The heavy clods of mud weighed down our shovels, and the piles of uprooted plants flattened the rubber tires on the garden carts as we hauled them through the rain-soaked field. I banged my shovel against a rock to loosen the lumpy soil, and then paused to look over the once-lush hayfield, now a hodge-podge of repositioned, end-of-season plantings, wilting from the shock of that unceremonious cart ride.... Read more

Who among us doesn't like to have the inside scoop -- whether it's knowing what's hot and what's not, when to dump that ImClone stock, or the best shortcut to I-89 when traffic is crawling. Capitalizing on our desire to be know-it-alls, Canadian publisher Arsenal Pulp Press recently released Montreal: The Unknown City.... Read more

You’ve got to love a culture that celebrates by eating. Quebec definitely qualifies, and Vermonters are lucky to be next door. Celebratory case in point: the arrival of spring. Or should I say the expectation of the arrival of spring? While Vermonters drill into maple trees and indulge in a little sugar on snow, the Quebecois enjoy an entire culinary-agro-tourism industry. Come March and April, families from all over the province head to a favorite cabane à sucre, or sugar shack, for a feast and some fresh air.... Read more

In Montréal, springtime strolls along St-Denis are at least two months away, and only a sadist would recommend a walking tour of the city’s heritage sites — especially considering this week’s arctic blasts. But it may not occur to the casual visitor that some of North America’s important architecture of the recent past can be seen without going outside.... Read more

Got those “I Can’t Stand the Cold and Dark Anymore But Don’t Have Enough Frequent Flyer Miles to Leave” blues? This is the point in winter when many Vermonters pine for balmy climes, brighter colors, hotter just-about-anything. So how about a night of tango and Cuban rum, or a dinner of great paella spiced with flamenco? Ironically, you can find it all in that even colder metropolis to our north.... Read more

Need an excuse to start learning the Montréal Métro?... Read more