Isn't it sad that, on arriving for a conference, one's first act is to get online in the hotel room and start doing the work one will not be able to do tomorrow because of the conference?

Or maybe, its not your first act, just mine.

And after a few hours, you look up from the screen at a hotel room that could be anywhere and briefly wonder what continent it is?

All of which is by way of saying, I'm here. Hi people.

Faubourg Ste Catherine and 24-hour Second Cup!

(Second Cup is the Canadian Starbucks equivalent.) Map:

Extreme has WiFi, as does the conference hotel, but if you're out on the town or staying somewhere else, you can check here for hotspots at Ile sans fil or here.

Because Montreal is so cosmopolitan, international phone cards are plentiful and cheap.

You can get prepaid SIM cards at Rogers or Fido locations. (I haven't done this personally, but the vendors and locations listed seem reasonable.)