2 October 2026 - Toronto ON
KING ST. W TORONTO ON
SATURDAY
We slept well after the cell phone panic!! The hotel had a complimentary breakfast buffet.
We then went for a walk around noon, along Rue St. Denis, known as the Latin Quarter.
The historic bell tower of the former Saint-Jacques Cathedral, also known as the UQAM Bell Tower. Built between 1822 and 1825, it served as the city's Roman Catholic cathedral from 1825 to 1852. The main church building suffered severe damage from multiple fires in 1852, 1858, and 1933. The surviving bell tower and portal were later integrated into the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) campus.
Beautiful old buildings converted into restaurants and bars with international tastes.
Quiet at this time of day, the area becomes lively late afternoon on.
The Saint-Sulpice Library (Bibliothèque Saint-Sulpice), designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architect Eugène Payette and built between 1912 and 1914. Opened in 1915 as the first major French-language library in Montreal, commissioned by the Sulpicians.
It was designated a Historic Monument of Quebec in 1988. The building is being repurposed to house La Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec, a cultural center celebrating Quebec's musical and song heritage.
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The Pavillon Athanase-David is the oldest building on the central campus of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
1903: The building was designed in the elegant Beaux-Arts style with classic elements by the prominent architect and engineer Joseph-Émile Vanier.1905–1958.
It originally served as the home of the École Polytechnique de Montréal before the engineering school relocated to the main Université de Montréal campus on Mount Royal.1958–1973.
After the engineering school left, the building housed various institutions, including the Institut des arts appliqués and the Cégep du Vieux-Montréal.
1969: The building was renamed in honor of Athanase David, a prominent Quebec lawyer and politician who spearheaded the creation of the provincial National Archives and the École des beaux-arts.
1973–Present (UQAM Acquisition): UQAM acquired the property in August 1973. Following a massive restoration project in 1989 that revitalized its historic stone architecture, it reopened in 1992 as the primary administrative headquarters and rectorate for the university.
Back on St. Catherine in the heart of the Gay Village.
The historic Tessier Building (Édifice Tessier) was constructed in 1895 during a period when Sainte-Catherine Street East was transitioning into a primary French-language commercial artery.
The building was constructed as a four-story, multi-unit stone structure to serve as mixed-use commercial space on the ground floor with offices or workshops above, matching the burgeoning clothing, textile, and retail trade of the area.
We didn't find any viable open options for lunch so we were reduced to burgers at A&W.
This English sign puzzled me as we are deep in the east end of Montreal which has always been French in my time.
The prominent "Northeastern Lunch" ghost sign carved into the building's stone façade links it to a distinct chapter of Montreal's cultural, wartime, and literary history.
The Northeastern Lunch Co. Ltd. was a popular local diner chain that first opened in 1912. At its peak, the company operated multiple busy branches across major thoroughfares in Montreal, including locations on St-Jacques Street, Queen Mary Road, the Sun Life Building, and several along Sainte-Catherine.
Between World War I and World War II, the chain became an iconic refuge for working-class Montrealers, who would famously queue outside for five-cent plates of pork and beans. The chain ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 1934 during the height of the Great Depression.
My favourite part.
The location holds particular cultural value for its direct tie to legendary Montreal poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.
At the age of 20 in 1954, Cohen wrote one of his earliest poems, titled "Les vieux" (The Old Men).
The poem was directly inspired by the working-class elderly men he watched huddling inside the diner, opening with the lines:"Northeastern Lunch / with rotting noses and tweed caps, / huddling in thick coats..."
The stone sign itself became a piece of local news when it reappeared in 2015. For decades, the historic stone engraving had been hidden behind heavy plastic signs from modern commercial tenants, including a local adult boutique and peep-show shop. Following a nearby fire and subsequent structural restoration work, the modern storefront was removed, uncovering the original 100-year-old masonry underneath and preserving a physical window into Montreal's past.
Hotel Eureka: For a significant portion of its history, the venue operated under the name Hotel Eureka.
It later rebranded to Hotel Arena Palace, transitioning to fit the vibrant, casual atmosphere of the surrounding Gay Village neighborhood.
It serves as an example of a traditional urban residential hotel. Historically, these structures offered compact, unpretentious, no-frills lodging options—including setups with shared hallway bathrooms—catering strictly to budget travelers, workers, and transit passengers coming through the nearby Berri-UQAM transport hub. The old bus terminal is now being torn down and replaced.
While many historic Montreal hotels have been thoroughly modernized into sleek boutique stays, the Arena Palace has fundamentally resisted major updates.
Vintage Hardware: Guests frequently note that the building still uses hallway water closets and hardware.
No-Frills Setup: Many rooms only contain a standalone sink right next to the bed, relying entirely on communal hallway bathrooms—a rare glimpse into how basic transit hotels operated a century ago.
An Accidental "Horror Movie" Aesthetic
Because the interior features heavily layered, painted-over brick, incredibly narrow corridors, dim lighting, and a lack of modern amenities like televisions, the hotel has gained a bit of a cult reputation online. Reviewers frequently describe the property on travel forums as having an accidental, eerie "horror movie" or "murdery" vibe. It serves as a fascinating spot for backpackers looking for a raw, eccentric glimpse of old-school urban Montreal rather than a polished vacation.
John's daughter picked us up at 2 and we spent the rest of the day and evening visiting and eating.
SUNDAY
We were lazy Sunday morning, not bothering to go out until John's son picked up for another family evening.
MONDAY
We had breakfast at the hotel before checking out at 11 and took an Uber to Central Station (Gare Centrale)
Our departure time was 1:22. I had veal meatloaf and John had salmon, both were surprisingly good. We were 30 minutes late arriving but we were able to catch the 7:45 bus.
Waiting for the shuttle.
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We started watching
Last Seen, an Australian thriller television miniseries. Ian, an alcoholic former police officer, now emergency dispatcher, receives a call about a body found near his home; he thinks it may be his daughter, who went missing 11 years previously.
TUESDAY
Tuesday Treasures
John golfed and I ran to Longo's for a few groceries.
Great expression from A Place to Call Home - "I hope you're hungry, because I could eat the arse of a low flying duck"!
And "I may be an old lady, but I didn't come down in the last shower"!
WEDNESDAY
We have spent a lot of time planning our October European trip which includes a river cruise. That said, we are not sure what will happen to the river cruise as Danube (and other rivers) are at really low water levels. From what I've seen online from people booked on ours and others with other cruise companies, we will be offered options about five days before the sailing date. Since we will already be in Europe at that time we will have to make some decisions.
Since the ships can't sail, one option offered is using the ships as hotels and being bussed to the sights and switching to an identical ship upriver. There are also discounts being offered. Some people are like us, they will already be there. Others have non-refundable flights booked. There seems to be a "it is what it is" attitude among passengers and making do. In some cases people are cancelling but I don't know what the details are about that as the fine print states that low water levels are parts of the T and C.
We will see... Update below.
John did a quick Costco run, look at that! under $100!!
John played golf and then went to his end of season banquet.
We were invited to an international wine and food tasting celebrating a company's 25th anniversary. I went on my own.
I came across this pretty coffee signs in Union Station.
Walking there I saw this new interesting coffee shop in Scotiabank Plaza.
It was well done, set up in their corporate office, they used the conference rooms to represent various countries serving wines and food.
Waiting for the bux. CN Tower was lit up in orange for National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
Blue Jay uniforms have been replaced by Maple Leafs, playing their second game of the season tonight.
THURSDAY
Random Repost
Well river cruise problem solved!
They have cancelled it now. I'm glad it is decided for us before we leave and we can make our own plans.
Unfortunately, European river levels continue to decline due to ongoing warm temperatures and very little precipitation. In addition to these challenging river conditions, the Hungarian authorities have announced a complete shipping closure at Paks, located between Budapest and Mohacs. The closure is required to support water management works associated with the operational safety of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.
Image found of Book of Faces.
John took the car in for servicing and I had a mission to get a sweater I had spotted last night in Uniqlo at Union. It wasn't in my size however, I did buy two others, for fall and winter.
Royal York Hotel seasonal display.
THEN we spent the entire afternoon working out a plan for the days of our cancelled cruise. We almost have it finalized. It is a lot of work.
FRIDAY
We are both fighting colds since the train on Montreal. Other than John going a grocery run we stayed in. We had planned to go to the market.
We finalized our trip and all hotels are booked, we are happy, very happy with our revision.
The river cruise confirmed that we will get our refund WOO HOO! I am very pleased with our new plan and it cost a lot less than a river cruise.
We watched
Dead Man's Wire, 2025 American crime thriller film based on true events.
On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Richard Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a "dead man's wire" from the trigger to Tony's own neck. The verdict left me shaking my head.
We also watched a documentary Top of the World, it tells the story of the legendary restaurant located on the 106th and 107th floors of the World Trade Center's North Tower through the firsthand accounts of its diverse, predominantly immigrant staff.
COOKING
Definitely nothing much on the menu this week!
Saturday - Montreal family pasta
Sunday - Montreal family steak
Monday - late lunch train
Tuesday - hamburger stew
Wednesday - out
Thursday - pork chops, mashed potatoes and beans
READING
I spent so much time on line planning our revised itinerary I barely read.
I did finish
Our Beautiful Mess,perfectionist mother, family secrets, and a story told over the 11 days surrounding Christmas, what could be better. I really enjoyed it.
I started
Sudden Death, but haven't got any thoughts as yet.
