appreciate them. :)

@JLeslie I didn’t come up with any more places to stay. A couple of places to eat in Lake Placid: The Veranda, Jimmy’s 21, Pete’s Steakhouse, The Dancing Bear, Taste Bistro, although you really can’t go wrong there. Have fun.

@Adirondackwannabe Thanks.

I just ran across the Q and thought I would tell everyone who helped me that Quebec City was great! Montreal was fine, but too much like any other city for my husband. Montreal was just like being in America, we did not feel treated differently because we were American, not at all. In Quebec City our service was always good, and it felt like being in any other foreign country, not particularly overly loving because we are Americans, but not rude in any way either.

The best part of the trip was Vermont! We went to the Von Trapps lodge in Stowe and went on the history tour. We met Rosemary Von Trapp, one of the children of Maria (the person played by Julie Andrews in the movie) ane one of Rosemary’s great neices, which would be a grandchild of Maria’s. They told the real story when they left Austria and what life was like there and in America. They answered many questions from the audience it was really lovely, I highly recommend it. My husband said it was his favorite thing the whole trip, and he has never seen the Sound of Music. In Vermont we also went to see info on Maple syrup, making cheese, Ben and Jerry’s, amd visited a lovely farm on Lake Champlaign. Really great trip.