I was once half a hick. Let me explain…read more
Can you picture the facsimile of the elderly duo in "American Gothic" in a Ford Crown Victoria with plates from B.F.E., Kansas pulling into a gas station and fumbling while managing to construct the question "Excusez-moi, but are we in 'Leave-eyes'?" in this city just across the Saint Lawrence River from Quebec City? I can. And I'm sure it has happened, though maybe not with the same specifics. I'm thinking the townspeople of Levis, Quebec view it as analogous to nails on a chalkboard and/or poke fun at this common mispronunciation. After all, "nearby" Montrealers are good sports and know damn well that Americans and Canadian Anglophones pronounce the city's name "Munt-reeal," when the "t" is meant to be silent.
The first time I was on the phone with a Quebec City concern, I somehow knew it wouldn't be "Leave-eyes," but I did pronounce it "Lehv-iss." I was subtly corrected, as in, "Ah, yes, 'Lehv-ee'!" The light bulb went on. Levis must then rhyme with the French surname Duplessis or the wine chablis. I never forgot. There ... I was half a hick.
Levis is a wonderful small city and it makes for some good symmetry with Quebec City. It is on the south shore, across the Saint Lawrence River. Like Quebec City, there is a ridge or a hilltop that rapidly descends down to the riverside. Just like there are incredible views from Terrasse Dufferin or the Battlefield Park Grounds in Quebec City, there are incredible views of Quebec City, viewed as a whole, from Levis. One might say Levis is the balcony onto Quebec City. One such balcony is the Terrasse de Levis, opposite Chateau Frontenac.
Approaches to Levis are a little limited, so it is best to study how to get there. From the center of Quebec City, one can take the ferry that takes on both passengers and cars from its station immediately to the west of the major buildings and quais for the Port de Quebec. There is a charge assessed for this brief passage. In French, "sans frais" is a nice thing to hear, as in "free of charge," but that is not the case here. The "sans frais" / "free of charge" approaches are the adjacent bridges of Pont Pierre-Laporte and Pont de Quebec, about 5 to 10 miles west of Old Quebec and the ferry.
Levis is somewhat bifurcated. The parts near the Saint Lawrence River, either on top of the hills or a the base of the hills, feature stately homes, townhouses, and ornate older buildings. As one moves closer to the Autoroute 20, which comes from Montreal (technically Longueuil) and follows the south shore, it becomes more suburban, more industrial, and newer.
In the older part, one might find fine dining, boutiques, bed and breakfasts, and those sorts of establishments. For those of us on the West Coast, I would say that the feeling atop the ridge in older Levis is much like the feeling of being at the Kerry Park viewpoint on Seattle's Queen Anne Hill.
In the newer part, and especially along the autoroute, there are shopping centers, chain hotels, apartment complexes, newer condos, newer homes, and even a big refinery with the Valero brand emblazoned on the side of the oil tanks. There will also be a hospital and newer schools, including a newer and smaller branch campus for UQ.
If you go to Quebec City, be sure to go to Levis, even if just as a passenger aboard the ferry which crosses the river. Once across, you can walk, take a bus, or take a taxi along its waterfront and into the older part or stay close to the ferry terminal where there is a park fronting the shore as well as some bistros and places to buy food. If you have time, do both. Take the ferry and cross the river but also take your car across the bridges to discover more of Levis and the areas south of Quebec City. Just as you'd surely include Chute Montmorency and Ile d'Orleans in your Quebec City itinerary, be sure to include the small city of Levis across the mighty Saint Lawrence River.
Note - since the listing only takes one website, here is an additional bilingual link for tourism to Levis, Quebec:
http://www.tourismelevis.com/en/
Levis est beaucoup plus que d'une paire de jeans!