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Gay Travel / Montreal Travel / Travel Contests / → All Tags

Travel to Montreal's Pride Week to Win 'Queer of the Year'

While Pride Weeks across the United States have ended, you can keep the party going by heading to Montreal for its gay celebration August 10 to 15. Those who really like to let their rainbow-colored flags fly high can compete to win the title of Queer of the Year at the festivities.

During Montreal Pride, the top five contestants will get put up in a hotel and VIP access to parties. The winner will be crowned at the end of the week, get to ride in his own Pride Parade float and be the guest of honor at the closing party. Plus, the Queer of the Year will win a spa package, dinner and shopping spree with a stylist.

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Beer Travel / Drinking Travel / Beer Festivals / Montreal Travel / Festival Travel / Events / → All Tags

Montreal's Beer Festival is the Biggest and Best in Canada

We’ve been to our share of beer festivals, but there has never been one as classy as the Mondial de la Bière in Montreal. Although it sounds fancy because you must use your limited French language skills to pronounce it, the Montreal Beer Festival is the largest party dedicated to hops and barley in all of Canada. Of course there will be plenty of Molson and Moosehead, but there will also be other more exotic options as well.

This year’s festival is set to run from June 2 through June 6 at the historic Windsor Station. Admission is free, and tasting coupons are only $1 each. The coupons should get you a three-to-four-ounce sample, so you’ll need to watch it if you actually want to critique a few different brews before getting sloshed. The only catch is that some samples might cost more than just one coupon. We expect that to be the case for the Sam Adams Utopias from 2009 with its distinct flavor and even more distinct alcohol content—its 27% per volume.

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Celeb Travel / Jimmy Fallon / Montreal Travel / Bar Travel / Canada Travel / → All Tags

Use Twitter to Stalk Jimmy Fallon in Montreal

While some celebs were getting poured on in L.A., Jimmy Fallon proved all the cool kids were actually in Canada. The Late Night host spent the weekend in Montreal for a friend's bachelor party where, he announced on his show Friday, they planned to do some snowmobiling and ice fishing. But, apparently, they decided to do some eating and bar hopping instead.

On Sunday, he tweeted, "Love to Montreal. Had a blast this weekend. Joe Beef, Chez Serge and Stereo. Great places." So, where are these great places? Joe Beef, located at the corner of De la Commune Street and De la Callière Street, in Old Montreal, has only 28 seats and a limited menu to ensure each customer has great service and each meal is as fresh as it can be. Every night there is a choice of four appetizers and four main courses written on a blackboard in the restaurant. Main dishes include tripe-a beef, fresh fish or traditional Montreal cuisine ranging from $18 to $40.They also have a “raw bar” where you get to choose from three or four different kinds of oysters, clams, crabs or lobsters ($8 to $18).

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Lindsay Lohan / Airport Security / Montreal Travel / Customs / → All Tags

Lindsay Lohan Gets Interrogated at Customs in Canada

Lindsay Lohan may have taken one of Jaunted's ideas for a vacation to heal her soul but she's obviously not dedicated to making it work.

Just last week, she headed up to Montreal to host a gig at a nightclub. Remember Lilo, it works if you work it.

However, her trip through customs in Canada didn't go quite as planned. While we usually get admonished for having our cell phones out or for not having our passports ready quick enough, Lindsay Lohan was actually "hauled into a backroom by border staff" at the Montreal Airport.

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Jaunted Field Trip / John Lennon / Yoko Ono / Shira Lazar / Montreal Travel / Museums / Music Travel / → All Tags

Live From John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Most Famous Hotel Stay Ever

Jaunted's own travel video correspondent, Shira Lazar, took a trip to her hometown of Montreal this week where the celebration of the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-In For Peace is now in full swing.

Lennon and Oko famously spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam's Hilton Hotel for one-week allowing the press to come and visit them every day to hear their messages on peace.

That following May, the couple did the same thing at the (now a Fairmont) Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, staying in rooms 1738 and 1742. This stay was historic because its where "Give Peace a Chance was Recorded." Head on over to HotelChatter to see Shira tour the actual suite where Lennon and Oko stayed.

Currently, Montreal's Museum of Fine Arts is hosting an free exhibit from now through June 21 celebrating the bed-in with 140 works on display that includes "drawings, unpublished photographs, videos, films, artworks and interactive materials that convey the famous couple’s message of universal peace." Here, Shira walks us through what to expect from the exhibit. She even tests out the Lennon-Oko Bed-in bed replica. Just watch.

Related Stories:
· Montreal Travel [Jaunted]
· Inside the Famous Bed-In Suite Used by John Lennon and Yoko Ono [HotelChatter]

Missed Connections / Montreal Travel / → All Tags

Missed Connections: Cherchez Le Stud

Vive la Compagnie in this Canadian city, founded by the Iroquois and later colonized by the French who gave it its European flair. Remember the loonie is powerful these days, so connect wisely, this is not your Daddy's Montreal. If you're looking for love, allons-y:

Bar Le Stud -- This gay bar made headlines when it allegedly refused to serve a walk-in woman a pint. But for the leather guys who frequent it, especially Wednesdays and Saturdays, that just means more room on the "narrow dance floor which encourages friskiness." 1812, rue Sainte-Catherine Est

Thursday's Bar -- Stateside we kill ourselves to get to Fridays; for our neighbors to the north, something a little more gentil is in the picture. What better way than to start a laid-back relationship by taking him or her to Sunday brunch here, featuring a tableside magician? 1449 Crescent Street

Altitude 737 -- Imagine a bar at the top of the Sears Tower. Now add another floor and two enormous terraces for summer. That's what 737, a "quite posh and rather expensive" nightclub with a view, is all about. (At least you'll know whether your crush is afraid of heights.) 1, Place Ville-Marie

Related Stories:
· Montreal Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Montreal Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: dogseat]

Movie Set Travel / Montreal Travel / → All Tags

Movie Set Travel: Blades of Glory

Video clip via askaninja

For the pleasure of audiences, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder unite today in Blades of Glory, a perfect little gem to start your weekend off right with some laughs and the chance to see two grown men bedecked in sparkly spandex and eye make-up.

Blades of Glory is the story of two rival Olympic ice skaters who were stripped of their gold medals (back in '02) and permanently banned from men's single competition. They find each other and discover a loophole that allows them to qualify as a pairs team to skate to hilarious victory.  We can't help it, there's something about Will Ferrell and an unruly white man's afro that we can't resist.

Much of this film was shot in indoor ice rinks in LA (snooze), but a portion of it was also shot in Montreal. To this end, we offer you some cool things to check out in Montreal - after you see the movie of course!

Where To Stay:
Hotel Godin
One of the city's most famous hotels architecturally-speaking, the Godin has an impressive modern interior and the 126 rooms offer great views of the lively, action-packed Quartier Latin just below. If you're looking to loosen up after a big, er, skate-off, you can get an in-room massage here too.

Read more about the Montreal Hotel Scene.

Where To Eat:
Brioche Lyonnaise
Just around the corner in the Quartier Latin, head to Brioche Lyonnaise for some full-fat fare. By this we mean French pastries, sugary meringues, sweet cakes, and croissants. You're welcome to linger or take it to go, and the prices are reasonable. Take your pick from the display case, but be careful, no one's extra lbs. look good in spandex.

Where To Stroll and Shop:
Avenue Laurier Ouest
You have eight blocks of the city's best shopping laid out here (between boulevard St-Laurent and chemin de la Côte-Ste-Catherine) and will surely find any high-priced item your heart desires. There are home shops, clothing, stuff for kids, all mixed in with little cafes perfect for resting in. We can't promise you'll find spangly headdresses for your skating outfit, but it can't hurt to look!