Multicultural tour of Montreal

After lunch we hopped aboard a bus to tour the cultural hotspots of the city. Our guide did a great job of pointing out highlights and giving us some Montreal history along the way.

View of the city from atop the Montreal "mountain." Of note are the Olympic facilities with the leaning white tower.

  

Statue in honor of Dante Alighieri (author of The Divine Comedy) in "Little Italy." Various cultural groups are represented in this truly diverse city of immigrants.

Learning a bit more about Chinatown, which just happens to be RIGHT next to our hotel.

Musée des Beaux Arts

Day one dawned bright and sunny with our group ready to tackle the city. We started the day with a guided tour of the contemporary section of the "Museum of Fine Arts."

Piece exhibiting a collection of "I am Charlie" cartoons in support of the 12 people killed during the attack of French newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France.

Our tour guide explaining the large hanging paper boulder as a piece exploring perception and reality.

Who doesn't love a big soft wall of stuffed animals?

Quick everyone, stand next to your corresponding color!

What a pleasant bunch of smiling, artistically informed faces :)

Preparing for Montreal - French Language Differences

Some observations from one traveler about some differences in the two dialects
Differences

Also - there is a video discussion (in French with English subtitles) including some French Canadian curse words (not for you to learn to say, but to know if someone is cursing at you!)
Video

Troy giving chopstick lessons to Garrett

Dim Sung

We all shared these small tasty morsels at a restaurant in Chinatown.

Our Last Morning in Chinatown

Pullman Porter Blues at Goodman Theatre

Chicago theatre is always wonderful.  These performers were fantastic on Saturday night.  The play was a perfect choice as well - since it hit upon a unique historical moment in Chicago history and lives of African-Americans who worked for George Pullman as railroad porters. It gave us a small peak inside that story of work, dignity and struggle.

Historic Palmer house

We all got brownies in the middle of this beautiful room at the Palmer House where the chef invented the brownie for the wife of the Potter Palmer, who built this manificent structure as a wedding gift for his new bride.  The place burnt down in the Great Chicago Fire - 13 days later - but was rebuilt.

Chicago food tour

Here's what a classic Chicago hot dog looks like - at American Hot Dogs.  The Tastebud Food Tour was like eating your way through history - learning about Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, prohibition, Al Capone's soup kitchens, the invention of the brownie, the World's Fair and much more. Our guide Jennifer was entertaining and informative.

Chicago Art Institute

Touring the Chicago Art Institute's Modern wing