All the Deets for Lindsey's Bat Mitzhav Weekend!

If you've  made it to this page, then we're super excited you are planning to join us for Lindsey's Bat Mitzvah weekend!  Having our family and best of friends from out of town join us in our celebration will make it that much more special to us, and frankly we wouldn't have it any other way!  

So thank you in advance from all of us for making the trip!

Now, for what you need to know & what you may want to know.  We'll start with the essential stuff.

Weekend Schedule

Friday Night Dinner

Please join us for an intimate evening of family, friends, food & drink. 

• Time: 6:30pm
• Place: Cafe Le Mastiff, 3700 Rue St. Patrick
• Getting There: Drive (there is plenty of parking) or take a taxi/Uber (always better!)
• Dress: Shabbat Casual (translation: leave the gowns and torn jeans at the hotel, anything in between is awesome!)

Special thanks to the grandparents of the Bat Mitzvah girl - Anita, Ian, Lainey & Steve - for being our hosts on Friday night!

Saturday Morning Service, Lunch & Celebration

• Time: 10:15am
• Place: Temple Emanu-El-Beth Shalom, 4100 Sherbrooke St. West 
• Getting There: Drive (valet parking available) or taxi/Uber or it's only a 15-20 minute walk  from some of the hotels recommended below
• Dress: Your Synagogue finest, but be ready to put your groove on after the services!

Saturday Night & Sunday

We love you all dearly and wish we could spend the whole weekend with you, but Lindsey has a Group Bat Mitzvah ceremony with 15 other girls from her school on Sunday, so we'll be resting it up at home Saturday night.  You on the other hand can hopefully take advantage of a great night in Montreal, followed by a beautiful spring Sunday! A list of restaurant recommendations are below.

Hotels

A few recommendations of where to stay while here for the weekend.

Le Meridien Versailles: conveniently located close to downtown but also only a 15-min walk or less than 5-min drive to our synagogue, Le Meridien is a boutique-style hotel that is part of the Starwood group.  We have set-up a group rate at Le Meridien - if you are interested please call or email ASAP as we reserved a mix of rooms but its easy to change if we know early.  Email Warren if any issues (wlevitan@gmail.com).  Details:

• Call 1-888-933-8111 or email reservations@versailleshotels.com
• Mention rate code: WLD01S
• Room options:
  • Standard Queen: $139+tax
  • Deluxe King or 2 Doubles: $159+tax
  • Junior Suite: $179+tax
  • NOTE: for families you can book 1 Standard Queen & 1 Junior Suite that can have a shared door (like adjoining rooms)

Ritz-Carlton Montreal: while originally built in 1912 the Ritz got a $200m face lift a few years back and without question is one of Montreal's finest hotels.  It is also very conveniently located close to downtown and still only a 20-min walk or 5-min drive to our synagogue.  They also have an indoor pool if you are looking for some entertainment for kids.  Finally, if you are looking for a dinner to remember on Saturday night, without having to leave the hotel, you can enjoy the famous and exquisite Maison Boulud.

Le Place D'Armes: if you are looking for a boutique hotel in Old Montreal, Le Place D'Armes is a great choice.

Restaurants

Well you know we love to eat and when in Montreal it's best that you travel with your stomach!  Whether for Saturday night or Sunday morning brunch, something below is sure to please you.

DINNER

Courtesy: Antonio Park, Park Restaurant

Some of our favorite places include the following not-very-kid-friendly locations:

• Joe Beef and Liverpool House - neither are for the faint of heart, but Joe Beef is a level more glutenous.  Both are Montreal foodie landmarks.  Reservations can be quite hard to come by (especially for Joe Beef), but you can try.  Lisa's favorite dish in the city could be the Lobster Spaghetti at Liverpool.  Don't rely on the online booking - if they say no availability you can try calling.
• Damas - an absolutely outstanding Syrian restaurant with beautiful decor (make reservations early).
• Barbounya - a wonderful Turkish restaurant with a warm and vibrant atmosphere.
• Milos - a Montreal original that is now in NYC and Vegas, this is the best seafood in Montreal hands down. 
• Impasto - Montreal Italian at its finest, in the heart of Little Italy.
• Bottega - a more casual and reasonable dinner option, Bottega is one of our favorite places in the city. Don't miss the meatballs, gnocchi, eggplant, arugula salad and wood fire pizzas! 
• Bouillon Bilk - simple and elegant decor with outstanding food and great service.  Experience the great french flare of Montreal in an approachable way!
• Club Chasse et Peche - a warm and beautiful french (also approachable) restaurant in Old Montreal, their signature "chasse et peche" dish (think surf & turf) could be Warren's favorite meal in the city! 
• Park - Antonio Park may be the hottest Sushi chef in the city, but his Korean and Argentinian background help to round out the menu with awesome non-sushi dishes like bibimbap bowls and some of the best grilled beef in the city.
• Maison Boulud - a very special restaurant, although most of you may be able to eat at a Daniel Boulud restaurant elsewhere.
• Au Pied de Cochon - this is the restaurant that put Montreal and Quebec on the international food map.  If your french is rusty and "cochon" doesn't mean anything to you, just know that there is little on this menu that meets the kosher standard!  

More family friendly fare:

• Moishe's Streakhouse - our #1 Jewish steakhouse that is a family favorite!  Downtown.
• Gibby's - another great steakhouse, but located in an old horse stable in Old Montreal with lots of local french character.
• Pizza Napoletana - apparently Montreal's first pizzeria, this a fun & casual place to go with the kids in Little Italy.  Don't expect to dine & do bring your own wine!  No reservations if <8 people.
• Geppetto - a west end Pizzeria with a good menu of non-pizza items to please adults as well as the kids.  A proper sit down meal.  Short drive/cab ride from downtown.
• M:BRGR - if you are looking for a casual (but not greasy spoon) burger place downtown, this a good one with lots of non-burger options as well.
• Deville Dinebar - a something for everyone restaurant, if you want it they have it!  In the heart of downtown.
• Sumac - Middle-eastern casual restaurant - great falafel and middle eastern salads (on the west end of town, so a small drive from downtown).  No reservations.
• Toyo - if kids come first and Teppanyaki is your thing, try out Toyo.
• Mikado - our local Sunday night Sushi go to restaurant.  Don't miss the NDG roll and the kids love the Terriyaki plates.  West end of town.

Breakfast / Brunch

• Beauty's - if bagel, lox and cream cheese is your thing, this classic Montreal diner is for you.  Don't miss the red lentil soup & grilled banana bread for dessert!
• Hof Kelsten - part Jewish bakery & part not, we promise you don't have a Hof Kelsten where you come from!  Warren recommends the Shakshuka or Chicken Shnitzel, Lisa recommends the Kale Salad, and everyone loves the cafe au lait and babkas!
• Faberge - family friendly breakfast spot with a menu to please everyone!
• Le Cartet - slightly more refined and all around great breakfast place, close to Old Montreal. Try the Asparagus and Cheddar eggs!
• Lavanderia - Another by Antonio Park, this is an Argentinian grill by night, but is known for an absolutely killer Sunday brunch (although to be honest we still haven't been!) 
• Olive and Gourmando - more on the lunch side of brunch, this is a local Montreal favorite in Old Montreal.

Lunch

Schwartz's Smoked Meat

If brunch didn't do you in and you are in search of some Montreal classics here is a short list:

• Shwartz's - the original Smoked Meat!
• Wilensky's - you go to this institution for the Wilensky special and that's all.  The "special" is a pressed sandwich with salami, bologna, mustard and cheese (optional).  When you order just tell them the # of specials and with or without cheese!
• Snowdown Deli - 2nd  best smoked meat in the city + matzah ball soup & lots more. West end of the city.

Once your plans are all set...

Please let us know so we can be prepared to welcome you for the weekend.  Click here to let us know your plans.  

If you have any questions before or during the weekend don't hesitate to email, call or text:

• Warren: wlevitan@gmail.com, 514-825-4225
• Lisa: lisajlevitan@gmail.com, 514-708-9939

All our love,

Lisa, Warren, Lindsey & Jonah

Viva Las Vegas

As we slept in our lovely hotel room, we all dreamed of our Minnie Winnie abandoned in the Palazzo oversize lot. We had a fabulous week with her and were sad to say goodbye. Well, sad for all things RV except maybe Warren's lovely job of dumping the "tank"!! I assume you can imagine what that means. Warren really only had to do it once during the trip and once before returning the RV! Good job Warren!

So alone cleaning out the sh*t, was forced to take a selfie! (P.S. seperate rubber gloves used for dishes) 

And for those of you wondering ... I am very proud to say that my first rule of RV'ing was respected by all where the bathroom was concerned. Go team!

While Warren returned Minnie, the kids and I enjoyed our morning on the strip. 

10:00 am and 36 degrees

And in the casino

And in the pool

When we were finally reunited, we had lunch only to separate again. The girls went shopping ... 

The Grand Canal Shops

And the boys went to New York New York for a roller coaster ride. 

Boys just wanna have fun! 

We had an early dinner at Japonais in the Mirage. We chose it because we were seeing Love and figured it would be easier and less rushed.

Little did we know the kids would get to cook their own steak on a rock. You can imagine the joy! 

Lindsey, the serious chef

Jonah, we are lucky there are no burns on his arms

With no time to spare we went to see Cirque's LOVE!  It was so incredible. Amazing acrobatics, beautiful costumes and obviously great music. 

I think the kids enjoyed! 

We ended our last night with dessert at Seeendipty 3. If you only knew how many times we tried to take the kids in NYC and bailed because of the lines. The atmosphere is not quite the same in Vegas but the indulgence is the same.  

Frozen Hot Chocolate and some cookie overloaded sundae! 

And of course, everyone's first trip must include a viewing of the Bellagio Light Show.  

A Captive Audience.  

And once again, Lindsey and Jonah are knocked out from another great day. 

So sadly, our amazing adventure has come to an end. I can't believe I was ever nervous. It was a great trip from start to finish. Thanks to all of you for coming along with us.  

A true wonder of the world - a day in the Grand Canyon

We had another incredible day today (sorry for the delayed post but we had limited service in the Grand Canyon).  Warning - this is a long post. 

We started our day with a Maverick Helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon. It is a truly amazing way to get a full understanding of how extensive and impressive the Grand Canyon truly is. 

Take off!

Everyone seemed to enjoy the ride.  

Not enjoying the ride at all! 

Front row seat! 

Lindsey was an excellent co-pilot  

The view from above! 

After the ride, we had breakfast in Minnie Winnie. We love the travelling hotel room if you haven't realized. It just allows for so much flexibility on a road trip. We have had the kool-aid! We are RV believers! 

Next stop ... Hiking inside the Grand Canyon. We decided to hike to a place called "Ooh Ahh". Of course I could not stop saying "ooh ahh" the whole way down. The hike was down a curvy trail into the canyon. If you stayed on the trail the whole way, you could make it down to the Colorado River. But that could take up to 8 hours. So hiking to the Ooh Ahh look out was enough for us. The other issue to be considered ... however far you hike down is how far you then have to hike UP! I will admit I was a little nervous (I know, Lisa nervous? Unheard of!) for the kids on the return up, but they were amazing. Jonah claimed he could have done it again when we were done. 

The hike was one of the most gorgeous hikes we have ever down. The pictures don't even do it justice but here is a look... 

Happy Parents! 

View from the trail

We had to make room for the Mules

And finally we were at the "ooh ahh" look out.  

We made it! 

The climb out

After we finished our hike it was off to Las Vegas. We stopped for lunch and parked amongst our people... 

The drive to Vegas was our longest. But with Minnie Winnie to travel in, the ride flies by with no stopping. It really is a great way to travel. We played cards, watched movies, slept, snacked - making for a complain free journey.  

As we approached Las Vegas, we made a quick stop at Hoover Dam. We climbed up the bridge to get a view from 1000feet up. Amazing.  

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

Finally, we arrived at the Palazzo and within seconds, we were at ease in the world of extravagance that is Las Vegas! 

No RV, but a comfy second place

Viva Las Vegas!

Arizona Glens and Antelopes

Wow. Well apparently hard to beat days can be beat! 

We started yesterday with an early morning wake up to go on a (leisurely) rafting trip down the Colorado River in Glen Canyon. 

6am wake up!

Travelling with Colorado River Discovery our trip started from the Lake Powell Dam (kayaking the day before was on other side of the dam!).

Head of the river under Lake Powell Dam

A gorgeous trip with our guide John took us as far as Horseshoe Bend:

Stolen image from the interweb

Not only did we get gorgeous views, see Navajo petroglyphs and learn a ton about the Glen Canyon and Colarado River system, 3/4 of us went swimming in the 47 F water (take that Oguquit swimmers!).

So if that wasn't enough, we spent the afternoon slot canyoning in Antelope Canyon with our guide Zach for Ken's Tours. The pics most definitely speak for themselves!

And so ended our time in the Lake Powell area. Pretty sweet!! Next stop the Grand Canyon, but en route we were lucky enough to catch the sun set plus a special talk from a Ranger who taught the kids all about backcountry cooking. L&J were awesome volunteers. 

Desert View Watch Tower, Grand Canyon

Backcountry cooking with GC Park Ranger

A pizza and wing dinner in Grand Canyon Village closed things out before crashing out at the beautiful Ten X Campground.  OK, maybe a few glasses of vino before bed.

'Till tomorrow!

Goodnight sleepy head

Goodbye Zion, Hello Lake Powell!!

Hi there. It's Lisa today. We woke up to another gorgeous day. It is actually quite nice in the morning. Suddenly 80 is cool and refreshing. We were sad to have to say goodbye to Zion River Resort (after all, it is where we popped our RV cherry!). So we made a delicious breakfast and enjoyed our last morning in ZION. 

Delicious and relaxing! 

Next stop, Lake Powell! 

Driving through Zion  

The drive to Lake Powell led us through the most spectacular drive through Zion. It was breathtaking. We had to go through a tunnel that was very exciting for the kids ... We went through the tunnel alone. Vehicles over a certain size require park "escort" - which means a ranger stops traffic upon our arrival. He Walkie Talkies with a ranger at the other end of the tunnel to tell him we are coming. We had to wait for the last car coming through before we could move. Jonah asked how our ranger would know when the last car was through? Good question. Well the answer: the last car handed our ranger a green baton. I mean honestly. How crazy. And then the car behind us brought the baton back across after us. Love the simplicity of it all. 

After a gorgeous drive we arrived in Lake Powell. We kayaked on the Utah side and are "staying" at the resort on the Arizona side. It honestly looks like you are on another planet!

Lake Powell

So after a fast lunch in our RV

Loving the moving hotel room

 - we drove straight to the marina for our kayak adventure. It was beyond beautiful and the kids were actually super helpful because it was quite windy. Still hot but windy.  

After kayaking we we went swimming. Also beautiful views. We have become quite spoiled with our surroundings.

After a great day we headed to our site. Not quite as upscale as our first park but our neighbours are high end. We watched as they opened the back doors of their RV. Out came an awesome off-roading/golf cart looking vehicle. And then, wait for it ... The floor pulled out and clear short walls popped up. Yes folks, a pullout back porch. It was insane. Oh the gadgets RVers have. It's a lot to work up too. :-)

We finished our day with a local BBQ joint in Page, AZ. Who could resist when there were huge smokers and a live country band outside!

Another great day that wiped the kids out.

RV sleeping

Until tomorrow! 

Hard to Beat

The only real issue with yesterday is that it will be hard to live up to. I really hope that we didn't blow our RVing load on our first real day ;)... Yup, Warren is authoring tonight. 

Today was all about Zion National Park. To beat the crowds and get parking for the beast (sorry Minnie), we decided to wake and roll... That is, roll out of the campground after waking, secure parking, and eat breakfast in the Zion RV parking lot. 

Early roller gets the spot

Our first "hike" of the day was the Narrows, one of Zion's most renowned. Jonah opted for the deepest part of the hike, while Lisa always sought out the hi ground. That's right, the hike is entirely in the Virgin River! 

Walking the Narrows with Lisa hugging the shallow sides

Jonah borderline swimming the Narrows

Pretty amazing hike, with Jonah basically swimming most of the way back.  We fiollowed that up with a hike up to Weeping Rock.  

Selfie with the great walls of Zion

And what better place to have lunch than the lawn of Zion Lodge under the shade of a massive tree and with views of the majestic canyon?

Post lunch chillaxing on the lawn of Zion Lodge

We had to muster all of our energy to do one last hike in the 110F heat of the afternoon. Off to the Emerald Pools we went. Pools in the desert? Yup. Was Jonah ever pissed when he learned he couldn't swim!

Finding shade from the heat en route to the Emerald Pools

Our amazing hikers sure deserved Ice Cream in the town of Springdale on the way home. We shopped for dinner and dined in Al Fresco alongside good old Winnie!

The boys prepping the fire for BBQ chicken dinner

Dining al fresca (sorry about that flash J!)

And of course, the Motor Home Margaritas for L & W

So that was our awesome hard to beat day, and now we are off to Lake Powell for River Rafting, Kayaking and Slot Canyoning. So stay tuned!  In the meantime other great pics from the day...

Leaving Las Vegas

After a turbulent flight we landed in Las Vegas!!  If you think Jonah has big eyes on a regular day, you should have seen his eyes at 1am getting off the plane to SLOT MACHINES!!  Luckily for Jonah the fun never ends because we woke up to a joyous breakfast buffet! And no one loves a breakfast buffet more than Jonah Levitan!!

After breakfast we told the kids we were going to rent our car for the week. It took them a while to figure out that we were not renting a car. But once they did - pure joy! 

Home Sweet Home! 

Before we could get on the road we had to stock up on supplies and by supplies I mean tequila, Nutter Butters and some chips! It is vacation after all.  

No better combination on earth! 

And finally, we were off. The only issue we have neglected to mention so far is the heat. Although we hear it's hot back home, the weather here is crazy hot - and although we love our travelling hotel, the RV's AC cools things down to a chilly 85 F if we are lucky.  

But. You know us Levs, or at least Papa Lev - he can make the best of anything ... 

Don't think he is not happy driving topless  

And so we have arrived at our first stop, Zion National Park. We swam, ate delicious food, Lindsey had her first Buffalo burger and all is right in the world. 

So that is it for now. The RV is parked. The Awning is out. The pop out section is extended and we are officially loving our road trip. Love to all!

Happy Camper sleeping in the "cab" 

PS. Our new motto: 

And we r off...

They r home!!! 

So the kids have officially been home for 24 hours.  Lots of laundry and we are off on our journey. So far the kids think we are going to Vegas and the Gand Canyon. We didn't tell them about the RV. Hope they will be as excited as we are to be in our moving hotel. 

I have only a few rules to ensure success. Namely I am hoping for no #2s in the RV. Warren isn't loving this rule but I am going to stand strong! If we were driving in a car we would have to pull over ... Right?  Besides, how will we meet our fellow RVers if we don't venture to the public bathrooms when we get to the RV park.  Right?  

Ok. I really just wanted to see if my app worked from my phone and if you are reading this, it does. I know, Warren did the same thing. 

Have a great weekend. Love to all.  Next post will be from Vegas baby!

Anticipation

So two purposes behind this post. The first is to test the mobile blogging app for this site (no more talk on this point, if you are reading this it worked!).  The second is to share my excitement for my kids' return tomorrow. 

Living through awesome pictures everyday is one thing, but it's time for some in the flesh squeezes!

I thought I would share some of the summer's best photos while looking forward to their return! 

1 more sleep... 

Joe Camper

Camp Girl

Camp Clown

Sibs @ Camp

Fun first, everything else second

You know the trend is coming

  Cousins and besties

  Girlfriends

Cousins on stage

Campfire fun

Day 1: Harbinger of things to come

Visiting day

Sibs

  The sailor

  Lost my boot frog hunting (of course)

Taking bets on whether he comes home with red face paint still on...

The Inaugural Post

It's a Tuesday night.  Lisa is out with the girls for a birthday dinner.  Two days till the kids home from camp (after 7 weeks!).  Three days till we leave for a week vacation to the southwest US. Vegas, Zion, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Vegas.  Now wait for it.... in a 31' RV!

Inspired by the movie Chef I imagine my kids documenting our travels and sharing them over FB, Instagram, Vine, Meerkat, ... but alas, Lisa thought we should start a blog to document our travels. 

So there you have it.  This is Tuesday night and this is me setting up our future family blog!

If you are reading this, you just may be our first visitor ever.  I hope you enjoy.

- Warren