Laval is a relatively small city situated north of Montreal, Canada, with a population of approximately 21,000 people, typically 34 years old, with an equal share of men and women, 36% of them being single. Not much traffic, schools everywhere and plenty of parks and organisations for kids like cadets and scouts make it a safe and quiet to raise children.

Not Getting Stuck in Laval

Tourists should be aware that, unless they plan for an exceptionally long visit, they probably will not find vacation-worthy entertainment like Montreal's old port or Niagara Falls. Considering all the advertising on the road sides saying: 'Welcome to Laval's touristic region', one might think that the word 'future' should be put in between 'Laval's' and 'touristic'. Eventually, once the Metro and the speculated roads are finished, there will indeed be a touristic region in Laval, but until then, the problem is all about syntax.

Some are lured to this island by radio ads broadcasted all over Quebec that imply visiting the Space Centre might cure someone's boredom. The said centre is a small museum with an integrated summer camp, so for the space-lovers out there, it's the place to go. For the rest of humankind, it remains a curiosity.

Hopefully, the subway project that would connect with Montreal's own will get finished somewhere in 2007 and so, if this fits into your time period, it will be a good and easy way of traveling though the city and out of it too. Tourists should also be aware that buses generally do not provide service between 1.00am and 6.00am so careful consideration of itineraries is important. To do so, you might want to visit their website.

Why Would Someone get Stuck?

Getting to Laval, most of the time, is an energy-draining thing to do for anybody should you realise that you endured two hours of traffic on the bridges, waiting for public transportation, or worse, walking from Montreal or the north coast, to arrive somewhere that looks suspiciously like where you just came from. Once there, your first impulse might tell you to turn around and get the hell out. But that's a little unfair.

When You're Officially Stuck in Laval

If you didn't follow your first impulse, here's a series of things you might want to do:

• Purchase supplies to continue on your journey. Also, there are two major shopping centres (one of them being the largest in the region), some restaurants and some specialised shops that you can visit. There are also plenty of grocery stores. Super C, IGA, Metro and Provigo are all reasonable for and you can find them along the main boulevards like Des Laurentides, Curé-Labelle and St-Martin. Along the same streets are plenty of other stores you might want to visit like Reno Dépot and Canadian Tire which sell all kinds of goods, from camping gear to car parts.

• Hang out in either the Scratch Club or the Red Lite After-Hour, for they are the most likely to have Montrealers inside, and so, a possible ride back to civilisation. You might want to stop at the Pink on Curé-Labelle, which has a nicer set-up and acoustics but has yet to be famous.

• Enjoy a meal at Dick Ann's on Curé-Labelle Boulevard, being a great fast food place with controlled quality famous for its chili sauce and thin hamburgers (keep in mind that it is closed on Mondays). As far as food is concerned, a wide range of restaurants can be found on the boulevards mentioned above, from sushi shops to buffets to McDonald's. With this in mind, you can usually find a restaurant which suits your taste.

• Getting your vehicle repaired. Being a suburban area, the garages there might be able to offer services quicker than downtown Montreal.

• Watch a movie at one of the three theatres (the most expensive one being flying saucer-shaped) or the drive-in. An amusing fact being that one of the other theatres also has a flying saucer-like thing on top of it; we might theorise that the owners share a taste for sci-fi.

• Go to one of the many presentations at Salle André Mathieu, which, for fair prices, provide reasonable entertainment.

• Getting some rest. You might want to get a room at Montmorency College's students' residence if you plan to stay for some time. Being right in Laval's centre with everything near and without the usual fee for such proximity, it might be a wise choice.

Conclusion

Overall, Laval, being a mostly unheard-of palindrome, one could argue that it still has some way to go to match other Canadian destinations in terms of what it has to offer the tourist. But should you find yourself passing through, you'll find there's stuff to do and some good places to go re-fuel, both your car and your body.