Opus Montreal : Ooh la la!

I'm off to Montreal next week and so looking forward to spending one of the five nights at the new Opus Montreal.

Formerly the Hotel Godin, one of Montreal's premier boutique hotels, it has been purchased by Trilogy Properties Corp. They're the folks who own the highly acclaimed Opus Hotel in Vancouver, along with Adara Whistler Hotel.

The 1914 Art Nouveau style hotel features the Opus Bar, a stylish lounge serving up cool cocktails and tasty tapas, with live music from the city's best DJ's. A restaurant is scheduled to open in 2008.

Opus Montreal blends modern design with a nod to history. With 136 guestrooms done up in sleek minimalist style, there is no shortage of luxurious comfort.

Amenities include French or English morning newspapers, Frette' bathrobes, l'Occitane bath products and twice daily maid service.

Located on the corner of Sherbrooke and St. Laurent, the hotel is steps from the entertainment district and minutes from Vieux Montreal and Le Plateau Mont-Royal.

To celebrate the opening, book online through the hotel's website and you'll receive a ten percent discount plus complimentary parking.

Early morning at the Bonsecours Market. Photo by Sue Frause.

Signs of the times

I'm in Honolulu and scheduled to fly back to Seattle this afternoon.

The news about the incident at Glasgow Airport is not good. Especially since it happened one day after the car bombing in London's nightclub district.

I'm not changing my travel plans this summer.

Terrorism is all about scaring people. I'm not scared.

But fortunately, I have no plans to fly until the end of September, when I'm off to Montreal.

Flying in the summer sucks, even when the skies are supposedly friendly.

I'm scheduled to fly to London, Manchester and Frankfurt in October.

I'm not changing my plans.

Travel is part of my life. It's part of who I am.

A sign in Honolulu. Photo by Sue Frause.

Yuk it up in Montreal

Just For Laughs–The Montreal International Comedy Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary July 8-29, 2007 in the ooh-la-la province of Quebec.

The festival features a full line-up of comedy including star-studded galas, cutting-edge cabaret, hilarious one-person shows and concerts, theatre, films, sketch, music, viral video and a revamped club series.

The majority of English shows and outdoor events will be held from July 12-22, 2007.

This year’s headliners include Howie Mandel, John Pinette and George Lopez.

Some of the funniest television shows will be live on-stage including the cast of Family Guy: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and Mike Henry.

Re-united for the world premiere of a special Kids in the Hall show are the original cast of Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson.

The cast of the hit CBS show How I Met Your Mother will stage Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words. The cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor, Jason Segal and Cobie Smulders.

This year’s show also stars Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy, who is fast emerging as one of the biggest names on the international comedy scene.

Franco Dragone, one of the world’s foremost artistic directors who has worked with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion, has developed an anniversary act featuring Italy's quick-change artist Arturo Brachetti. It combines spectacular visual performances along with unique cabaret routines.

Also on tap is a show in the style of Monty Python. Spymonkey’s Cooped is a deliciously demented pulp gothic romance written and performed by celebrated British comedy troupe Spymonkey.

The Hyatt Regency in Montreal is the official hotel and headquarters for the festival.