Bucket List Montreal

 Montreal has long been in my bucket list since I was a young kid. My aunt's niece came to visit us in San Francisco and the young kid in me that thought of her as the older cool girl and she lived in Montreal. 35 or so years later, I made my first trip to Montreal. In my mind, Montreal was glamourous and romantic and in reality, I'd say that Montreal was not that which isn't a bad thing but just different. I spent 3 days there arriving on a red eye flight on Monday morning. AI is a big thing right now and I used it to help me create a walking tour of the city on my first day. I didn't give it mileage parameters and so I clocked over 27,000 steps on my first day. I check into my hotel and this is how my time was spent:

Day 1 in Montreal, I checked in and dropped my bags off at the Hyatt Centric Montreal and then set off on foot with umbrella in hand because of the cloudy weather. Thankfully, rain held off. I passed by the Notre Dame Basilica, the Place a'Armes. I walked Rue Saint-Paul and made my first purchase.. my beloved Lucia Douglas Pine infuser. I can't get any shop in Canada to ship it due to current customs and taxes and so I bought every single unit the shop had! I then set off to Chinatown which was really cute by the way. No shortage of casual restaurants. I walked what felt like all of Saint Laurent from Chinatown into the Mile End neighborhood. I had to make a visit the Fairmount Bagels and was luckily a timely visit as their sesame bagels were coming out of their wood fired oven. It was the best bagel I've had and especially for $1.04 USD. I couldn't believe how cheap in general I felt Montreal was. I visited more shops around the area along with a stop at the rival bagel shop St Viateur. While both bagels were fresh out of the wood fired oven, I preferred Fairmount as the ones at St Viateur were a bit under cooked.  I covered the neighborhoods of Mont Royal and the surrounding areas as well as the Market Jean Talon. 

Day 2 in Montreal, I revisited the Mont Royal neighborhood and this time I veered off the main streets and explored the more quaint neighborhood side streets. The staircase architecture, the life in front of every building's lawns, a mix of grunge and layered complexity. I see why people like Montreal. After that, I walked up to Mount Royal via the Outremont neighborhood which was the cutest and aesthetically, very much my jam! I walked by the old money area of Montreal at the base of Mount Royal before ascending for about 20 minutes up to the view point where there was an abundant area for sitting and resting. Next up, I stopped by the Marche Atwater market. I was debating whether to go or not but it was one of those I might regret it if I didn't and so I went. It was a much smaller and quainter version of Market Jean Talon. It was mainly artisan shops whereas Jean Talon was groceries and market foods. I did come upon a nice gentleman who owned a fruit stand who proceeded to provide me with a mini lesson on Canadian geography! I walked by the canal to take in the atmosphere before heading back towards Chinatown for dinner. Across from my dinner spot, Sammi Dumplings where I also went the night prior was a shop selling Chinese dresses. At $20 each, I bought enough for my girls to grow into!

Day 3 in Montreal was met with rain which was fine since I would spend the next handful of hours at the Scandinavie Spa. After the spa, I walked all along the harbor waterfront towards the Five Roses industrial sign but at the end, it didn't seem worth it for the limited view on ground and so I headed back towards the Old Town. Another walk through the Old Town and that would be my time exploring the bucket list Montreal. I will miss the $1 bagels and not having to pay $8 for a matcha latte. I happen to be there during the Japanese Celebration week where the restaurants and eateries that had a focus on Japanese food culture were highlighted. I had a delicious sushi dinner at Nozy for about $25 which would be unheard of in the San Francisco Bay Area. Montreal to me was a mix of grungy, understated and layered. Like any city, it was homeless camps, a street where people with drug addiction issues in need of mental help congregated and I happen to accidentally walk through such a street. Having grown up in San Francisco, my experience had me continue walking through vs turning around to take another route. One of the highlights for me was the many street musician performers I saw along the way mainly in Old Town and the senior citizens in Chinatown doing their daily breath exercises. Until next time, Montreal!

Milano.. Not A Stunning City But..

I just returned from a few days in Milano. At the time when I booked the trip, I had no idea that the 2026 Winter Olympics was taking place in Milan hence lodging logistics was not as straight forward as it normally was but more on that later! My impression of Milan is that while it's not a stunning city, it's one that is rich in culture and traditions. The Milanese stick to their espressos and cappuccinos void of any pressure to offer easily assessable matcha options. It has stunning historic architecture if you have the curiosity to look up and seek it from the modern. 

I arrived on a light rainy mid-morning and while it would have been so easy to hop into a taxi for 30 euros, it was nearly just as easy to follow the signs pointing to the M4 metro into the city center for 2.50 euros. M4, a quick transfer to the M1 and I was minutes away from hotel 1, the Hotel Gran Duca di York. It was a traditional Italian boutique hotel despite the British name with staff that couldn't be more welcoming and warm. It was immaculately clean... not a sign of any dust. Location was on point, just around the corner and 2-3 blocks from the Duomo. I would gladly stay here again. They served breakfast every morning and a decent selection and a sighting of Team USA the day before the opening ceremonies. Otherwise, the Milanese were pretty low key about the Olympics being in town. It wasn't until the day before the opening ceremonies that Olympic structures and banners took over the Duomo plaza.

I spent my days wandering the streets of Milan. I went to my first shopping stop: Flower Mountain. It's a Japanese sneaker company but made in Italy and this is their only physical boutique location. Bonus that it was February and end of season sales were abundant. I continued onto exploring neighborhoods like Brera, strolled through some flea markets, walked through Sforszesco Castle towards Chinatown and the surrounding areas. I explored the Navigli area one early morning which I highly recommend and traced my steps back towards the Duomo. My score of the trip was a last minute ticket to see the Last Supper. Every Wednesday, last minute tickets for the following week are available at 12pm local time which for me was 3am. Because I am normally awake due to what I call mom brain, I was able to snag a ticket. 

After a few nights at Hotel Gran Duca, I packed my carryon and walked a couple of blocks to hotel 2.. my spa hotel.. my staycation within a vacation which was well planned in hindsight given that it turned out to be a very rainy day.. the Park Hyatt Milano. It's a 5 star hotel with 5 star service. As I rounded the corner on this rainy day, the staff approached and whisked away my carryon while another staff member opened up a plastic umbrella bag for my dropping umbrella. I was granted early in (and late check out) and was escorted to my room by Letizia who was a sweetheart. She was delighted to point out the rare view from my view into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. I stepped out to explore the mall a bit and came back to a gold dusted round piece of chocolate and a welcome card from the staff. While I was out for a quick bite at the Starbucks Reserve, the housekeeping staff provided turn down service with also consisted of a few pieces of quality chocolate. This place deserves 5 stars all around! Team China was not slumming it.

As everyone was heading towards the city, I was heading away to hotel 3, the Crowne Plaza Linate. I suspected that the roads would be restricted and getting out of the city to fly home on the day of the opening ceremonies might be tough and so I booked an airport hotel to alleviate any risk. Team Qatar's security was onsite at the hotel. I thoroughly enjoyed my few days of consuming homemade pasta, walking the streets, taking it all in, and getting a Milan grade facial at the Claudalie boutique. Until next time!

The Biggest Playground in the World & London!

No, the biggest playground in the world is not in London. It's in Alnwick and it's called Lilidorei. The play structure is massive and impressive but the favorite thing for the kids and us was painting and finding these rocks that were hidden throughout the playground. We brought a few of the rocks home as souvenirs. After a few days in Northumberland with family, we arrived in London! Hearing the kids recognize and callout the big sights was pretty cool. I often come across questions from adults questioning why travel with kids when they won't remember much? Here's my take.. while they may or may not remember (although my kids seem to remember), it's about the experience and how the experience will help them grow emotionally and mentally. Being in a foreign city and not being afraid to take public transportation, walk the unfamiliar streets, see different walks of life, eat various foods, and all that experience will help shape them into being more well adjusted humans.

Anyway, London in the summer is unsurprisingly crowded and you really grasp this visiting the Natural History Museum. We had reserved tickets for the 10:15am time slot (they open at 10am) and still the building is at capacity within 30 minutes. It gets so crowded that you actually just want to look for the exit, so first time visitors, keep that in mind! 

On our list was also the Transport Museum which the kids ran through the place trying to complete their scavenger hunt. They were quite successful at it but not without being asked to "slow down" from one of the security monitors. We had some really good meals while we were in London and hands down, our favorite was a restaurant called Dishoom. They have various locations and we frequented the Covent Garden one nearly every day. They open at 8am for one of the best breakfasts in town! 

For lodging, we stayed at the Park Plaza Hotel across the Thames River with a view of Big Ben and all the surrounding glory. Traveling with a family of 5, the challenging part is finding a property that would allow 5 of us in one room as the kiddos are too young to want to stay in their own and neither of us are interested in single parenting in the evening. I wish the property was a bit closer to the tube lines but it more than makes up for it in the view! Until next time, London!

Amsterdam With The Fam!

I was a bit worried that 8 days in Amsterdam would be too much but as it turns out, it was just enough! Weather was on our side.. what looked like rain throughout the week that we were there turned into mostly sunshine with increasing warmth as our time went on! We were picked up from the airport by an uber driver who did quite the sell for his tourist business and perhaps we will hire him again on a return trip! We stayed at the Lloyd Hoxton Hotel in the docks neighborhood of Amsterdam. They have an amazing room there called Gather with a huge bed that slept 5 but really could have slept 7-8 people! It's housed in a century's old building that started as a hotel for immigrants heading to the States and after, a quarantine hotel during the Spanish Flu era and lastly, art space before the Lloyd family bought it and turned it into a hotel which the Hoxton group then took over. The location was great as it was a few minutes walk to the bus, tram, and the underground metro. It was easy for us to get out and about everyday without much effort. Across the street from the hotel was a grocery store, laundry shop, restaurants, and the kids favorite- a splash pad playground!

We spent our first two days getting acquainted in Amsterdam. I had been there many years prior and it's always interesting to see what stayed the same and what has changed. Coming here with the added perspective of the kids is also always fun! One thing was definitely the same: get away from the crowded Amsterdam central zone as fast as you can! We explore all the quaint canals, visited the highlighted playgrounds, had some delicious meals which one of them was a 90 minute chef's menu multi-course ramen dinner that the kids did wonders at! The playgrounds here did not compare to the ones in Stockholm that we visited the previous summer but it served it's purpose. We also made a few trips to the Mouse Museum and did the canal cruise that the kids were asking about. If I were to do a canal cruise again, I'd avoid the large commercial ones that only cruise the main canals because by day two, you''ve seen and walked by all the main canals. Instead, hire a smaller boat and cruise the neighborhood canals. We also visited the NEMO Science Museum for kids which I would definitely recommend as it's housed in a beautiful building and stunning views. 

After two days, we picked up our rental car from the central train station and drove a little over an hour to Efteling- a place that I had discovered on instagram and wanted to take the kids to since they were born. Our first turn out of the car rental was into the bike lane but after that, it was pretty much smooth sailing! We had an overnight stay at the Wonder Hotel inside the park, two day park passes with breakfast for just under $600! I told Steve that we never had to go to Disneyland.. we can just fly here, come here, and it might still be cheaper than Disney! Efteling was a charm of a place. We spent the afternoon of the first day exploring their fairytale land which was basically a village full of houses for every childhood classic fairytale thar you can think of. We ended our first night watching their show called Caro. After a comfortable night's sleep and an abundant breakfast, we took on the rides of the park for the day before heading back to Amsterdam. 

We spent our remaining days visiting one of the oldest and beautiful zoos in Europe: Artis and also did a day trip to the former capital, Utrecht. Prior to visiting Artis, I had wondered why the entry was so expensive and then I understood... they upkeep of the stunning place had to come from somewhere! You can spend an entire day there and I am not sure that it would be enough. Utrecht was a charmer of a city. Canals everywhere lined with restaurants and quaint shops. It was also the city where I caught my obligatory European video of musicians performing on a bridge. We visited the Miffy Museum and after years of trying to get my kids to be fans of Miffy, I succeeded!

Next up: England!

Lyon.. did not disappoint with it's food & architecture.

Lyon has been on my list since I discovered Bernachon chocolates over 10 years ago. For the longest time, the only two places that you can purchase their chocolate bars was from their flagship location in Lyon or this chocolate shop owned by the cutest lady in the Pigalle district, Paris. While I had the option to connect from SFO to CDG to LYS, I chose to take the 2 hr direct train from CDG instead for two reasons: I didn't want the 3-4 hour layover and also, the airport is an hour away from Lyon center. I arrived in Lyon by mid-day, checked into the Intercontinental Hotel which looks to be a museum of a building and took the metro to Bernachon chocolates.. seems to be one of the few shops that was opened on a Sunday outside of the Old Town.

Day 1.5 in Lyon, I spent roaming the cobbled streets of the Old Town. Peaking into various shops, spending probably a bit much at a particular toy shop for the kids, and marveling at the quietness of the town itself. Lyon is known for their food and architecture and neither disappointed. The best meal I had was at a chef's menu multi course vegetarian restaurant, Culina Hortas. I unknowingly walked in without a reservation and luckily, they had a table for me. Note to everyone: reservations recommended! 

Day 2.5 was spent in the main part of town in between the two rivers but first, a trip up to the Basilica of Notre Dame. An architecture gem seem across from all of Lyon sitting on a hill. It's the only thing that's opened in the early morning other than boulangeries. Walking the quiet streets lined with shops reminded me of Le Marias of Paris. Lyon feels that way.. a quiet and peaceful Paris. I remember seeing a youtube video not that long ago of a solo traveling gal who was in tears because she said people in Lyon was mean to her. Luckily, that was not my experience at all. The funniest encounter that I had was probably a shop owner letting me know that I can speak English when I was attempting to communicate with the very few French words and phases that I knew. Pastries are divine in France but I will say, America has chocolate chip cookies down. France tries but their cookies are so subpar to their croissants and pastries.

My fourth time in Paris and it never gets old! Although, it was a bit of a sensory shock going from quiet and relatively empty Lyon to a crowded Paris full of moving humans! Every time I come to this city, there's always something new that's developed. When I was here two years ago, there was one cafe offering matcha. Now, you can find it on just about every other block! This time in Paris, I decided to focus on Le Marais which now has one of my favorite shops, Merci and the Latin Quarter which is full of architectural gems itself. It was also my first time exploring Place des Vosges. The great thing about having gone to Paris multiple times is that I can now just explore the more local gems vs the tourist gems. There's a cute little street that reminds me a lot of London in Rue Cremieux. There's the most charming little lane called Commerce Saint-Andre that is lined with restaurants and shops.  I did visit inside the newly renovated Notre Dame as they had just reopened after closing due to the fire five years ago. I had planned to just walk by since I had read about the long lines of people trying to get into the cathedral but on a random February Thursday morning, there were no lines to enter and so in I went. The next time I return, I will definitely spend more time in these areas as I discover more local gems and maybe I'll finally make that visit inside the Louvre.