Quebec City Idyll

Quebec City looks like an alpine fairy tale to a world weary New Yorker. It’s older and more exclusively French-speaking than Montreal, with the only fortified city wall north of Mexico.

Not to mention the gabled stone buildings, the funicular ride to lower town, castle-like hotel towering over upper town, and thundering Montmorency Falls–which every guide book proudly points out is taller than Niagara Falls. Drinking a strong cocktail at Château Frontenac while looking out over the St. Lawrence River and Laurentian Mountains is a fantastic antidote to a stressful week.