Mmmmm. Poutine. Darn you mnemosyne, I can’t get any here!
Montreal is a pretty amazing place. Everyone down here in PA who has visited it absolutely loved it.
Thanks everyone. I have been persuaded and I will be visiting both cities! Unfortunately, my visits won’t be for very long - only a couple of days in either case, but that excludes days when I’m actually travelling.
I thank you all for your suggestions.
I will not be going to see an NHL game or any other sporting event. I’m just not interested in sport of any kind.
When I’m travelling, my foremost interest is finding where to go to get great photographs, my main focus being nature, landscape and scenery.
If I can’t do that, and I’m in an urban environment somewhat bereft of great ‘nature’ shots, I try to find the most picturesque places, or the get the best ‘human interest’ photos that show something of the character of the place.
I do like famous landmarks and touristy spots, and I don’t have an aversion to touristy cliches - if I hear of something attracting a gazillion tourists, I tend to want to see what all the fuss is about! I like heights, so of course in Toronto I’ll be enjoying the view from the top of the CN Tower, or as high up as I can go!
I also like impressive architecture and man-made structures, the more awesome or ‘offbeat’ the better.
I don’t spend much time savouring good restaurants (I eat plain, simple food), nor do I tend to visit galleries and museums (only because I’ve already been around SO many, and I’m a bit jaded).
Of course I’d love to meet up with Dopers in the evening, although I don’t drink much. And, regarding one comment above, I assure you that card tricks are strictly optional!
I might have some suggestions that you’d find interesting. At the very least, you’ll probably want to take a visit to the waterfront districts and the Don Valley.
As for ‘interesting’ architecture, we have a few examples. An architecture walkabout might be a good thing. 
If you like heights and landscapes, then take Porter Airlines from the Island Airport to Montreal. The view of the buildings should be good. I once was in a small plane travelling from Windsor to Oshawa and we passed in front of Toronto after dusk on an evening where the sky was filled with puffy clouds. Ducking in and out of clouds that were lit from below by the lights of the city, and looking down on the web of jewels that was the street grid, was fascinating.
One of the great secrets about Toronto, not well known to tourists, is that it is criss-crossed with ravines which provide some very attractive park walking.
Here’s a view of the bridge crossing the Humber near Old Mill, in late fall:
Or go out the east entrance of Sherbourne subway station and turn north. You will be on a bridge over the Rosedale Ravine. Then walk through Rosedale to the Glen Road bridge.
Take the streetcar to Broadview south of the Danforth, get off in the park along Broadview, which has excellent views of downtown, say hi to the statue of Sun Yat-Sen, then walk down the hill and over the footbridge to check out Riverdale Farm (once the Toronto Zoo).
Rent or borrow a bike and explore the Leslie Street Spit.
Take the ferry to the Toronto Islands.
Or take the subway to Lawrence. Head south on Yonge Street two blocks to Alexander Muir Gardens. Enjoy the gardens, and walk through the gardens to the ravine park beyond. You’ll go under the Mount Pleasant Bridge, and “resurface” at Blythwood Road. Cross Blythwood and continue into Sherwood Park. Continue through Sherwood Park until you get to Bayview Avenue.
Cross Bayview, and head for Sunnybrook Hospital (or probably “Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Teaching Hospital at the University of Toronto” by now, if Sunnybrook’s penchant for lengthening its name every few years has continued). Behind Sunnybrook Hospital (ahem) is Sunnybrook Park: home of the Toronto Police’s mounted unit. Maybe the horses will be out in their paddock exercising.
From Sunnybrook Park, you have plenty of choices. Head for Serena Gundy park, which leads to (IIRC) Edwards Gardens. Or head for Ernest Thompson Seton Park, which leads to the Science Centre. Past there, you can get to Taylor Creek Park.
All the parks I’ve mentioned are “chained” together, and all (except for Alexander Muir and Edwards Gardens) are large enough that they can accommodate cyclists, joggers, picknicking families, and frisbee players; and still allow you the nature, landscape, and scenery you’re looking for.
I miss Toronto’s ravine parks. 
I well remember heading into the ravine park chains and forgetting that I was in the middle of a large city.
Which reminds me: one day I was driving into work, stressed as hell, and I passed a couple of mounted cops out riding their horses … in the waterfront park near Sunnyside.
It was a sunny day, the lake was sparkling, and the two cops - a good-looking woman and a handsome fellow - were ambling along on horseback through a very obviously crime-free park, beautiful and green, largely empty of people in the morning except for the occasional jogger. They were laughing together, obviously having a wonderful time.
In my imagination I was picturing this scene:
"now we have two assignments here today. Officers X and Y, you are on crack-house patrol. I want you to go where the action is - to the most dingy, cockaroach-infested ratholes where dangerous, handgun-wielding drug-dealing maniacs lurk.
Officers A and B, your duty today is to go on a long romantic horse-ride in the park".
[I know that is hardly a fair characterization - but jeeze, I was envious. 
]
Great photography subjects in Montreal, including the main touristy spots:
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Mount Royal – the view of and the view from, with a belvedere overlooking downtown and much of Montérégie and another one overlooking the whole Plateau and the Olympic Stadium.
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The churches, especially Notre-Dame Basilica with its amazing gilt and polychrome, St. Joseph’s Oratory, a pilgrimage shrine that is the largest church in Canada, and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, a scale model of St. Peter’s in Rome.
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The Olympic Park – the, um, memorable Olympic Stadium and its tower (world’s tallest inclined – can be gotten to the top of), and the beautiful Botanical Gardens, world’s second largest after Kew, especially the Chinese and Japanese sections.
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The various scenes of the Old Port and Old City.
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Parc Jean-Drapeau (Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame), where they held Expo '67.
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The metro.
Every station is by a different architect and most are festooned with works of art. Includes some really good modernist and post-modern architecture. -
The staircases of the Plateau – Montreal has really lovely and distinctive residential architecture. Ask at the Infotouriste office if there are any tours, or just start with the north side of Carré Saint-Louis (Sherbrooke metro) and head up rue Laval for a good sampler.
Let me know when you’re in town and we’ll see if we can’t get the Doperealers together for some nosh!
I must say that as a Torontonian visiting Montreal, I found Montreal to be an amazingly beautiful city. In the Old City, around every block there was something to see. I was only there for three days last time, and you could spend a lot longer than that and still not even scratch the surface of what there is to see.