Le Plateau Mont Royal and Traveling

In the mornings and evenings, and in between outings, we love to soak in the atmosphere of the neighborhood we're staying in.  Le Plateau was a young, hip area of Montreal full of young families. The supermarket was within a two blocks of us as were restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. 

We found a lovely bakery around the corner that produced the most delicious pain au chocolat (actually called chocolatine in Quebec) - a weakness of both mine and DD's.  Our apartment was the top level of a 3-level rowhouse.  The owners lived on the first floor.  There was a back deck and parking in the alley. It reminded me of when we lived in Dupont Circle and we quickly felt at home.

I found that most of my worries about traveling with young ones in tow all stemmed from staying in a hotel.  The thought of them eating restaurant-prepared meals three times a day for the entirety of the vacation does not sit well with me.  Look, I know it can be done but I have kids with food allergies, albeit minor ones, so that plays a large part in it.  It's also a question of nutrition as I can't imagine them eating "chicken fingers" for lunch and dinner a week straight.  Renting an apartment or house is answer for us.  We can put together a simple breakfast in the morning easily.  Fresh fruit can be picked up at a farmers market and washed and served in the evening.  When they were younger, naps could happen while the rest of us could go into another room and watch tv or talk.  C and I can move about freely after the boys' bedtime.  If you look through the archives here, you'll see that we rent homes, or stay in large hotel suites, when traveling and I think that is important for trips longer than a weekend.  Having a well-equipped kitchen and separate living areas and bedrooms are key.