Program & Schedule
- Official Program
- FAQ If you've never been to an NPL convention before, start here!
- Code of Conduct
- Report Incident
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
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.
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.
There is a well-stocked 🗺️ Couche-Tard in Gare Centrale (more info).
There are Banque Nationale ATMs in Gare Centrale.
Meals will be served in the main ballroom (Saint-Laurent 1).
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.
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).
????? 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.
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.
Here is some advice from Noam on a bit of French specifically for restaurants.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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!
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:
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:
Other recommendations for great places farther away:
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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 Hortons — Ubiquitous 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 Photocopie — Bureau 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 / Tyrolienne — The 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.
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.
The NPL's Code of Conduct applies to all activities at this convention.
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.