Since the founding of Quebec City in 1608, the residents of New France have fought tirelessly to preserve the mark of Samuel de Champlain and France’s capital in the New World. British invasion in 1759 and continued rule until the mid 1800s failed to uproot a fledgling French legacy, begun by a mere twenty-eight residents. The British followed a policy of “soft colonialism” after conquering New France, leaving the slanted roof houses, the cobbled streets, and the French provincial charm of the city intact without even imposing English as the official language. Meanwhile, residents of Quebec City and surroundings popped out record numbers of babies as a strategy for keeping their people and culture alive. With enough water breaking to cause the second great flood, the French population of Quebec City swelled from 8000 in 1759 to 60,000 in 1861 and nearly 100,000 by the turn of the 20th century.  

By the time Canada had formed as an independent country in the late 1800s, there was nothing stopping the fierce neo-Frenchies from socially and culturally controlling the province of Quebec. The die-hard Quebec separatists unleashed their campaign for independence in the 1970s, but finally waived a white flag 25 years later; around the same time Jennifer Aniston grew out her famous Rachelizer hair layers.  

Since the turn of the 21st century, Quebec City has finally received some well-deserved recognition for its charm, architecture, annual festivals, and even its small gay scene.

Christened the crowned jewel of the St. Lawrence and dubbed the “most European city outside of Europe,” Quebec’s marriage of provincial life with small city offerings reveals a unique old world charm absent in the United States yet just a short flight from major U.S. hubs. The old city remains surrounded by its original 4.6 kilometer walls, with five entry points, all leading to equally breath-taking, fairy tale vistas, whether the quaint shops of Basse-ville (lower town) or the grandeur of the iconic Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Haute-ville (upper town). Indeed the influences of France proudly linger – the architecture of stone buildings and chateaus, the patisseries, the epicures, and the condescending attitudes when you speak English. However, the nature, the progressive views towards gays, the maple leaves and the ubiquitous maple products are distinctly Canadian (ice cream cones filled with maple butter is a must try). In the meantime, French-speaking Canada has developed its own iconoclastic characteristics and elements such as putin (fries with curdled cheese and brown sauce) and it’s own linguistics. The French spoken here resembles dialects of France circa 1850, using old school words hardly recognizable to present day Parisians. And unlike Montreal, very few choose to learn English, which adds to the feel of a completely foreign country. 

Seasons Change

With every passing season, Quebec City celebrates the distinctions of spring, summer, winter, and fall with countless festivals and special events, both national and international in scale. The seasons merge with the city’s spirit, painting the landscape to create live emblematic postcards – with rainbows of falling leaves in autumn, crisp, fluffy snow in winter, and vivacious greens in summer. In particular, the Summer Festival (July 8 -18, 2010) draws over a million spectators to the Plains of Abraham for eight days of first-rate concerts with some of the biggest names in music such as Plácido Domingo and Sting in 2009 and Celine Dion in 2008. The Winter Festival (January 28 – February 13, 2011) reveres all forms of the harsh season’s precipitation with the construction of an entire ice palace, the erection of an enormous winter amusement park featuring sled rides, skiing, snow rafting, and the carnival atmosphere that only comes with one million people crowding into a tiny city and eager to party! The best part of the Winter Festival is the visual fest of drunk, hot guys who brave the snow in just their swim trunks to build snowmen and frolic in the winter wonderland! 

Getting Practical

Almost every photo you see of Quebec City will featureLe Chateau Frontenac, the icon of the city, standing tall over the St. Lawrence. The horse drawn carriages strolling by the massive, six-winged chateau unveil images of a time gone by, a glimpse of life in Old France. The Chateau, erected in 1893 currently holds the Guinness World Record of "the most photographed hotel in the world." Much like its exterior, the hotel interior retains a traditional feel while staying fresh and highly functional. The hotel itself defines the heart of the city, its location thus unparalleled (www.fairmont.com/frontenac; 1 rue des Carrières, 1-866-540-4460) 

Alternatively, peering over the walls of Old Quebec, theLoews Le Concorde provides the most exquisite views of the city, most notably from its 5 star roof top restaurant, L’Astral. Given its strategic location, the majority of Le Concorde’s modern renovated rooms offer breath-taking panoramas of the city. Built during the concrete jungle period of the 1970s, the building’s architecture is distinctly 1973 – drab in color, harsh in texture and design, more suited for the moon than this provincial city. Nevertheless, the first class service and the contemporary interiors more than compensate for the disco era’s construction mishap. Even the spaceship shaped revolving rooftop restaurant is the city’s most celebrated eatery. There is nothing cheesy or seventies about the experience at L’Astral, a phenomenal eating extravaganza, featuring the flavors of world famous chefs, and 360-degree views of the entire city. A beautiful evening witnessing the city’s transformation from day to night, high in the sky, could easily be your best memory of Quebec City. (loewshotels.com, 1225 cours du Général-De Montcalm, 1-800-463-5256).  

Late evening and late night, the party converges at Le Drague, Quebec City’s epicenter of gay life. The multiple story venue offers a number of distinct rooms, catering to the hard-core leather crowd upstairs, the bubble gum pop crowd on the dance floor, and the more chill folks in the main bar area and game room. The club is also famous for its cabaret performances and outrageous trannies. Given the city’s relatively small population, the gay population is not spoiled for choice when it comes to nightlife options; however, if your Prince Charming is in Quebec City, most likely he will be partying at Le Drague whether in Abercrombie, couture, chaps, straps, or high heels (www.ledrague.com; 815, rue St-Augustin)