Montreal Transfer
Dec. 6th, 2022 03:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeToday was my final day in the SMOFCon hotel, Le Centre Sheraton. To recap, I made a mistake in my hotel booking versus my airline reservation, and by the time I figured this out, the COP15 biodiversity summit that should have been in China was moved to Montreal the week after SMOFCon, and no more hotel rooms downtown could be had. (To their credit, the hotel did honor their contracted rooms with SMOFCon even if they could probably have gotten full rack rate for them, but gave us nothing more than what our contract guaranteed.) I used my IHG points to book at room at the Montreal Airport Holiday Inn.
This morning, I was invited up to the Sheraton Club on the top floor where the SMOFCon leadership was having breakfast.
It was certainly a nice view. I could have had a complimentary breakfast here, but this was my last opportunity to eat at Eggspectation, so I thanked them for the offer and set off for breakfast.
After breakfast, I packed out of the hotel room, stored my bags with the hotel (for a $3 fee, which is not something I've ever had to pay before), and went out to look for something to do for the time before heading to the airport.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was not too far away, and that was an important consideration and the weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon.
After a few hours of culture, I bought a present for Kuma Bear. (I'm not saying what it is because I know Bear reads this journal, but it does include a fish.) Then it was time for lunch, in this case at the Burger Bar on Crescent, where I had the smoked meat mac & cheese. Good thing I've been doing a lot of walking. (Around 11K steps today.)
After lunch, it was back to the Sheraton, after first buying an $11 ticket for the 747 bus to the airport from the parking vending machine at bus stop the corner of Rene-Levesque and Rue de la Montagane. I retrieved my luggage and went back to that bus stop, where I was grateful there was a shelter as the promised rain had arrived as I was leaving the museum earlier.
The bus filled up where it connects to the Metro at Lionel-Groulx, and as I was one of only two masked people on the packed bus, I tried to breathe shallowly as we headed out to the airport.
Arriving at the airport, I went to the info desk on the arrivals level and used their phone to call the Holiday Inn and ask them to send their shuttle. The Info Desk people pointed me to Door 8, but when I got there, it did not look right. I checked, and found that it should have been Door 8 on the departures level (upstairs), so I made my way back up there. By then, the bus had come and gone. Fortunately, I discovered that my work phone has Canadian roaming (my personal phone does not), so I was able to call the hotel and have them send the bus back to collect me.
Without even asking, I got an upgrade to a suite. (The bedroom area is behind me in these pictures, but I didn't photograph it as it was a pretty typical king bedroom.) I'm expecting this to be the last diamond (highest level) upgrade I'll get in IHG's program, as I've not been staying (and paying) for IHG rooms much lately, and while my IHG credit card should keep me part-way up their program, they created more tiers, and I expect to no longer be at the highest tier come the first of the year. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted.
My flight to Denver on Air Canada tomorrow morning departs at 0800. I have booked an 0530 shuttle to the airport. This is where moving out here this afternoon helps. If I had been able to get that extra night at the Sheraton, I would have had to catch the 0400 route 747 bus. I get a couple of extra hours of sleep tonight thanks to moving, assuming I get to bed soon, which I plan to do.
I took a COVID test this evening and it was negative. I feel stiff and sore and tired, but that's exactly what I would expect to feel like after a week of travel, especially including attending SMOFCon and getting not enough sleep. I have enjoyed myself in many ways, though, and I'm glad I made the trip. I'll miss Montreal after having made two visits here in a fifteen month span.
This morning, I was invited up to the Sheraton Club on the top floor where the SMOFCon leadership was having breakfast.
It was certainly a nice view. I could have had a complimentary breakfast here, but this was my last opportunity to eat at Eggspectation, so I thanked them for the offer and set off for breakfast.
After breakfast, I packed out of the hotel room, stored my bags with the hotel (for a $3 fee, which is not something I've ever had to pay before), and went out to look for something to do for the time before heading to the airport.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was not too far away, and that was an important consideration and the weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon.
After a few hours of culture, I bought a present for Kuma Bear. (I'm not saying what it is because I know Bear reads this journal, but it does include a fish.) Then it was time for lunch, in this case at the Burger Bar on Crescent, where I had the smoked meat mac & cheese. Good thing I've been doing a lot of walking. (Around 11K steps today.)
After lunch, it was back to the Sheraton, after first buying an $11 ticket for the 747 bus to the airport from the parking vending machine at bus stop the corner of Rene-Levesque and Rue de la Montagane. I retrieved my luggage and went back to that bus stop, where I was grateful there was a shelter as the promised rain had arrived as I was leaving the museum earlier.
The bus filled up where it connects to the Metro at Lionel-Groulx, and as I was one of only two masked people on the packed bus, I tried to breathe shallowly as we headed out to the airport.
Arriving at the airport, I went to the info desk on the arrivals level and used their phone to call the Holiday Inn and ask them to send their shuttle. The Info Desk people pointed me to Door 8, but when I got there, it did not look right. I checked, and found that it should have been Door 8 on the departures level (upstairs), so I made my way back up there. By then, the bus had come and gone. Fortunately, I discovered that my work phone has Canadian roaming (my personal phone does not), so I was able to call the hotel and have them send the bus back to collect me.
Without even asking, I got an upgrade to a suite. (The bedroom area is behind me in these pictures, but I didn't photograph it as it was a pretty typical king bedroom.) I'm expecting this to be the last diamond (highest level) upgrade I'll get in IHG's program, as I've not been staying (and paying) for IHG rooms much lately, and while my IHG credit card should keep me part-way up their program, they created more tiers, and I expect to no longer be at the highest tier come the first of the year. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted.
My flight to Denver on Air Canada tomorrow morning departs at 0800. I have booked an 0530 shuttle to the airport. This is where moving out here this afternoon helps. If I had been able to get that extra night at the Sheraton, I would have had to catch the 0400 route 747 bus. I get a couple of extra hours of sleep tonight thanks to moving, assuming I get to bed soon, which I plan to do.
I took a COVID test this evening and it was negative. I feel stiff and sore and tired, but that's exactly what I would expect to feel like after a week of travel, especially including attending SMOFCon and getting not enough sleep. I have enjoyed myself in many ways, though, and I'm glad I made the trip. I'll miss Montreal after having made two visits here in a fifteen month span.
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Date: 2022-12-07 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-08 01:42 am (UTC)