Finally, I Can Use My French! Part Deux!

Angela Pizzeria & Restaurant

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Just Poutine, Please!"

Sign Photo - Angela Pizzeria & Restaurant, Montreal, Quebec

Quote:

After walking around the Notre Dame and riding the train back to our hotel, we decided that we were all hungry. We needed to find a place to eat quick because people were melting from starvation. Now, we didn't know where to eat, so my wife and I decided to research to eat. We even asked the staff at our hotel were to eat; they gave us some ideas to where to go. Even so, we wanted to find somewhere that was close that we didn't have to walk to far. My wife found a place, and it was this restaurant. We decided to head over to this restaurant.The weather was hot, and people were going home from work. I enjoyed experience this as we were walking to this restaurant because the city was ...Read More

After walking around the Notre Dame and riding the train back to our hotel, we decided that we were all hungry. We needed to find a place to eat quick because people were melting from starvation. Now, we didn't know where to eat, so my wife and I decided to research to eat. We even asked the staff at our hotel were to eat; they gave us some ideas to where to go. Even so, we wanted to find somewhere that was close that we didn't have to walk to far. My wife found a place, and it was this restaurant. We decided to head over to this restaurant.

The weather was hot, and people were going home from work. I enjoyed experience this as we were walking to this restaurant because the city was live. I enjoyed that atmosphere, the sounds, and the sights of the city. The city life made me have high hopes for this restaurant because the positive vibe I felt with this restaurant.

We found this restaurant after walking 10 minutes. When we came into this restaurant, the restaurant had a few customers. The restaurant was quiet, but I could tell that this restaurant was a place that someone would come after going out clubbing. I would call this place a dive.

Our hostess AND waitress would direct us to our seats. We ordered our food. I ordered smoked-meat poutine and rotisserie chicken with rice. Because I was in the mood for Canadian beer, I ordered Molson Dry. My wife ordered white-meat chicken with salad. We waited for around 30-minutes for our first dish.

I have heard so many positive things about the poutine. I have researched so much that I was dreaming what it would be like to eat the poutine. I would gain the opportunity to live out my dream. Our poutine came out. Our poutine was amazing. Our poutine was so amazing that I was thinking why the poutine was not popular in the United States. Our poutine had fries covered with tomato sauces, melted cheese, and ham. It was so delicious that we would end up ordering another one by the time we left the restaurant. Unfortunately, the poutine was the only thing that made this restaurant worth visiting.

Our waitress brought our food. She told me that she did not have any Molson beer. Now, I was angry in my head because I was lost WHY any restaurant that offers beer would not have ANY Canadian beer. She tried to offer me American beer such as Bud Light, but I was angry that I just asked for water in French. My wife noticed that she received dark-meat chicken instead of white-meat chicken. The waitress was sorry, and she took my wife's meal to replace with the right chicken. At this point, my wife and I were angry with this restaurant. My main meal was ok at best. The chicken was ok, but I thought that I was served too much rice.

We finished our meal. We waited for our checks. We waited, waited, waited, and waited some more. We waited so long that my wife decided to take our children to head back to the hotel. Before my wife left, I waited for around 40 minutes. After my wife left, I waited for another 30 minutes. I watched as our waitress walked around the restaurant. She was focused on certain customers and never came to me to give me my check. I watched her do this constantly in an empty restaurant until I asked for her to give me my check. Finally, she did, and I realized that this restaurant was overpriced.

Overall, this restaurant is not worth visiting EXCEPT for the poutine. The meal was ok, but I thought the price was expensive for what we received. If I had known what I had known about this restaurant, I would order for poutine from this restaurant, and I would just pick up our poutine to send back to the hotel. I would not recommend coming to this restaurant. Read Less

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on July 31, 2012

Angela Pizzeria & Restaurant
1662 Boul De Maisonneuve O
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 933-2000

Cheer!
Flag

Montreal Botanical Garden

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "So Many Flowers..."

Pink Flower Photo - Montreal Botanical Garden, Montreal, Quebec

Quote:

So many possibility of enjoyment. My family and I decided to come here after our disappointment with the Insectarium. We hoped that this tour will raise our spirits. It was a very nice day to be outside, even though it was a bit hot. We walked to the garden, and we were pleased.Already I saw beautiful flowers. I enjoyed how this garden had many information about the plants, so I could tell which flower or plant was which. As we were walking in the garden, we noticed a playground. This was awesome because our daughters were tired of walking everywhere, and they wanted to find somewhere to play. My wife and I allowed them to play. This playground is very nice and well-kept. Moreove...Read More

So many possibility of enjoyment. My family and I decided to come here after our disappointment with the Insectarium. We hoped that this tour will raise our spirits. It was a very nice day to be outside, even though it was a bit hot. We walked to the garden, and we were pleased.

Already I saw beautiful flowers. I enjoyed how this garden had many information about the plants, so I could tell which flower or plant was which. As we were walking in the garden, we noticed a playground. This was awesome because our daughters were tired of walking everywhere, and they wanted to find somewhere to play. My wife and I allowed them to play. This playground is very nice and well-kept. Moreover, the playground had many play sets that the kids could continue to play without having to compete against other kids to use the play sets. I saw a group of school children coming to play, and my daughters could continue to playing. Even though the group had many kids, my daughters continue to play peacefully. Another good feature about this playground was the numerous benches that anyone could sit down for rest.

After my daughters played for around 30 minutes, we decided to continue to explore the gardens. We walked to the Japanese exhibit. We went inside the building with this exhibit. Now, there was not a whole lot in this museum except Japanese clothing and other items explaining Japanese culture. We did not stay inside for too long, so we decided to go back outside.

Exploring the garden is awesome. This garden has so many different kinds of beautiful plants and flowers. In fact, this garden is huge that we would have to take all day to see the entire garden (That would not be a guarantee). We continued to walk where we saw this beautiful lake filled with big goldfishes. This lake was very peaceful and relaxing. I felt that I could stay out near this lake all day and take it in, but my wife wanted to keep moving (It was becoming hot and close to lunch).

We walked to the exit. As we walked to the exit, we saw the rose garden. We decided to stop here to take some great pictures of the rose garden. If there is anything that anyone visiting this garden should visit, it should be the rose garden. You will see some many beautiful roses that picture-taking worthy. Roses in different colors and different sizes. I felt like I was looking a beautiful rainbow while I was check out this part of the garden.

Overall, the Botanical Garden is a MUST visit. This place is wonderful for families. Many things to do and see. The price is affordable. Highly recommended! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 29, 2012

Montreal Botanical Garden
4101 rue Sherbrooke Est
Montreal, Quebec H1X 2B2
(514) 872-1400

Cheer!
Flag

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Heavenly Majestic!"

Outside the Church Photo - Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec

Quote:

When visiting this church, you feel like a higher being is touching your soul. This church is well-known all over Canada, and it is a VERY popular church. Before I tell my experience when visiting this church, I shall add a little bit of history to set the mood.In 1657, the Roman Catholic Sulpician Order arrived in Ville-Marie, now known as Montreal; six years later the seigneury of the island was vested in them. They ruled until 1840. The parish they founded was dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary, and the parish church of Notre-Dame was built on the site in 1672. François Baillairgé, an architect, designed the interior decoration and choir 1785-95; facade & vault decoration, 1818. ...Read More

When visiting this church, you feel like a higher being is touching your soul. This church is well-known all over Canada, and it is a VERY popular church. Before I tell my experience when visiting this church, I shall add a little bit of history to set the mood.

In 1657, the Roman Catholic Sulpician Order arrived in Ville-Marie, now known as Montreal; six years later the seigneury of the island was vested in them. They ruled until 1840. The parish they founded was dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary, and the parish church of Notre-Dame was built on the site in 1672. François Baillairgé, an architect, designed the interior decoration and choir 1785-95; facade & vault decoration, 1818. The church served as the first cathedral of the Diocese of Montreal from 1821 to 1822. By 1824 the congregation had completely outgrown the church, and James O'Donnell, an Irish-American Protestant from New York, was commissioned to design the new building. O'Donnell was a proponent of the Gothic Revival architectural movement, and designed the church as such. He is the only person buried in the church's crypt. O'Donnell converted to Catholicism on his deathbed perhaps due to the realization that he might not be allowed to be buried in his church]

The main construction work took place between 1824 and 1829. The cornerstone was laid at Place d"Armes on September 1, 1824. The sanctuary was finished in 1830, and the first tower in 1841, the second in 1843. On its completion, the church was the largest in North America. It remained the largest in North America for over fifty years.[6] A new pipe organ was built in 1858 by Samuel Russell Warren.
pipe organ at Notre-Dame Basilica (Montreal)

The interior took much longer, and Victor Bourgeau, who also worked on Montreal's Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, worked on it from 1872 to 1879. Stonemason John Redpath was a major participant in the construction of the Basilica. Because of the splendour and grand scale of the church, a more intimate chapel, Chapelle du Sacré-Cœur (Chapel of the Sacred Heart), was built behind it, along with some offices and a sacristy. It was completed in 1888. In 1886 Casavant Frères began building a new 32-foot pipe organ at the church, completing it in 1891. It was notably the first organ with adjustable-combination pedals to be operated by electricity.

My family visiting this church, and I was taken aback when I saw this church. I felt like a giant was towering over me getting ready to crush me like an ant. My family and I went into the church. The price of the church as very reasonable. For $5 per adult, I paid $10 Canadian dollars. We went into the church. Immediately, I felt as thought God was was touching my soul. The church had a tranquil atmosphere that was peaceful. What was more amazing was the church was not crowded. My family and I could see the church by ourselves. If you want to take a tour guide, you don't have to pay extra. You may have to wait for a tour guide because the guides takes about 30 to 40 minutes. You can listen to the tour guide either in English, or if you want to try your hand , you can listen to French.

My family and I walked around the church. What was amazing to me was that even though the church looks HUGE outside, the church is small inside. Maybe because it seemed small inside because certain paths were closed off to tourists. The church offers a variety of amazing scenery (You can check out the photos). Every aspect of this church, I took time to savor every part of this church.

Overall, this church is a MUST visit. I highly recommend ALL visitor of Montréal visit this church at least one time. As a person who love visiting different churches as a visitor, this is the best church that I have visited in my life. The church is clearly well-kept, and the citizens of this church value this church to no end. Worth visiting!!!
Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 27, 2012

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
110 Notre-dame Street West
Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1T1
(514) 842-2925

Cheer!
Flag

Montreal Insectarium

Attraction | "Ou Sont Les Bagnoles? (Where Are The Bugs?)"

Quote:

After my family spent a joyous time at the Biôdome, we decided to check out the Insectarium. Now, we must have taken a wrong turn because we had to walk a LONG way. It was not a bad way because we needed the exercise. We had to walk up a big hill to get to this place. As we were walking to the attraction, we saw the Stade Olympique. I was very glad that we did not pay to visit this place because that place seemed rundown and beat up. It was a shame because the Stade Olympique is an important place in sports history. This place hosted the summer Olympics in 1976. I would have liked this place to be treasured because of its historic importance in the sports world. After we past the Stade Olympi...Read More

After my family spent a joyous time at the Biôdome, we decided to check out the Insectarium. Now, we must have taken a wrong turn because we had to walk a LONG way. It was not a bad way because we needed the exercise. We had to walk up a big hill to get to this place. As we were walking to the attraction, we saw the Stade Olympique. I was very glad that we did not pay to visit this place because that place seemed rundown and beat up. It was a shame because the Stade Olympique is an important place in sports history. This place hosted the summer Olympics in 1976. I would have liked this place to be treasured because of its historic importance in the sports world. After we past the Stade Olympique, we made to the entrance of the Insectarium.

We arrived at the ticket booth, and the lady at the ticket booth told me that we needed to purchase tickets to gain access to the Insectarium and Botanical Gardens. Now, we were confused because my wife and I thought that we paid family pass to see the Biôdome, Insectarium, and Botanical Gardens. The lady took kindly our ticket and allow us to pay for the Insectarium and Botanical Gardens.

I was very excited to check out Insectarium. I hoped that this would either surpass or equal my joy value that the Biôdome; however, it was not the case. As my family and I enter the museum, I noticed that the museum was very small. It was not a big deal. What was a big deal was the lack of live insects and bugs. There was plenty of insects that were in suspended animation, but I wanted to see more live insects and bugs. I was disappointed when visiting this place. The place has an awesome collection of different suspended bugs, but I wanted to see the real deal. I hope that one day that this attraction will include more live insects and bugs. Until they do that, I would not recommend wasting your money on this place. The museum is great because it is small and allow you to get through the place if you have unruly children. If you want to see live insects and bugs, this place will not have it. Not recommended. Read Less

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on July 23, 2012

Montreal Insectarium
4581 Rue Sherbrooke Est
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 872-1400

Cheer!
Flag

Montreal Biodome

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Super Musée (Super Museum)!"

Entrance Photo - Montreal Biodome, Montreal, Quebec

Quote:

My family and I made our first stop after taking our first ride on the métro to the Biôdome. We were very excited to come visit this place after reading many positive reviews from different traveling sites such as IgoUgo. When we arrived, I noticed that ALL of Canadian schools decided to take a school trip to visit this museum. We walked inside to purchase our tickets.We came up to the counter to purchase our tickets. When you come purchase to your tickets, you will have the options of purchasing a family pass to see the Biôdome, Insectarium, Botanical Gardens, and the Stade Olympique. You can purchase a combination of them with children age 0-4 entering the museum for free and childr...Read More

My family and I made our first stop after taking our first ride on the métro to the Biôdome. We were very excited to come visit this place after reading many positive reviews from different traveling sites such as IgoUgo. When we arrived, I noticed that ALL of Canadian schools decided to take a school trip to visit this museum. We walked inside to purchase our tickets.

We came up to the counter to purchase our tickets. When you come purchase to your tickets, you will have the options of purchasing a family pass to see the Biôdome, Insectarium, Botanical Gardens, and the Stade Olympique. You can purchase a combination of them with children age 0-4 entering the museum for free and children age 5-17 entering with a discount. My recommendation is try to spend your money just on the Biôdome and the Botanical Gardens. I shall explain my reasoning why you should visit these two while avoiding Insectarium and Stade Olympique in other journals.

My family and I entered the museum. The museum has five different climates that represent the different climates of all of North and South America. We started with the tropical rainforest. We entered this area, and we felt immediately the heat and humid of a tropical forest. This area was very awesome to check out because I felt like I was in a tropical rainforest. Even though my family and I were enjoying this area, I noticed that I was bumping into many people like I was a ball in a pinball machine. The museum was so packed that my family decided to get through this part of the museum quickly to the next area.

We entered the Gulf of St. Lawrance exhibit. The second we stepped into the area, the temperature changed immediately. Instead of the heat and humidity, the area was cool. I must admit that I wanted to stay here in this area with the temperature in Montréal sitting around mid-80s. I enjoyed the design of this area because it was what I would expect to see if I was visiting the St. Lawrance. My children enjoyed seeing the birds flying around this area, but I wanted to move on quickly because I was scared a bird would send a poop bomb on me. We went to see a tank full of fishes. My family took a moment to sit and look this tank because it wasn't packed or booked. We enjoyed sitting and relaxing while watching the fish swim by us. As we continue to move through the museum, we saw penguins that were just relaxing. At this point my children was excited and love seeing the different animals.

The best part of this museum, especially if you have children, is how interactive the museum is for people. We made to this area of the museum that allowed people to play in the water. Being a very hot day in Montréal, my wife and I decided it would be a great idea for them to play in the water. My children took of their shoes and started playing. I could tell that this part of the museum was the most popular because how crowded it was. My daughters would play in the water and play under a fake cloud to replicate a rain cloud. After my children finished playing in the pool of water, they were given towels. They could use the towels to dry themselves off.

Overall, this museum is a MUST for anyone who visits Montréal. My wife and I enjoyed visiting here, and most important, my children had a BLAST visiting this museum. I know that we shall come back to this museum, but we shall ensure that we don't visit when all of Canada's schools decide to visit. Highly recommended! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 22, 2012

Montreal Biodome
4777 Pierre-de-Coubertin Avenue
Montreal H1V 1B3
(514) 868-3000

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

Montreal Journals

Upload Photos