Motréal Convention Guide

Hotel Information
🏨 Convention Facilities
🥨 Hospitality Suite
🖨️ Making Copies
🏪 Convenience Stores
🏧 ATMs
Official Program
🍽 Meal Schedule
🕑 Program Schedule
Business Meeting
Translation Tools
Traveling to Montréal
By Air
By Rail
Border-Crossing Apps
About Montréal
🚇 Getting Around Montréal
🏙 General Tourism Information
Nearby Tourism Destinations
📅 Con-current Events
🍽 Dining Out
🥐 Restaurants
🎭 Entertainment
🖼 Museums
🔐 Escape Rooms
🛍 Shopping
📚 Bookstores
♟️ Game Stores
💊 Health and Wellness
Hospitals/Emergency Rooms
Walk-in Clinics
Pharmacies
Local Media
📺 Television Networks
🗞️ Newspapers
🅰🆉 Motréal A to Zed
Drop-In Policy
NPL Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct
Report an Incident

Hotel Information

🏨 Convention Facilities
Installations de Congrès

  • Main Program — Saint-Laurent 2 on the lower level (available Thursday morning through Sunday at 9:00pm)
  • Dedicated breakout rooms — Saint-Laurent 3, 4, and 5 on the lower level (available Thursday morning through Sunday at noon)
  • Other locations — The lobby and gardens are also available for breakout sessions

🥨 Hospitality Suite
Suite D'Acceuil

The hospitality suite is in room 1327. It is all the way down the main hallway that leads past the main desk, the restaurant, etc. At the end of that hallway, go down about six steps, and then the hospitality room will be immediately in front of you.

There will only be one small refrigerator; if you take out food or beverage, please replace it.

🖨️ Making Copies
Services de Photocopie

The closest copy center to the hotel is Staples at Bureau 🗺️ 770 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, about a 5-10 minute walk (more info).

There is also a computer and printer near reception where you can make a small number of printouts.

🏪 Convenience Stores
Dépanneur

🏧 ATMs
Distributeur Automatique de Billets

There are Banque Nationale ATMs in Gare Centrale.

Official Program

🍽 Meal Schedule

Meals will be served in the main ballroom (Saint-Laurent 1).

  • Friday
    • Dinner 6:00-7:30PM
  • Saturday
    • Light breakfast 8:00-9:30AM (Saint-Laurent 2)
    • Brunch 11:30-1:00PM
    • Dinner 5:30-7:00PM
  • Sunday
    • Breakfast 8:00-9:30AM.

Note that there will be a brunch on Saturday instead of breakfast and lunch (bread for a business-meeting sandwich). For early birds on Saturday, a light breakfast of coffee and fruit will be available at about 8:00am.

🧺 Wednesday Picnic
Pique-nique du mercredi

The picnic is 4:00-8:00pm in Salle Ville-Marie (directly to the right of the Executive Lounge) and the adjacent private terrace, featuring hors d'oeuvres and alcohol available (for purchase) at the nearby hotel bar (more info).

🕑 Program Schedule

????? Hidden Contest by WXYZ — It may be presented anytime. Find it. Solve it. Do what it says. The solution will not be explained until Sunday morning.

Thursday, July 13th

  • 8:00PM Welcome! An evening of puzzles and games
    • True/False Wordplay by Willz — Decide whether each wordplay statement is true or false. The person with the longest streak of correct answers wins.
    • Stock Footage by Spelvin — In which teams try to form words maximizing their stock market prices. But, careful, those prices might change before you can unload!
    • Take Two by WXYZ — Create a word or a two-word phrase that includes as many communal bigrams as possible.
    • Three over-the-weekend cryptics for pairs solving. Solutions are due by 8:00PM Saturday.
      • Ô Montréal! by Rasa
      • Becoming Canadian by Elfman
      • Summer Hockey by McMongol

Friday, July 14th

  • 8:00PM Another evening of puzzles and games
    • Green Team Wins by Squonk and Janders — An NPL-themed version of the commercial party board game.
    • Exquisite Wordle by Cute Mage — A mashup of the classic Exquisite Corpse game and the modern puzzle craze.
    • Tough Choice by Fraz — When a trivia category is announced, you can choose the easy question (low points) or the hard one (high points). A team game.

Saturday, July 15th

  • 9:30AM Business meeting

  • 2:15PM An afternoon of pencil-and-paper competitions:
    • Viral Trigrams by Bluff — Insert or delete letter triplets to convert some words into others.
    • Time Test by Willz — Seven wordplay challenges. 30 minutes. Go!
    • A Puzzler's Botanical Garden organized by Saxifrage — A collection of 35 new flats by the Krewe, each with a plant-related theme.
  • 6:30PM Awards [during dessert]
    • The Golden Sphinx Awards presented by Btnirn — Recognizing outstanding achievement in contributions to The Enigma in 2022.
  • 8:15PM Extravaganza
    • Comic Cons organized by Roku — Help the Gotham City Police Department recapture villains set loose by The Riddler.

Sunday, July 16th

  • 10:00AM Awards
    • Awards for all the weekend contests

Business Meeting

The business meeting will take place at 9:30 AM ET on Saturday, July 15, and will be streamed on our NPL-Videos Channel. Jeffurry sent out some notes on the meeting, including the text of proposed amendments to our constitution and our bylaws.

Translation Tools
Outils de Traduction

Traveling to Montréal
Voyage à Montréal

By Air

The most cost-effective way to travel from the airport to the hotel is by the 747 bus, which costs C$11; the pass is valid on buses and subways for 24 hours after its first use. (These may be purchased at kiosks in the terminal near ground transportation.) Take the bus heading to Berri-UQAM (not Lionel-Groulx) and get off at the Réne Lévesque-Mansfield stop. Walk down the street with the Cathedral Marie-Reine-du-Monde on your right and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel on your left. Go straight for two blocks and cross Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest. The hotel is on your left.

Taxis to downtown Montréal charge a flat rate of C$40. Uber and other ride-share services are also available.

By Rail

To get to the hotel from Central Station from the main train hall, make a left at the Banque Nationale ATMs (a convenient place to stop if you need local currency), walk down the corridor, and cross the street. That’s it. Really. Just be sure to look both ways.

Border-Crossing Apps

Either Mobile Passport Control or ArriveCAN (the latter of which was originally used to upload proof of vaccinations) may expedite getting through Customs by uploading passport information within 72 hours of your arrival.

About Montréal

🚇 Getting Around Montréal
Se Déplacer à Montréal

With street traffic downtown a constant bête noire of Montréalers, your best way to get around town is by subway, the Métro, with entrances symbolized by this symbol (a white downward arrow in a circle against a blue background). Just in time for convention, fares are going up on July 1. A single ride is C$3.75, a two-ride card is C$7.00. Passes (Occassionelle cards) are available for 10 rides, one day, three days, and weekly. Depending on your sightseeing itineraries, your mileage may vary. For complete fare information use the ARTM Fare Schedule (PDF)

Local Maps

🏙 General Tourism Information
Informations Touristiques Générales

Nearby Tourism Destinations

📅 Con-current Events
Événements Simultanés

🍽 Dining Out
Aller au Restaurant

Montréal either tops or is near the top on most lists of cities with the highest concentration of restaurants per capita, and a rich immigration influx as well as modern trends have greatly expanded the city’s palate, especially dietary restrictions such as vegetarian.

For many more popular options, it’s hard to secure a reservation for one on a weekday for lunch. Many dining establishments continue to be understaffed and may not have completely restored pre-pandemic hours or staffing. I strongly recommend reservations well in advance for larger groups or to popular places regardless if the size of your party.

You almost certainly will get by completely fine without knowing any French. Menus are bilingual—the wonderful bistro L’Express includes an insert of popular food items in four languages—and staff are universally polite, bi- if not multilingual, and helpful to translate. (I personally like to look up unknown items on my phone, though it does little to aid my awful pronunciation.)

There are a handful of words and phrases though, that are definitely useful. Unlike Metropolitan French, there is no petit-déjeuner,déjeuner is breakfast rather than lunch, and dîner is lunch rather than dinner. The early evening meal is souper.

An entrée is an appetizer, not a main course, which is a plat principal. (Plat du jour is the equivalent of the special of the day.) Tables d’hôte or prix fixe meals, are common and often less expensive than ordering à la carte.

A useful construction in ordering is the phrase “Je voudrais [commander]…” meaning “I would like [to order]… (un hot dog/pommes frites/un verre de vin rouge/un tasse d’eau).” ”Où sont les toilettes?” is fine to ask for directions to the washroom (more modern restaurants are defaulting to unisex restrooms), and “le facture/l’addition s’il vous plait” is a polite way to ask for the cheque.

One notable false friend--pâté is the product of goose liver, and pâte is pasta. Sometimes accents do matter.

The combined national (GST) and provincial sales tax (QST) comes to 14.975%, which affords a relatively quick-and-easy baseline of 15% for pourboire or gratuity, adjusted of course, de goût—to your taste.

“AVV” or apportez votre vin is the equivalent of BYOB, and corkage fees are relatively rare if you want to purchase wine at the provincial-run liquor store (SAQ) such as the one across the street from the hotel in the train station. Last call in Quebec is at 3:00; in the hotel bar it is 1:00, though they can be persuaded to keep it open later based on demand.

And if you simply can't finish what's on your plate, pour emporter means "for takeout."

A votre santé at bon appetit!

🥐 Restaurants

There is a small food court in the building and a much larger in in the Gare Centrale. Take the elevator ti 1, head left through the glass doirs, tuen left, go to the end of the hall, and turn left again and head down the escalators. You’ll walk through a small food court that has four places:

  • Green
  • Gourmet Express (convenience store and sandwiches)
  • Sushi Quartier
  • Vua Banh Mi

Continue on, take the second set of escalators up, and follow the signs to the Gare Centale. You'll pass by the Banque Nationale ATMs and the Couche-Tarde, and find a well-appointed food court:

  • Bento Sushi
  • Chocalat Leonidas
  • Dame Nature
  • Deli Planet
  • Jus Jugo Juice
  • Kababgy Restaurant
  • Kim Chi
  • Mangione Trattoria
  • McDonald's
  • Première Maisson
  • Rotisseries Au Coq • Second Cup Café & Cie
  • Souvlaki Bar
  • Super Frite
  • Sushi Shop
  • Vie & Nam

Other recommendations for great places farther away:

🎭 Entertainment
Divertissement

🖼 Museums

  • Old Montréal has a number of museums (more info).
  • Passeport MontréalFree/discounted admission for dozens of venues for C$80, including SOS Labyrinthe and Secrets of a Shipping Empire room at A/Maze Old Port location, as well as many other museums and attractions

🔐 Escape Rooms
Jeux d'Evasion

  • A/MazeSixteen escape rooms in 4 locations; restaurant at Old Port location
  • EzkapazThree rooms at Ezkapaz Manoir in the Mile End neighbourhood
  • Find the KeyFour rooms in the Gay Village; oldest escape room venue in Montréal dating all the way back to 2014
  • SOS LabyrintheMaze/treasure hunt in Old Montréal
  • Adventure City GamesFree admission with Passeport
  • EscapariumSeven rooms in Dorval, on the western side of the island [near Trudeau Airport]. Creator of some of the most highly rated games as voted by fans in 2022
  • Immersia Escape GamesTwo locations in Boisbriand and Laval

🛍 Shopping

  • Old Montréal has some tacky tourist gift shops (more info).

📚 Bookstores
Librairies

Whether you are a serious reader, looking for French-language titles or other volumes often unavailable in the United States, or a browser, I'd consider all of these worth a visit, noting that some are tourist attractions in their own right. Hardly an exhaustive list; most of these are located downtown or in the Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods, which are accessible easily on foot or the Métro. Some of the smaller stores have limited hours, so check on the websites beforehand.

  • ArchambaultSadly, the flagship store in Quartier Latin is closing at the end of June, but the nearest branch in the Place des Arts complex also sells CDs and DVDs, as well as hosting a good collection of English and French titles on a broad range of topics. Like many of the bookstores listed below, they also sell inexpensive games, puzzles, and gifts (cards, stationery, calendars). 🗺️ 175 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest; Métro: Place-des-Arts (Green).
  • ArgoThe oldest independent English-language bookstore is exactly what you would expect: knowledgeable friendly staff in a small and cozy setting. When I discussed the upcoming convention, the proprietor mentioned being involved in scavenger hunts (not unlike the then-named Daedalus-inspired Labyrinth bookstore for the sorely missed Haystack Hunt), so they "get" us. Decent-sized children's section. 🗺️ 1841A Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest; Métro: Guy-Concordia (Green).
  • Bande Dessinée Montréal DébédéComic books and related paraphernalia, new and rare. 🗺️ 3882 Rue Saint-Denis; Métro: Sherbrooke (Orange).
  • Bouquinerie du PlateauSolid independent bookseller with a large collection of classical and jazz music. 🗺️ 799 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est; Métro: Mont-Royal (Orange).
  • Canadian Centre for ArchitectureExhibits are hit or miss, but worth a visit if the former. The gift shop is almost exclusively books on all things architecture. A French pop-up book age-ranged 1-3 ("La Maison") was another great find for mes neveux inteligentes. 🗺️ 1920 Rue Baile; Métro: Georges-Vanier (Orange).
  • Capitaine Québec les Livres ComiquesComics, toys, trading cards. 🗺️ 1837 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest; Métro: Guy-Concordia (Green).
  • Crossover ComicsGraphic novels, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, board games. 🗺️ 3560 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest; Métro: Lionel-Groulx (Orange).
  • De Stiil--In 2021, the owner of the boutique État de Style decided that we needed books more than clothing during the pandemic (assuming everyone logged on to telework in their pyjamas). The bookshop--which also hosts writing workshopsis a far cry from the crowded chain stores and musty secondhand shops. Indeed, its design has the clean, Cartesian minimalist décor of the Dutch art movement de Stijl, which its name suggests. (If Martha Stewart were a bookseller, it would probably look like this.) English only, which has not endeared the owner to the language gendarmes. 🗺️ 351 Avenue Duluth Est; Métro: Sherbrooke (Orange).
  • Drawn & QuarterlyBookstore (with two locations) part of a publishing enterprise with a particular emphasis on cartoons and graphic novels, but also good for fiction and children's literature. 🗺️ 211 Rue Bernard Ouest; Métro: Rosemont (Orange).
  • IndigoIf you live in the New York City area, you can visit the outpost in Short Hills, New Jersey. Otherwise, Canada's answer to Barnes & Noble is your go-to for just about any subject from accounting to zoology. A large selection of games, gifts, and children's clothing. 🗺️ 1500 Avenue du McGill College; Métro: McGill (Green).
  • Las AméricasLivres en espagnol. 10 Rue Saint-Norbert; Métro: Saint-Laurent (Green).
  • L'EugélionneFeminist and queer bookstore/cooperative in the heart of the Gay Village. 🗺️ 1426 Rue Beaudry; Métro: Beaudry (Green).
  • Librairie EspagnoleThe "bookstore" is reduced to a section in the back with popular fiction and nonfiction titles in Spanish, including children's books. while the rest of the store is one of the many ethnic grocers, butchers, and cheesemongers that opened on Boulevard St.-Laurent as immigration caused the neighbourhood to diversify. Pick up puzzle magazines en español with your Iberian ham and Manchego cheese. 🗺️ 3811 Saint-Laurent Boulevard; Métro: Sherbrooke (Orange); Saint-Laurent (Green).
  • Librairie l'ExchangeAn extensive collection of vinyl, CDs, and DVDs (especially jazz) is a must-browse for music lovers. Books mostly used and primarily French, but I came across a like-new Richard Scarry book that based on the translations was originally published in Britain. 🗺️ 713 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est; Métro: Mont-Royal (Orange).
  • Librairie GourmandeCookbooks and other culinary-related titles in both French and English, located in Jean-Talon Market. The pull-down menu for Livres lists 30 different categories, from soup to nuts. 🗺️ 7070 Avenue Henri-Julien; Métro: De Castlenau; Jean-Talon (Blue).
  • Librairie Le Renard perchéSpecializing in children's literature. 🗺️ 3731 Rue Ontario Est; Métro: Joliette (Green).
  • Librairie Saint-Henri BooksRecently opened independent bookstore with broad subject matter, with attention to literature of BIPOC, indigenous, and queer communities. 🗺️ 516 Rue Thieren; Métro: Place Saint-Henri (Orange).
  • Librairie du SquareMostly French bookstore with vinyl collections. Near St.-Louis Square. Local author readings. 🗺️ 3453 Rue Saint-Denis; Métro: Sherbrooke (Orange).
  • Librairie Z BookstoreThousands of titles of omics, manga, graphic novels. 🗺️ 3424 Rue Ontario Est; Métro: Joliette (Green).
  • La LivrerieBookstore/café specializing in novels, poetry, comics, theatre. 🗺️ 1376 Rue Ontario Est; Métro: Beaudry (Green).
  • McCord-Stewart MuseumIf you happen to visit one of my favourite museums, their gift shop has a fine collection of exhibit catalogues, Montreal history and culture, Canadiana, and children's books as well as Indigenous-made art, gifts, and jewelry. 🗺️ 690 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest; Métro: McGill (Green).
  • Michel-FortinOne of the most extraordinary bookstores I've ever seen, devoted exclusively to foreign language learning and foreign language literature, with over 60,000 titles in 250 languages from Afrikaans to Zulu. Dictionaries, educational puzzle books (mostly in French), and games for all ages. The 2020 French Academy-adjacent Le Robert dictionary I bought this spring was half the price of the discounted version on Amazon. Very knowledgeable and attentive staff. 🗺️ 5122 Avenue du Parc; Métro: Laurier (Orange).
  • Millenium ComicsFrench and English comics, new and used. 🗺️ 451 Rue Marie-Anne Est; Métro: Mont-Royal (Orange).
  • Montreal Comic Book ClubOnline retailer.
  • MultimagsMultiple locations, including one in the Latin Quarter, though I have mainly visited the one in the Plateau near Bouquinerie. Arguably the most extensive collection of international magazines and periodicals, including puzzle books in French and rare-to-find and much-desired Italian. Also sells books, gifts, and other souvenirs. 🗺️ 825 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est; Métro: Mont-Royal (Orange). 🗺️ 1717 Rue Berri; Métro: UQAM-Berri (Green, Orange, Yellow).
  • OmnibusComic books, bridging the divide between Marvel and DC. 🗺️ 625 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest (Promenade Cathédrale); Métro: McGill (Green).
  • O-Taku Manga LoungeAll things Japanese: manga, lessons, tea. 🗺️ 3623 Rue Saint-Denis; Métro: UQAM-Berri (Green, Orange, Yellow) or Sherbrooke (Orange).
  • ParagrapheWell-stocked general interest bookstore across the street from the McGill campus. Emphasizing textbooks and more academic titles but also plentiful with fiction and children's literature. 🗺️ 2220 Avenue McGill College; Métro: McGill (Green).
  • Phoenix BooksWell-stocked used bookstore. 🗺️ 5928 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest; Métro: Villa-Maria (Orange).
  • Planete BDA must-visit for fans of comics and graphic novels, especially in French. Occasional author events. 🗺️ 4077 Rue Saint-Denis; Métro: Sherbrooke or Mont-Royal (Orange).
  • Le Port de TêteDiverse offerings in French and English with emphasis and small and up-and-coming publishers. 🗺️ 262 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est; Métro: Mont-Royal (Orange).
  • Renaud-BrayOwner of the Archambault chain, this is the largest bookseller in Quebec. The Plateau store is huge, though the one in Complexe Desjardins is quite impressive on its own. Sells books in French and English, music, and a sizable game collection. 🗺️ 150 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest; Métro: Place-des-Arts (Green).
  • RésonanceOpened in late 2021 as a pandemic-inspired career venture, its exclusive focus is music and popular culture. If you can't go in person, it hopes to have online sales soon. 🗺️ 40 Rue Beaubien Est; Métro:Beaubien (Orange).
  • Saga BookstoreBilingual bookstore stressing horror, fantasy, science fiction, and young adult literature. 🗺️ 5574 Chemin Upper-Lachine; Métro: Vendôme (Orange).
  • S.W. Welch — After years of protracted lease negotiations, longtime secondhand and antiquarian bookseller will close for good at the end of July, so bargains are likely. Particularly large collections of literature, philosophy, religion, and science. So close to St.-Viateur Bagels you might be able to smell them in the brick oven while browsing. 🗺️ 225 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest; Métro: Rosemont (Orange). 514-848-9358 (no website)
  • UlysseUlysse is a Montreal-based publisher of travel guides in both French and English (as well as a great pocket Quebecois French phrase book) that look good on your shelf or coffee table long after the information in them may become outdated. Extraordinary photography; the volumes themselves are works of art. 🗺️ 4176 Rue Saint-Denis; Métro: Mont-Royal (Orange).
  • WinoAs its name suggests, this Mile-End librairie sells all things literary about liquor and like-minded libations. 🗺️ 122 Rue Bernard Ouest; Métro: Rosemont (Orange).
  • Word (The)Independent bookstore on a quiet side street just off the McGill campus. As might be expected in an academic setting, the offerings skew towards nonfiction and harder-to-find titles from Canadian authors. In addition to CanLit, its strengths also check off the boxes of two interests that may overlap with some of yours: psychology and language. Easy to miss, despite making a cameo in the 2020 Netflix film "Pieces of a Woman." 🗺️ 469 Rue Milton; Métro: McGill (Green).

♟️ Game Stores
Magasins de Jeux

💊 Health and Wellness
Santé et Bien-être

  • Telephone Numbers
  • Emergency: 911
  • Info-Santé (Health Info): 811 for general medical advice, staffed by nurses 24 hours a day
  • Québec Poison Control Centre: 1-800-463-5060

Hospitals/Emergency Rooms

In an emergency, you should go to the nearest emergency room, but note that strains on the healthcare system have caused ERs to cut back on hours. Lonely Planet specifically recommends McGill University Hospital Centre Glen Hospital as the best option for English speakers; its ER is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week 🗺️ 1001 Boulevard Décarie; Métro: Vendôme (Green). 514-934-1934

Walk-in Clinics

The nearest walk-in clinic to the hotel is Clinique En Route located in Gare Centrale. It is open Monday-Friday 7:00AM-4:00PM. 🗺️ 895 Rue De La Gauchetière Ouest, across from the McDonald's. 514-954-1444

There are several other locations, including Complexe Desjardins, which is also open on Saturday and Sunday 8:00am-3:00pm. 🗺️ 150 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest; Métro: Place d'Armes (Orange); Place-des-Arts (Green). 514-312-7777

Pharmacies

The two major pharmacy chains are Pharmaprix and Jean-Coutu. The closest to the hotel is the Pharmaprix in the Gare Centrale concourse, up the staircase immediately past the SAQ and on the left.

Local Media
Les Médias Locaux

📺 Television Networks
Réseaux de Télévision

🗞️ Newspapers
Journals

🅰🆉 Motréal A to Zed

Alcohol / Alcool — Liquor stores are operated by the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ); there is a location in Gare Central across the street. Consumption is forbidden outdoors except in public parks with food. The legal drinking age in Quebec is 18. Last call is 1:00am at the hotel bar; 3:00am in the rest of the city.

Ballroom/Breakout Rooms / Salle de Bal/Salles de Réunions — Located on the lower level, the main program will be held in Saint-Laurent 2. Saint-Laurent 3, 4, and 5 are dedicated breakout rooms, although there are many additional commodious locations in the lobby and gardens for puzzlement and merriment. Access to the ballroom and breakout rooms is available beginning Thursday morning round-the-clock until Sunday at 9:00pm and noon, respectively.

Cannabis — Though legal in Canada, traditionally laissez-faire Quebec is the strictest province with respect to its growth and use. You must be 21 years of age to purchase through government-owned Société Québécoise du Cannabis stores, with the closest location at 970 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest. You may only by up to 30 grams at a time. You may neither use it in any public setting (indoors or outdoors), nor bring it across the border. (There are receptacles at the airport to dispose of unused paraphernalia.) If you transport cannabis within Canada, the excise-tax seal must be intact and it must not be accessible to the driver.

Dépanneur — Often shortened to "dep," (literally "repairman" or "troubleshooter") these convenience stores often sell a variety of foods and sundries. Couche-Tard (from the French for "night owl" [literally "goes to bed late"]) is a common franchise throughout Canada, including a well-stocked location in Gare Centrale. A smaller store is in the building's small food court (see Restaurants).

Exchange Rate / Taux de Change — Here is a convenient online currency converter.

Forest Fires / Feux de Forêt — Forest fires in Quebec have been affecting the air quality in Montréal (similarly to that in the United States). To monitor air quality conditions, check local weather forecasts or at IQAir.

Gay Village / Village Gai — Montréal is one of the most 2SLGBTQI+-friendly cities, with a Pride festival in August that is the largest in the francophone world. Every summer, Rue Sainte-Catherine becomes a pedestrian mall bedecked with a colourful canopy, with restaurants often serving meals en plein air, and an art festival in late June-early July. Centred around the Beaudry and Papineau Métro stations on the green line.

Hospitality Suite / Suite D'Acceuil — is in room 1327. There will only be one small refrigerator; if you take out food or beverage, please replace it.

Immunization / Immunisation — Vaccination status will not be asked of attendees, and the ArriveCAN app providing proof of covid vaccination for travellers is no more (thank goodness). Mask-wearing is optional but encouraged in close spaces in the hotel such as during the evening program. Sanitizer is available throughout the lobby and corridors. Continuously updated Covid information can be found on the City of Montréal website.

Jacuzzi / Tourbillon — Along with the pool and sauna, open till 10:00pm. Maximum capacity about three extravaganza teams or six pairs of co-solvers.

King / Roi Charles III—The official head of state of Canada. Don’t be surprised if Queen Elizabeth II still appears on the $20s that come out of a guichet (ATM).

Loonie/Toonie / Huard/Deux Piastres Rond — Canada uses coins for denominations of $1 (loonie, gold-coloured with a loon on the reverse) and $2 (toonie or twonie). The penny has been eliminated; transactions are rounded up or down to the nearest nickel.

Meals / Repas — Meals will be served in the main ballroom (Saint-Laurent 1); times TBA. Note that there will be a brunch on Saturday instead of breakfast and lunch (bread for a business-meeting sandwich). For early birds on Saturday, coffee and fruit will be available at about 8:00am.

Nephews / Neveux — You've met Danny in my two online convention pitches, and last year in Nashville (on my birthday) he became older brother to Ethan. They will be here Thursday through Sunday on their own schedule, but I hope you get to meet them, and if you're bringing kids of similar ages (4 and 1), they love playdates.

Old Montréal / Vieux Montréal — From the hotel, take a right on Rue de la Gauchietière Ouest, and another right on Beaver Hall Lane. Walk through Victoria Square, then take a left on Rue Saint-Jacques, where you'll eventually hit Place d'Armes and Notre-Dame, an ideal starting point to explore this neighbourhood dating from the 1600s. Enjoy charming cobblestone streets, lively plazas, museums, fine restaurants, and more than a few tacky tourist gift shops.

Picnic / Pique-nique — The picnic will be held at the hotel in Salle Ville-Marie (directly to the right of the Executive Lounge) and the adjacent private terrace. It will be a Quebecois cinq-à-sept, a happy hour (heure de cocktail) featuring hors d'oeuvres and alcohol available (for purchase) at the nearby hotel bar. Technically, it will be a quatre-à-huit since we have the space reserved from 4:00pm-8:00pm.

Quebecois French / Français Québécois — Montréal is a bilingual city, and you can almost certainly get by without knowing even the most basic phrases, but attempting to communicate, however inartfully, is smiled upon. As befits its unique culture and history, Quebecers are fiercely protective of its dialectical differences from those spoken in Europe (what most of you probably learned in school). Ulysses Quebcois phrasebooks and this online translator might come in handy.

Right Turn on Red / Tourner à Droite au Rouge — Prohibited on the island of Montréal; legal everywhere else in Quebec unless a sign indicates otherwise.

Smoking / Tabagisme — Unless you are referring to smoking as a way of curing meat, non. Tobacco and vaping are prohibited in Montréal in all public enclosed spaces and on restaurant and bar patios.

Tim HortonsUbiquitous chain of donuts and coffee, with sandwiches and other savoury delicacies. Closest locations are at 🗺️ 1257 Rue Peel and 🗺️ 2035 Rue Stanley. The outlet at 🗺️ 666 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest (a 15 minute walk) is open until 2:00am.

Underground City / La Ville Souterraine — Accessible from the hotel, a network of interconnected shopping centres, office towers, arts venues, hotels, and Métro stations that offer Montréalers shelter during their punishing winters. Can be entered anywhere from the central business district; look for signs reading RESO (réseau piétonnier souterrain de Montréal). PDF version of Montréal's network map

Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurants / Restaurants Végétariens/Végétaliens — Quebecois cuisine is traditionally carnivorous, with eggs fairly common in desserts. Of the recommendations at this link on the Eater blog, Burger Fiancé (417 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) and Lov (464 Rue McGill) are closest to the hotel; a few blocks away. Eater's guide to restaurants for Vegans and Vegetarians

Weather / Météo — Average temperatures for the second week of July vary from between 25-27° Celsius/78-80° Fahrenheit. My trick to calculate temperature conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius quickly, 32°F is 0°C and add roughly 18° Fahrenheit for every 10° Celsius: 50°F is 10°C (heavy jacket), 68°F is 20°C (light jacket), and 86°F is 30°C (no jacket). Montréal weather at The Weather Network

Xerox Copies / Services de PhotocopieBureau en Gros at 770 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest is the closest to the hotel, about a 5-10 minute walk. Honours accounts with Staples from the United States. See also: Staples Canada

YUL — Code for Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, and occasionally used as shorthand to refer to Montréal. Some still refer to it by its old name, Dorval.

Zipline / TyrolienneThe largest urban zipline in Canada, located at Hangar 15, near Quai de l'Horloge in the Old Port of Montréal. Open Saturdays and Sundays 11:00am-9:00pm. 10% discount if you show up in a swimsuit on a rainy day.

Drop-In Policy

Locals can "drop-in" for a single session Thursday or Friday night without paying and we encourage local puzzlers considering membership to do so. Thursday and Friday night sessions start at 8PM. If you like what you see at the session, it may be possible for a local person to join the League and pay the con fee during con, in order to attend the rest of con. If you are interested, contact the Con hosts, B-Side and WXYZ.

NPL Code of Conduct

The NPL's Code of Conduct applies to all activities at this convention.

Code of Conduct

The organizers of this convention are committed to preserving a welcoming and respectful environment for anyone who wishes to participate. We do not tolerate harassment of convention-goers or League members in any form. If you feel that any individual is speaking or acting inappropriately, either toward you or to someone else, please contact a member of the Code of Conduct Committee to mediate or intercede, as necessary. Read the full Code of Conduct here.

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