When I sat down and declared that I was a first timer all I had to do was watches the man at the counter slip a bun on the paper. It looked empty. Little did I know that it had already been pressed and contained the meat that had been grilled earlier. Remember here is a sandwich bar that takes you back to the thirties when furnishings were simple and the main plate was probably the same.

Here was the place that stood out in a Duddy Kravitz book and film where the hero used to hang out at this local eatery and came up with an idea about getting into his own business that being owning and developing property. The place has changed little except for the series of photos on the walls, the added articles and a small article posted in memory of a member of owner's family. There are now second hand books one can pick for a buck on the way out too.

I enjoyed this jewel of a sandwich bar, looking at the two grills set side by side with a silent staff tending to customer needs. The sandwich is still less than smoke meat sandwiching elsewhere and flavorful sodas are still offered at the counter. Pickles can be added to the menu for a buck although it would have been nice to have that included in the bill but the price is still right for the main course!

The company is putting up billboards near the airport, I heard so that Moishe's Steakhouse won't be the only eatery offering cold cuts to do the same!

The first thing that comes to mind are those poutine dishes that can been found at local greasy spoons and are the fare of many a truck driver, looking for a high caloric food on a wintry day or a university student into comfort foods on a Saturday night with a micro brewed beer like a Tremblay's on the side. Now the name of the dish sounds like the name of the former Russian president and you could remember it as that way or you can sample some of it by going to restos like Banquise on Rachel near Lafontaine Park in the city.

The base of dish requires tremendously hearty French fries and gravy and then one can add a number of supplements on top. Generally people order the regular dish with curdled cheese sprinkled on top but if you are a hardy eater, you might settle for an Elvis, which has the same base with the added supplement of sautéed green pepper and chunks of hamburger meat. You could add some spices to your taste or bathe the dish in ketchup.

Poutine is considered to be something that Quebec serves at local restaurants especially ones open around the clock that serve simple hassle free meals. It is not the type of dish to find in a French restaurant, which has a dinner menu starting at twenty-five dollars, a dish and it goes for around seven dollars with taxes.

I am sure there are other authentic dishes that appeal to other palates but since this dish fits my budget better than going to restaurant that caters to haut-cuisine, you won't find a mention of that here. If one is interested in traveling to different regions of Quebec like ones near the Atlantic Provinces there is likelihood to find fish meals cooked according to the specifications of a local innkeeper. Gaspé salmon will then be prepared differently from salmon served in another region. Another area, the Lac St. Jean region, is known for its comfort food of meat pie that has the name of the region.

People of region prefer a pie that contains a variety of game like partridge, hare, moose or elk and partridge and is wrapped in a layered pate before being cooked and served. It is a traditional dish that goes back to the hunting traditions of people living in the region and has been substituted for veal, pork and beef in the larger cities where the other game is harder to find. The meat is marinated with thyme, juniper berries, red wine and other ingredients. So the favorite dishes depend on the geography of the region and what wild game is more accessible to the hunter or individual.

1. A person comes to you from the front and nudges you while you are on a bus. He is likely working with a second guy who takes your wallet from behind while you are distracted.
2. A gypsy may stick a large poster right in front of your face. While she does that another may lunge for your breast pocket and rip out your wallet.
3. One thief may pose as a director and offer you a role in a picture as you take coffee together. While you go into the café to pay, he conveniently takes your bag you left on your chair and sticks it in his.
4. You are wearing a money belt you think is fool proof but some con artists are so quick, they can unzip the ones that have zippers all across and take out your wallet while you are still in shock
5. You can be walking down a street with a shoulder bag while a guy on a moped decides to run by you on the street and rip the bag right from your shoulder
6. You can be walking under a window while all of a sudden some manure is dropped on your suede jacket from above. A man from behind you offers to help you off with your coat while you are of course concentrating on the stink; he gingerly takes your wallet. At the same time the man upstairs offers a profuse apology for the shit dump and offers to clean the coat. Naturally the thieves work as a team and you have to be absent minded for them to rip you off.
7. You could be on the road to Barcelona from Madrid when a motorist drives up along side you and points to your tire. If you are naïve, you will stop to the side of the road and check it out but so will he. When you get out, he gets in your car.
8. You could be driving along the same road and the assailant will literally jump out in front of the car and refuse to move. As you leave the car to challenge him, his assistant runs into the car and drives off.
9. You take a hotel room as a tourist and a person renting a room next to you knocks on your door in an emergency. Naturally you go and see what the problem is but as you do, his associate gets into your open door and takes your passport.
10. You have just bought a necklace and are showing it off to a friend when a thief coming from the opposite direction literally pulls it off your neck. Naturally this works best with a light chain or string of pearls.

If they are not savvy about how to combine travel tips, speaking to the agent may be useful. One example maybe taking a trip to South America but by combining different means of transport, something that would not be apparent on an on-line system. An air-trip to Brazil can be combined with a rail trip to Mexico and the stops on the way might be worked out with a travel agent who is familiar with what kinds of rail travel there is.

If you wanted to change your mind from rail to bus she could advise you about where to go to get a ticket or book a ticket for you in advance. In short, having an agent will be a great convenience compared to hunting websites looking for travel deals that aren't there.

Travel agents are competing with on-line travel services and it is likely that people will be making more travel plans through the internet. In Quebec, internet shopping is predicted to go up to nine from six percent and is predicted to go up even further.

This may affect how many people actually visit a travel agent but as I have said, going to one allows you to get your tickets in advance and make sure that any questions about travel places are answered, something that is not guaranteed by on-line travel sites. One gets a sense of a company's reputability when you visit a physical establishment where you can see how an agent works out a travel plan. So the travel agent will still be around in years to come.

Rome has changed to accommodate modern traffic just as North American cities do by discouraging traffic towards the historical centre in the nineties. It has also kept much of its patrimony. One has to have special permission to drive through the central part of town and if own has no business to do in certain spots, like of Trastevere at Santa Maria di Trastevere, one gets a ticket because of camera surveillance.

1. Trastevere is known for its sidewalk pizza places, bars and clubs. It is common for Italians to eat along a storefront especially during the summer months amid the local fountains. There is gold painted front of the church I mentioned before with details of saints depicted from the 13th century. There is a long narrow street called via Lungara with specialized art and décor shops. Via Francesco di Ripa comes alive with its bars at night. There used to be a Brazilian one active until the wee hours and there is also a gay dance parlour called Angel's Bar. Pizza Ivo is still serving is piping hot thin-crusted pizzas and bruschetta that is chopped tomato on toasted garlic bread.
2. Everyone loves the Coliseum that has been closed to public on and off the past 15 years for renovations on different parts of its archways. The Coliseum would attract young lovers that would climb to the top and neck away in the moonlight but be careful, the is no guarantee that the masonry is safe on the inside. Here is wear gladiators would be introduced to fight lions that would be released.
3. There are a number of obelisks around the city, some say brought back from Egypt during Caesar's campaigns there. One notable one is at Piazza del Popolo, surrounded by majestic granite lions at its base. The monument is with in view of Porta Pincio a famous lookout point in Rome where one can see the Vatican cupola out west in the distance over the Tiber River. Here is where astronomy buffs can see Jupiter on a summer's night in July through a mounted telescope.
4. The Vatican, which is surrounded by the city of Rome, has its famous Sistine Chapel that Michel Angelo decorated by lying on his back for example and painting biblical frescos along its upper sides. He is also known for his Last Judgement painting where he poked fun at Pope Urban VIII.
5. The Vatican is itself a treasure with its decorated tombs of pope's deceased since the 14th century. Legend has it was common for people to kiss the foot of the Pope's effigy on his casket and one such pope has a worn foot because the millions of visitors that have kissed or caressed the foot out of respect since. The vaulted roof seen while looking up at the cupola is spectacular and there are constant tours to see the famed square, Piazza San Pietro where the pope addresses his Sunday visitors.
6. People who go up to the Castelli region south of the city on the way to Naples where people like to escape the summer heat. Even the pope has his summer home at Gandolfo with its own observatory. Another hilltop at Rocca de Papa, used to house the gendarme that protected the Pope when he governed over the Papal States that were eliminated from the map of Europe when the French
7. The island in the middle of the Tiber between the historical centre and Trastevere has a functional hospital on it and is worth seeing as is the main synagogue right across from it on the historical centre side. One can be in awe of the gold leaf marble columns that lie aside the altar and the rabbi's pulpit in its main chapel. There is a museum of Jewish historical artefacts on the inside of the building.
8. The National library which is between the central train station and The main University campus is an impressive building built largely of glass it houses many antique texts as well as modern documents.
9. I enjoyed taking a ride up to Tivoli a town of 65, 000 nestled in the Tiberian hills a half hour away from the city on the Tibertina. There lies the massive roman Emperor's Hadrian's tomb which can be visited.
10. Ostia-Lido connects Rome to the Mediterranean coast. There is a protected burial spot where one can see some Etruscan tombs that have been preserved although they have been defaced over the years. Many know that the Etruscans were a mysterious people who inhabited the peninsula before Rome became what it was. Ostia is also well known to Romans and foreigners for its beaches and sandy dune coast.

So people hate Montreal politics and may eye Ottawa for its scenic Rideau canal but then again Montreal has its mountain in the middle with its tam-tam goers that frequent the slopes religiously. It has become the city of festivals which although attractive has had its downside. There are two many festivals concentrated not only over the summer period but also over the winter as well. I used to think that planners would run out of buyers but it appears the city is strong enough to sustain all of them yet the viewing public for some may be less than others.

Toronto has the atmosphere of being like a middle American city. I get the impression of not being able to make more than several appointments in a day, something I can do in Montreal with relative ease. Alright the city is on an island whereas Toronto has now spread out to encompass cities that were once suburbs like Scarborough. Rent in Toronto is astronomical compared to Montreal, one would have to pay at least 700 bucks for a basement apartment which may nit be conveniently located. While in Montreal it is still possible to live on your own, above ground for 500 near the center of the city.

One way to choose affordable housing is not just by looking on the web but by scanning ads in local papers and consulting bulletin boards. I would check in with the older tenant to see what the rental hike would be before jumping in.

Since I am into directing/producing short films these days besides finding artsy venues to show my art, I'll choose Montreal over Ottawa or Toronto as a place to get people involved and by the relative easiness to find spaces and venues to put on shows or do rehearsals. Again with Ottawa there aren't as many repertoire cinemas or joints with a screen as there are in Montreal be it a café or converted cinema establishment. Toronto is too spread out. When I was there a couple of years ago for their festival it took me too long to combine visiting venues that I was able to do in Montreal or Ottawa.

One can still get volunteers by the dozen in this city, people who will work in order to further their expertise or if they are students to add something on their resume or school curriculum that they were able to assist a production company in order to make a marketable product. This may be true for Toronto and Ottawa but then again because of the higher standard of living and working low budgets I wouldn't choose Toronto unless I were able to crash at someone. The number of student films and student work posted on the web for Toronto puts Montreal and Quebec to shame.