From the top of Mount Royal to the middle of the Old Port to the depths of the Underground City, Montreal is a city not to be missed! CSE’s 56th annual meeting, titled “Communicate Science Effectively: The World Depends On It!”, will take place 3–6 May 2013 in cosmopolitan and beautiful Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Work has already begun on the seminars, programs, and fun events for the meeting, which will be held at The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months for registration and other information about the program and activities associated with the 2013 Annual Conference.

How many big cities have a mountain in the middle of them (and are situated on an island, no less)? Mount Royal is small enough to hike or bike to the top and the spectacular views are worth the effort. From the summit lookout terrace (and park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted), downtown Montreal is at your feet, with a view to the river and beyond to the Monteregian Hills. There are three peaks, the tallest of which is 233 m (764 ft) above mean sea level.

With its cobblestone streets and old stone buildings and churches, Old Montreal is the historical heart of the city, founded in 1642. After a 5-minute walk along the St. Lawrence River from downtown, you can catch the street performers in Place Jacques-Cartier, indulge in a horse-drawn carriage ride, stop at a café, or just enjoy people watching. Lively Old Montreal is a key part of the city’s cultural and economic life; about 4,000 people live here, and more than 35,000 travel to it daily to work.

For above-ground shopping, try rue Ste-Catherine, but you must also check out the Underground City. Montreal has 33 kilometers (about 20 miles) of interconnected, underground tunnels in and around downtown, connecting shopping malls, banks, office buildings, apartments, museums, universities, metro and bus stations, and hotels, including our host hotel, The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. The Underground City is one of the largest underground complexes in the world.

And if that’s not enough to keep you entertained (outside of the meeting of course), other attractions farther afield include the unique Olympic Stadium built for the 1976 Summer Olympics, the Biodome and Montreal Botanical Garden, the Montreal Casino, and a variety of museums and other cultural activities from music and art to theater and sporting events. Start making your plans now to join us in Montreal this coming spring.

MICHAEL A FRIEDMAN is journals production manager and senior technical editor for the American Meteorological Society, Boston, Massachusetts.