Aaaaah, Montréal. A city with few comparisons -- is it European
with its old town, sidewalk café culture, and its multicultural
and multilingual sophistication, or is it American with its wide
boulevards, shiny glass towers, and friendlier and flatter
social interaction? Either way, Montréal is a tourist-pleaser
that manages to be relaxed but vibrant and has a joie-de-vivre
that is impossible to resist.  Visitors to Montréal are often
surprised with how comfortable the city is. At 3.8 million, it
is big enough to be interesting, but its relaxed pace, safe
neighbourhoods, and easy-going attitude make it a pleasure to
explore. Physically, it is well put-together -- a very walkable,
dense city with a well-preserved historic centre beside a modern
downtown, plenty of public spaces and parks, a quick and clean
transit system, some beautiful (and some not-so-beautiful and
some downright quirky) architecture and neighbourhoods, and of
course lots of sidewalk cafés for people watching.  As well,
Montreal puts great i