The International Communication Association visits Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 22-26 for the 58th Annual Conference. In addition to the great opportunities for scholarship and networking, the conference presents an opportunity to explore Montreal's atmosphere, culture, and sights. The conference location is very close to "Old Montreal," the oldest part of the city that dates back to the 1600s. Future articles will expand outward into the rest of the city.

The area now known as Old Montreal sits on the Saint Lawrence River between Rue Berri and Rue McGill on the north and south (the Ville-Marie highway is the boundary on the west). Originally, that area formed the entire city, which was founded as a French fur-trading settlement in 1642. In fact, the precise location of the first town site is known: It is the current site of Pointe-a-Calliere, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History. Opened on May 17, 1992 - the 350th anniversary of the city - the museum contains artifacts going back over 1,000 years, including relics from Iroquois fishing grounds, graves from Canada's oldest Catholic cemetery, and the remains of the structures built on the site during its periods as a French settlement, a British colony, and a metropolitan city.

The Museum is situated on a historic plaza, the Place d'Youville, which was built over the original St. Pierre riverbed at which traders and settlers once landed when arriving at Montreal. Those earliest settlers are memorialized by an obelisk that stands at one end of the plaza. The Place d'Youville is also known for its vista, which is inextricable from its history: looking around the square, visitors can see buildings from every era of Montreal's existence, from the old Grey Nuns Hospital (dating to 1693) to the Beaux-Arts style Grand Trunk building and the contemporary Pointe-a-Calliere museum.

Two blocks up Rue Saint Francois-Xavier from the Place d'Youville is perhaps the most famous landmark in Old Montreal, the Notre Dame Basilica. Once the largest religious structure in North America, the cathedral was built over a 50-year period in the 19th century. Its architecture and decoration is regarded as among the grandest and most beautiful in the world. Sharing its grounds is the old Seminary, the oldest extant building in Montreal (built in 1684). The Seminary also features the oldest historical (private) gardens in North America. Tours of the Basilica and much of its grounds are available for $4 CAN.

The Notre Dame Basilica faces another famous public square, the Place d'Armes, which was once the rallying point for the soldiers defending the original fortification of Montreal. Across the Place d'Armes from the Basilica lies St. James Street, which until the 1960s was the city's financial district (then known as "Canada's Wall Street"). Its economic importance made it a frequent target of Quebec separatist militants, and in the '60s and '70s many of the financial institutions moved elsewhere. However, St. James Street remains noteworthy for the neoclassical buildings that once housed Canada's major banks and commodity exchanges. Among them are the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the Royal Bank of Canada, the Merchants' Bank of Canada, and the famous domed headquarters of the Bank of Montreal.

St. James Street ends at the Palace of Justice, the Montreal city Court House. The Palace is on the edge of a park called Champ-de-Mars, which was once the site of the city's northern fortress wall (the foundations of which are still visible in the park). Also on the park, and next door to the Palace of Justice, is the ornate Montreal City Hall. It was built in the 1870s, survived a disastrous fire in 1922, and became infamous in the history of both Montreal and Canada in 1967 when French president Charles de Gaulle made his "Vive le Quebec libre!" speech on its balcony. Visitors can take a guided tour of the elegant building with its Second Empire architecture.

Just east of City Hall is the Hotel de Ville, another impressive Second Empire building Place Jacques-Cartier. Across the street, marked by a column dedicated to the British Lord Nelson, lies Place Jacques-Cartier, a long square that slopes downhill toward the riverbank. The Place Jacques-Cartier is a favorite spot with tourists because of the street artists and kiosks that fill the square, and is also home to a number of the finest restaurants in Montreal. Many of the restaurants offer outdoor dining with gardens and terraces that face the plaza; among the most popular are the Jardin Nelson, the Restaurant des Gouverneurs, and Pizzeria Jacques-Cartier. Place Jacques-Cartier has a distinctively European feel and is among the most picturesque locales in the city, a frequent subject of postcard photos.

Near the bottom of the Place sits a two-story domed building that functioned in the 19th century as a public marketplace. This is the Bonsecours Market, built in 1847 and originally containing a concert hall as well as the first City Hall. After functioning primarily as an agricultural market for over a century, Bonsecours is now a modern shopping center of boutiques, jewelers, art galleries, antique stores, and eateries. However, the Market is an attraction even if one doesn't venture inside: the building is capped by a high silver dome that glows at night.

Finally, there is the largest attraction in Old Montreal: the Old Port, which is accessible from the Place Jacques-Cartier, the Rue Bonsecours, and several other streets. Because Montreal was founded as a trading post, the port was for 300 years the center of Montreal's city life. Although it is now closed to shipping, the port-now known as The Quays of the Old Port-has been transformed into a cultural and recreational hub. The canal on which the port lies has been refurbished for pleasure boating, and its riverfront has access for walking, cycling, and roller-blading, as well as quadricycle Segway rentals. As for the quays themselves, they now feature an ice-skating rink, an IMAX theater, performing stages, and a terminal for horse-drawn carriage tours of Old Montreal.

But as exciting as all these tourist attractions are, don't let them blind you to the bustling street life in the neighborhood. Wandering on foot through Old Montreal, you're certain to come across beautiful old buildings from all the eras of Canadian history; shops offering furniture, antiques, and clothes; restaurants with menus from all over the world, including French, Mexican, Asian, and fusion cuisines; art galleries; and more.

Old Montreal can be easily accessed from the conference hotel by Metro (the Orange Line to either the Place d'Arms or Champs-de-Mars stations), by taxi, or even on foot. But no matter how you get there, the section is an essential stop for any visitor who wants a taste of the culture or history of Montreal.