L'Interessante Montreal

House of Jazz

Montreal is world renown as a true international city. Revered for their food, art and as an international community, Montreal presents itself as sophisticated. As a true foodie and artist, I looked forward to visiting this ever-hot city. It also offered me the chance to practice my French.

Travelling to Montreal brought me one step closer to my full Canadian experience. Since last summer, I have been making my way across Canada trying on each city like new heels I may like to own. I loved the laid back, seaside lifestyle of Victoria, B.C. I thought Vancouver was subtly the best city I have ever loved, with their stunning downtown. North Vancouver reminded me so much of Colorado, I looked at real estate. Very livable for me.

downtown eateries/ breweries

Montreal is reputed the foodie and international scene of the Canadian territories. The bi-lingual city offers an immediate feeling of culture and a savvy pretense.
The Francophiles here are prominent and English is the second language spoken in Montreal.
I visited in the winter, so the music, and social feel of the city were low-key. There were many venues,but not many were open or had much going on while I visited. Even the restaurants seemed to have limited hours, even on the weekends, most places were not open until lunch or dinner. This is surprising for a town known for their food.
Again, I attributed this to the season and the brutal snow and ice. (note: there were many signs "Danger: Chute de Glace" warning of ice falling from the rooftops in downtown. This is a serious warning, and the melting ice chunks could kill you.)

I was able to find poutine despite the limited hours of available restaurants. If you are not familiar with poutine, it is similar to cheese curds smothered in a delicious gravy.
Hearty, comfort food, perfect for the weather. Canada is known for it's poutine and it was mmm mmm good.

underground transit

This is a walk-able city, yet equipped with a transit system that is exemplary. It was extremely easy to get around downtown and to other outlying areas.
I felt extremely safe taking the train or the bus as well as walking around the area downtown.

The beauty of the city of Montreal is partially due to the mixture of old and new. The architecture and streets went from cobblestone and quaint brick buildings to charming townhouses and trendy, hip streets with wine shops and hookah bars. This mix gives the allure of a European city with New World values. It is interesting to move between the two concepts from street to street. Respecting the old but having access to the new. 

A true urban mecca on some level. Yet, actually meeting people, or more so the level of friendliness was unfortunately not what I have experienced in other Canadian cities. Montreal is far more urban, with a big city feel even though it is an extremely small city. Not much warmth between tourists and locals. Montreal wears the attitude of some of the up and coming American cities that have found sudden popularity. Cities like Denver and Austin, for example, that used to be chill and became popular with new microbreweries, live music and wonderful eateries - now these cities are filled with transplants who think they are adding to the energy when in fact they are sucking it dry, not adding anything...at all.

McGill University, Montreal

With McGill University located in the heart of downtown Montreal, the university atmosphere lends an air of intellectualism which may also add to some of the pretense of the city. The campus itself is very laid back and extremely quiet. I visited one of the bookstores on campus, expecting a campus buzz. You know that feeling, when you are surrounded by people whose minds are open to learning something, anything new? It was super quiet, nondescript even. I was able to purchase a book, grab a coffee, and sit and read in a surreal peace.
The university is a beautifully succinct campus, even though smack dab in the center of this metropolis.

The historic architecture is extremely interesting. I do not which I was more intrigued by; the old historic buildings with the history of Montreal depicting the standing culture of the city, or the newer architectural projects which have been introduced. Montreal has very innovative architects and scientists changing the scope of architecture, as well as science. It is fascinating.

downtown Montreal

 I happened upon a wedding at the Cathedral Notre Dame the weekend we arrived. It was so striking to see the wedding party dressed to the nines entering this beautiful cathedral. The processional was nothing but respectful of this historical building and the vows this couple chose to take here. The attendees of the wedding also quietly entered the building with the divine love and respect for the couple as well as the history that was being made in the building they were entering.

Notre Dame

Montreal Bio-dome

 There were two buildings I needed to see. I am always interested in the ecosystems of other countries, and had researched the Bio-dome prior to this trip. It is interesting to witness the future forward thinking shown in the design(s) and the concepts regarding the future of our populations and the environment. The Montreal Bio-dome was the first place I wanted to visit. I am completely impressed with the technology and potential for a more eco-friendly world.

The second structure was built by an Israeli/ Canadian architect named Moshe Safdie. Habitat 67 was originally designed as a thesis project. The intent was to project a housing development for overpopulated, fast growing, urban cities with a design that allowed for more of a suburban feel. The development(s) would include gardens and allow for more unit by unit privacy by the multi-tiered design. Still a brilliant idea, even if considered a failed experiment in Montreal due to the end price point for each unit.



Montreal is beyond interesting. I hope I get the chance to revisit the city again soon to appreciate more of the offerings of this diverse and intuitive hot spot.