The Global Life: A New Panache

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Montreal's greatest attraction remains its inner cityscape. Though it is a largely French-speaking metropolis of almost 3.5 million (nearly everyone speaks at least a little English), its core is easy to explore on foot. Visitors inevitably are drawn downtown, the heart of which is Rue Sainte-Catherine and the dozens of streets that radiate from it. In the winter the entire district is accessible through a 19-mile grid of underground passages and atriums known as the underground city. The nearby and stately Rue Sherbrooke is also worth checking out, especially from around high-end Rue Crescent (the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is at the intersection) to the entrance to McGill University in the east.

For an earthier taste of Montreal, head to Boulevard Saint-Laurent, where the street's character has been forged like a pearl out of constant friction between generations of immigrants, poets, nihilists, students and most recently the inevitable yuppies. The funkiest part, between Rue Sherbrooke and Rue des Pins, is filled with a pungent mix of great restaurants, cafes, food stores, nightclubs and local-designer clothing shops. Continue north past Rue des Pins to Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, the best place in the Milky Way to sample smoked meat sandwiches (a delicious slice of the pastrami-corned beef food group). Even heartier walkers can head west to the giant Parc du Mont-Royal, where there are miles of peaceful trails in this bucolic retreat, designed by Central Park creator Frederick Law Olmsted.

Finally, don't miss a stroll through Old Montreal. Until a few years ago, this was the town that time forgot, which in a way is a good thing. Today the quaint and sometimes cobblestoned streets, especially the meandering Rue Saint-Paul, are abuzz with new bars, art galleries, restaurants and lofts. On a rainy or snowy afternoon, you can also hire a caleche (a horse-drawn carriage, which costs about $26 for 30 min.), snuggle up under a giant fur and watch the scenery of this trading town on the banks of St. Lawrence go by. It's not hard to pretend you're still in the 18th century.