“Ladies and gentlemen, Heathrow Airport is closed due to a fire. All flights have been diverted. Unfortunately, we do not have enough fuel to return to Chicago, so we have been rerouted to Montreal.”

The 2 AM announcement, somewhere over Greenland, suddenly roiled our spring break itinerary. London was just a three-day stopover. At 36,000 feet, there was no way to know when or whether we would be able to make another attempt.

Instincts developed over two decades of business travel kicked in.

We rapidly deduced that our best Plan “B” was to stay on the ground in Montreal for a few days. Flights were rebooked. Hotel room procured. I was relatively relaxed when we touched down at YUL at 3:44 AM.

Now it was time to think about what to actually do with 64 hours in Montreal, especially since we were packing for London and Lisbon. A prior early spring visit had already checked off the obvious boxes: Jean-Talon Market, St. Viateur bagels, Eaton Centre.

A Friend in Montreal

Having friends all over the world is a handy asset. My children often marvel at how I seem to know people literally everywhere. From Vancouver to Lisbon to Tokyo, almost every family vacation has involved soliciting input or meeting up with former colleagues, partners, and associates, always adding a unique and intimate element to our travels. It’s a small world after all.

Montreal was no exception. I contacted Ben, a client and drinking buddy, before we even cleared passport control. A small-world bonus - Ben’s company provides the wifi I was using at Montreal Airport.

Sugar Shack Season


Ben knew exactly what to do. In late March, tradition suggests visiting a cabane à sucre, literally a “sugar shack.” Ben explained that sugar shacks in Quebec celebrate the beginning of maple syrup season. They serve hearty breakfast fare infused with maple syrup throughout. A new experience in the form of a festive seasonal breakfast? Heavenly. Sign us up.

Google search plus Google Translate turned up prospects. The restaurant Les Eaux Douces - “Freshwater” - appeared to be offering a sugar shack experience on the piers in Old Montreal. Visions of the San Francisco Embarcadero, dining in the lovely restored Ferry Building, came to mind. I made a booking, and off we went.

The “restaurant” was an exhibition hall, utterly devoid of any character. A few random tables and benches were strewn about a mostly-empty, industrial-looking room. This didn’t exactly evoke spring thaw and a woodsy atmosphere. I was immediately suspicious.

A server appeared and explained that the Freshwater sugar shack offered a set menu for C$28 per person - about US$20 each. The anxiety dissipated. A $40 gamble on an experience seemed worth it.

Deep in the Sirop

In an instant, we were deep in the sirop d’érable. The table was covered in family-style dishes: split pea soup, pork cretons (a kind of pâté), and coleslaw. A carafe of maple syrup, of course, was the centerpiece. Before we could really absorb the first dishes, three more kinds of pork arrived: maple sausage, maple-smoked ham, and oreilles de crisse, a salted pork fatback. These were accompanied by eggs, potatoes, and beets. It was impossible to consume even half of what arrived.

Of course, everything was delicious. Our maple-induced buzz cleared any initial hesitations and regrets, turning us into carnivores of the highest order. Though not all members of the clean-plate club, we had made enthusiastic work of the tradition.

Part of the fun of having friends everywhere is sharing the experience. I thanked Ben on my socials, along with photos of our incredible meal. In response, my neighbor Jim quoted the late Anthony Bourdain: “Be prepared to move to Plan B, even if there is no plan B.”

Cabane à sucre wasn’t on our itinerary. It was clearly an experience we only had because of a local connection. And it was the most surprising, positive memory of our Plan “B” visit to Montreal.