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| - A terrific introduction to Montreal. Bonus points for the amazing Marco Polo exhibit (nothing to do with MTL, as far as I could tell, but fascinating on its own).
The main entrance is in the building with the tower (this is not obvious from the street). You can get a historical overview from the video presentation "Yours truly, Montreal" (shown every 30 minutes), but it's pretty hokey unless you're a child or easily impressed. There was also a temporary exhibit about the history of the diverse neighborhood called the Plateau.
The museum is built over the foundations of much older buildings (thus the "Archeology" in the name), and uses those ruins to good effect. The first underground gallery is about the history of the city, which leads into an exhibit containing the remnants of the 17th-century sewer system. If you like geeky things, this is absolute heaven. Even if you don't like geeky things, it's still pretty cool, and the wall-mounted information is clear and very informative. There are further ruins to explore, with accompanying videos.
A kids' exhibit (essentially a giant ship) looked amazing, offering places to play (and, possibly, learn something). The Marco Polo exhibit winds up in the modern building across the street from the entrance.
The design of this museum is very clever and lets you explore and imagine what life was like here hundreds of years ago. It's a bit expensive, but if you like to learn new things while on vacation, this is money and time well spent.
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