More Montreal

By: Dijana Semovski
Left:New Montreal


Montreal is divided into two parts: Old Montreal and New Montreal. In Old Montreal, there is definitely an old world feel to it as you walk amongst cobblestone roads and old historical landmarks, like the Notre Dame Basilica. One place you must stop by in Old Montreal, for an evening of live Jazz and French crepes, is a beautiful restaurant called Jardin Nelson. The restaurant is very romantic, as it’s surrounded with beautiful flowers and allows guests to dine under the stars, since there is no roof!

While making your way to New Montreal, stop by for a dessert crepe at one of the Creperias that line the streets of Old Montreal. Montreal has a Metro system that is pretty comparable to the ones in France, which assists with the transportation between Old Montreal and New Montreal, as the two are not relatively close for commuting by foot.

New Montreal is a bit more modern, with more of a metropolitan vibe to it. You can stay at any of their hotels here, including Le Sofitel, where I stayed at. This area makes it convenient for shopping, so stop by St. Catherine Street, which has been home to many of Montreal's boutiques and department stores ranging from Zara to H&M to Adidas to their own label stores and malls, making this a shopping mecca. The New York tourists I ran into while here told me that Montreal has more shopping per square feet than even New York City! They often make their way to Montreal just for the shopping experience.

Perhaps shopping builds up an appetite, because I have to say I could not get enough of their cafes, or “cafeterias,” as they were often referred to, which can also be a combination between a café and a bar, and reopen during brunch time.

While that concludes my shopping and dining through Old and New Montreal, join me on Friday for a couple tips on Montreal’s nightlife.

Read more of Dijana's adventures (pronounced Deanna) at, Dijana's Dare to Blog.

City of the Week: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

By: Dijana Semovski

Oo lala! Montreal, although it may not be Paris, sure comes pretty close. The second largest city in Canada and the largest city in Quebec, province of Canada, Montreal’s original name was Ville-Marie (City of Mary). However, the city takes its current name from Mont-Royal or Mont Re`al in Middle French, where a three-headed hill at the heart of the city lies.

French is the city’s official language, and many are surprised to learn that it’s the second largest primarily French-speaking city in the world, after Paris of course. Similarly, citizens just might believe it’s the Paris of the west, as even some of the architecture mimics the city of lights. The city’s Notre Dame Basilica for instance, was actually made from the same architecture as the Notre Dame Basilica in Paris.

On Wednesday we’ll take a tour through Old and New Montreal, visiting the cafes, boutiques, people and food, which truly helps Montreal make its mark as one of the greatest cities in the world.

Read more of Dijana's adventures (pronounced Deanna) at, Dijana's Dare to Blog.

Night at the Museum with Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern

“Hi, I’m Desiree, Gal about the Globe,” I excitedly shouted, as I was introduced to Andrew Zimmern, host of Travel Channel’s Bizzare Foods. Andrew, standing proudly in front of his “Strange Foods” table, smiled back, shook my hand and took my business card as I proceeded to flatter him, recounting why I love what he does and love to do it too. Well, the travel part that is; not really so much as eating chocolate- covered grasshoppers, scorpions, caterpillars or a stingray’s heart for breakfast.

Andrew, one of the “special guests” of last night’s Dos Equis "Most Interesting Academy," featured at the Museum of Science and Industry, was a sweetheart. His brown eyes were a bit glazed over from tirelessly greeting guests and plugging the goey-duck clams considered a delicacy in China (that’s pronounced gooey—duck). But he took a moment to ask how I got started in this “biz,” referring to the travel industry and working as a tour operator. “Well…” I realized that my story began when I up and moved to Rome to study in college, which followed up with me moving to London, Chicago and the rest is history. He laughed with that coy, famous smile and told me something very valuable about myself. While he’s met a few other tour operators traveling the globe, their stories are the same, “they all got hooked while studying in college.”

I conceded, asking where he’s actually from, and of course he responded, “New York City.” Although Andrew is from the center of the universe, I didn’t hold it against him, since, given his occupation, he’s probably the only New Yorker that makes it out of Manhattan. Likewise, he loved that I’m from Texas and recounted a show of his in the Austin Hill Country last year, just before we took a couple photos.

Andrew returned to his “Strange Foods” table, pampering the large, penis-shaped clams and enthusiastically posed for more photos. But, it was not our last encounter. Throughout the evening, I was dragged over for more pictures with various groups of friends, forgetting that, hmmm…perhaps Andrew would rather us just try the clams instead, and get on with it. Most guests stuck with blood sausage, another favorite of his, and watered it down with food located at a table nearby that should’ve been referred to as the “Safe Foods” table, as it included chips and salsa, as well as buffalo wings.

Footnotes: Thanks to Reggie Brown, fellow NBC Chicago Street Team member (and famous Barack Obama impersonator) for originally introducing me to Andrew Zimmern and taking some photos.

See Classic Chicago in The Time Traveler’s Wife

Have you ever been so excited about a movie? I mean really excited? Having read The Time Traveler's Wife cover to cover a few years ago, I have been anxiously awaiting the premier of the film version for months. This time travel romance is essentially my summer’s Harry Potter or G.I. Joe.

The film tells the story of Clare (Rachel McAdams) and Henry (Eric Bana) as they attempt to overcome the challenges brought on by Henry’s genetic disposition, which sends him through time, sometimes for months, even years.

While McAdams and Bana are cast as the leads, the real star of The Time Traveler’s Wife is Chicago itself. Locals watching can appreciate how lucky the characters are to live in such a magnificent and versatile city, while doomed to endure its unforgiving weather. At one point, the fierce freezing temperatures prove to be a detriment to even Henry’s time travel, as he winds up in the hospital. That’s timeless Chicago: cold.

Familiar Windy City sights featured in the film include the Lakeshore, Newberry Library, the El, Lincoln Park Zoo and one of those charming “vintage” one bedrooms we’ve all experienced at least once while living in the city. Additionally, you can also visit Clare and Henry’s movie home yourself in Lincoln Square.

The film is based on the novel written by Audrey Niffenegger, a Chicago native and professor in the MFA program at Columbia College. The novel is a page-turner, and it’s disappointing to watch the on-screen adaptation with omitted scenes and characters (as well as complex character struggles), which might have strengthened the story’s climax. On The Today Show, Rachel McAdams concluded that as it’s a long book, the movie is “definitely distilled down,” but that the core of the on-screen relationship is true to the original story. If you’re a fan like me, the thought will likely cross your mind that “the book was better than the movie.”

But who doesn’t love Rachel McAdams? Her smile and acting talent is worth paying to see, as is Eric Bana’s performance in a serious, sentimental and romantic role. It only took one glance at Clare’s childhood home and the famous meadow, for me to think, “That’s just how I pictured it while reading the book!”

But it’s Chicago that steals the show. The seasons of the city alone make The Time Traveler’s Wife a timeless film. It’s a delight to see Chicago’s fall and winter, with such a short glimpse of warm weather, and wonder -- as in real life -- whether the city’s spring or summer actually exists.