Montreal is a city of 3 million people on an island in the St. Lawrence River in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located 45 minutes north of the US border, accessible by US highways 89 in Vermont and 87 in New York. It is a 7 hour drive from New York or Boston, and 7.5 hrs from Toronto. The official language of Quebec is French, and 80% of its residents speak French as a first language. Montreal is a bilingual city, with 80% of its residents speaking English as a first or second language.
Airport. The international airport, Dorval , is located 20 minutes from dowtown Montreal. Dorval is often referred to as the Pierre Trudeau airport verbally, although most signage says "Dorval". Yes, that is confusing. Most major airlines fly to Montreal; Air Canada is the national airline.
Taxi. Taxis are the preferred way to get from the airport to downtown locations. Taxi fare from Dorval to downtown is typically $25. Credit cards are accepted by all taxi drivers when the fare is in excess of $20.
Car Rental. Unless you plan to drive outside the city limits, a car is recommended against, as parking can be difficult, Montreal is a compact walking city, and taxis, busses and subway are readily available. If a car should be required, one can be obtained from the major car rental companies (such as Avis, Budget, National, or Alamo) which have offices and pick-up sites downtown, as well as at the airport. Finally, if you rent a car at the airport, you are hereby warned that, on return, between the Dorval airport offramp and the drop-off point in the termimal, there are fully five poorly marked turns required, any one of which will require 10-20 minutes of makeup driving. We recommend you take a taxi.
Conference Site. The conference will be held in the Bell Room of the Rutherford Physics Building, located at 3600 rue University in downtown Montreal on the McGill University campus. It is within 5 minutes walking distance from both conference hotels, and from other hotels in downtown Montreal as listed on the accommodations page.
Busses, Subway. The bus and metro transportation is reliable and excellent, and passes (good for both the bus and metro) for a few days or a week can be purchased for a modest sum.
Electricity is 120V, 60 Hz, using the same plug standards as the US.
Climate. Average July temperatures are 60-80F (15-26C); moderate to high humidity brings cloudbursts. Temperatures and rain are typically predictable only 1-2 days in advance.