Funtreal.

The Sofitel Montreal is brand new and is a beautiful addition to the other fine hotels on Sherbrooke Ave. Originally an office building, the property has been gutted and retrofit by designer. Every floor has its own unique ambience and flavor. A beautiful faux-stained glass mural greets you at your arrival. Complimentary computers for internet access are in the lobby. Beautiful bathrooms with marble accents and clean lines of sight. Views overlooking the city. An excellent hotel.

The Montreal Jazz Festival is really two festivals in one.

On one hand, there are the large free shows on the many stages located around Place Des Arts. These are loud celebrations of music and fun. The Gala performance, which usually takes place on the Tuesday night, is attended by over 100,000 people. Get there early to stake out a place to stand. Thankfully, even this large crowd feels safe compared to many American crowds of this size. The best free shows over the past few years have been the free midnight blues shows at the new Club Soda.

The second aspect to the festival is the number of paid shows by some of the legends of Jazz, Blues, Rock, Electronica and Soul. It's usually worth checking out at least a few of these concerts during the week. In the past, these performers have included Prince, Sting, and Medeski Martin and Wood. It's essential to get one of the free show guides in order to plan your evenings so that you do not miss anything of interest.

Also of note, the surrounding clubs in the jazz-fest area tend to offer great free music as well during the duration of the festival -- especially the Luba Lounge on Bleury.

This is unquestionably the worst amusement park in the world. Although things seem to be picking up after the park was acquired by Six Flags, still the facts remain. The rides are lame. The people are rude. The costs are expensive. It's hard to get to. They charge you $6 for water.

Of use: If you have a Six Flags season pass from any of their parks in North America, admission is free.

This place should be renamed the Vomiterium. It's awful. Don't waste your time here.

One of the neatest spots in Montreal, this lounge is all done up in red velvet. During the weekends, this place is full of hipsters and beautiful women who are looking to meet that perfect guy. Weekdays are much more relaxed and chill. A band plays Monday nights.

This is the perfect spot to take a date, or to find one.

The Silophone is absolutely unique. You will not find it in any tour guide or printed listing.

A number of artists and audio engineers decided to convert an old grain silo in Montreal's old port into the world's largest acoustical chamber. They utilized hundreds of internal speakers and microphones to create this project. In essence, it has become the world's largest musical instrument. But from the outside, it looks like an average grain silo.

There are a multitude of ways to make sound with the silophone. The most popular and most interesting is from the stone structure on the riverwalk with the inscription "SILOPHONE" on it. This structure is easy to miss when walking by. It is about 10 blocks west of the main square in the old port. Once you get to it, you step in between the blocks and speak into the opening. Your words will be amplified and will resonate through the thousands of cubic feet of the silophone and played back to you in real-time through the hidden speakers.

This is a project that makes no sense, yet it is one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.

Definitely worth checking out.