List 10 Great Reasons To Visit Montreal

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  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I definitely intend to, especially if I'm staying at a place with a kitchen.

    I do remember it from being a kid.

  • don't quote me on it, but the boy may be moving here.

  • bassie said:
    my loss - I only eat seafood and fish.

    Not on the cheap side but Maestro SVP is a great spot for seafood. They specialize in oysters but have a great fisherman platter also.

    http://www.maestrosvp.com/

    Kazu is a awesome downtown spot for great japanese food on the cheap. They open at 5pm and no reservations so people usually start lining up around 4:30 ish. Not a ton of of non meat options but to of they more famous dishes are the Shrimp burger and Tuna Salmon bowl.

    As far as where to stay i think your best bet would be plateau/mile-end just for the great night life and restaurants and it is a lot more centrally located so easy access to downtown, old montreal, jean-talon area is just a little north of there and parc ex to the west. Little short on time right now but i will try to come back with some recommendations.

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  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    KidProcrass said:
    bassie said:
    my loss - I only eat seafood and fish.

    Not on the cheap side but Maestro SVP is a great spot for seafood. They specialize in oysters but have a great fisherman platter also.

    http://www.maestrosvp.com/

    As far as where to stay i think your best bet would be plateau/mile-end just for the great night life and restaurants and it is a lot more centrally located so easy access to downtown, old montreal, jean-talon area is just a little north of there and parc ex to the west. Little short on time right now but i will try to come back with some recommendations.

    Thank You, oooh - I'm getting excited about all the food there is to eat lol

    I am ok with being away from the centre of things. I don't need to see or experience Montreal, if you know what I mean. I'd much rather stay in a neighbourhood than by nightlife and all that and I am a big walker/transit-user.

    Of course, if I see a place in Mile End, etc. that looks great I'll take it but my first choice is regular Montreal over tourist Montreal.

  • covecove 1,566 Posts
    Damn, my reading comprehension is pretty piss-poor.
    Parc-Ex and surrounding is definitely the go to for cheap food and restos (and less out of the way as CDN).
    That way you're not too far from the JeanTalon market and Jarry Park.

  • In that case then Cote des neiges (lots of good vietnamese spots), NDG (where i live), and parc-ex like pcmr mentionned are all good options. Also dont think this was posted but Jazz fest goes without saying:


  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    pcmr said:


    holla when you are in town for the good dj night recommendations

    thank you - It's some time away still, but I guess I would please ask for the same formula as accommodations - more neighbourhood/local reggae/bashment/rap suggestions would be greatly appreciated over St Laurent St Denis Crescent type things.

  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    Damn this thread is making me want to plan a trip back again.

    Basie I was really impressed with the transit, so as long as you are connected with a bus line then you're good to go. The rest of the neighbourhoods are easily accessible.

    vintage - making the move??? I've often daydreamed about it, but I don't know if I could handle the severe winter. The company I work for operates out there, so I could potentially push for a transfer. But I would need to really brush up on my French. I'm pretty over Toronto, though. And not the city, but the people mostly. I run into too many assholes everywhere I go.


    My Montreal Recommendations:
    1. If you're a coffee person, I really love Flocon Espresso, which is on Mont Royal on the plateau. There are a bunch of record spots along the same stretch of Mont Royal, so you can get your fingers dusty if you want as well.
    2. Hit Schwartz once for the experience, and be sure to sit at the counter, but otherwise skip it and hit The Main across the street. Smoked meat is almost as good, and you can get a poutine with it. No lines either.
    3. Visit the top of Mont Royal. Make the walk or take transit, then hike to the observatory. Pack some food and eat at the top. The view of the city is beautiful. It's full of tourists, but that kinda adds to the atmosphere.
    4. Eat bagels fresh from St. Viateur. Wait for a fresh batch of poppyseed and cop some cream cheese. Find a park and try not to eat three in a row...

    Now off to check hotel prices...

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    How do you guys rate Vancouver in comparison to Montreal? I have to say I'm quite a bit of a Vancouver fan. Most amazing seafood. Then it's a short ferry ride away from Vancouver Island which I visited once for 2 weeks and was like some sort of a Lord of the Rings next level nature/scenery overkill (even had the best german style brezel and smoked sausage there that I ever found outside the Black Forest)... Vancouver City felt super modern but still had some authentic skid row grit. Probably the best Asian food scene outside of Asia and some people say the best sushi in the world for an almost ridiculously small price. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver all might come up as a place to move to at some point. I've never been to Toronto but so far Vancouver seems like the place of choice.

  • BeatChemist said:
    Damn this thread is making me want to plan a trip back again.

    4. Eat bagels fresh from St. Viateur. Wait for a fresh batch of poppyseed and cop some cream cheese. Find a park and try not to eat three in a row...

    Now off to check hotel prices...

    It really doesnt get any better than a fresh St-Viateur bagel. Gotta have the salmon spread on top of the cream cheese tho.

  • covecove 1,566 Posts
    Some would argue that Fairmount Bagel is better!

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    wherever you end up i will have some advice/spots

    frank vancouver is amazing for seafood/outdoors but pricey as fuck and i prefer the cultural effervencesnce in montreal
    van city is like cali too expensive to consider but dream vacation

  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    cove said:
    Some would argue that Fairmount Bagel is better!

    To be fair, I cannot comment on Fairmount bagels as I have not tried them. Rest assured I will remedy this terrible situation the next time I am in town.

    Frank, even my friends that lived or were born in Vancouver think it's ridiculously pricey. And I think you get a lot more of the granola hippie new age yuppie types in Van. I didn't see anyone like that in Montreal.

    Toronto is cool and all. But... Yeah... It's like NY but not New York. We have great people and food, but our cultural identify as a city is too class divided and ultimately boring. The music scene is good, but not amazing. We do have a ridiculous amount of beautiful women though. Of all nationalities and backgrounds. It really is a wonderfully looking city.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    BeatChemist said:


    Toronto is cool and all. But...

    (...)
    ...our cultural identify as a city is too class divided

    This is hardly exclusive to Toronto and hardly a defining characteristic. In fact, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary have much larger gaps historically.

    BeatChemist said:

    and ultimately boring.

    WTF? :NO:

    With all due respect, this might be a you thing more than a Toronto one.

  • ostost Montreal 1,375 Posts
    bassie said:
    With all due respect, this might be a you 'grass is greener' thing more than a Toronto one.

    Montreal has its things, but I'm not entirely convinced of the nightlife atm. The few interesting parties are usually monthlies.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    pcmr said:
    wherever you end up i will have some advice/spots

    Thank You!

    ______________

    I am not really trying to make this a competition - each city has its good and bad and people have all kinds of reasons for staying where they do. But to call Toronto's cultural identity boring is absolutely ridiculous...especially as it doesn't have one identity.

    That the city (and greater region) is one of the, if not the most, multicultural areas in the world means more than just hot chicks and good food - it means those communities' concerts, danceclubs, movies, art, literary and dance events...open to all to attend. And we have community papers and radio shows - in native tongues and English - for most, if not all, of them.

    We're basically one of the, if not the top, movie capitals in the world, which includes more than TIFF - which is not just the film festival in September but year-round programming with Sprockets for kids, Hot Docs (about to start), Cinematheque, art shows and lectures.

    There are also repertory theatres, non-English movie theatres and year-round film festivals dedicated to any number of language/ethnic/cultural groups and more arty ones like Images (also just about to start).

    We get concerts and art shows no one else in Canada does.

    We have numerous year-round literary, theatre, dance and art festivals.

    We have the country's major fashion week and Arts & Fashion Week (also about to start).

    Jazz Fest, Manifesto, NXNE, CMW.

    Caribana, AfroFest, six different Chinatowns, Pride weekend, Salsa on St Clair, the summer programming at Harbourfront (every weekend has a different country's theme which includes related food, music, movies, lectures/panels, art and theatre), Taste of Little Italy, Taste of the Danforth, Fesitval Of India, Parkdale Village Festival, ice skating to DJs at Harbourfront, Eglinton W street fest, Jane's Walk.

    The Goethe Institute, Japanese Cultural Centre, National Film Board, Columbus Centre, Jamaican Canadian Association - to name a few - all with film, art, literary, etc. events open to the public

    Regular conferences/workshops about Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism - just to name a few.

    Community art associations and galleries from Steeles to Bloor, Rexdale to the Rouge.

    Art, music, language and writing courses offered at every level from neighbourhood community centres to PhD programs.

    What is there? Four colleges, two art schools and two universities? So, more music, more art, more fashion, more literature possibilities.

    Sign up for Akmbo's email list which will flood your inbox and then tell me how boring Toronto's cultural scene is.
    Actually, here, here's an example from today's listings - South Asian Experimental Film + Video

    This is all shit off the top of my head, imagine if one were to dig a little deeper? Cmon, e-friend.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    bassie said:
    pcmr said:
    wherever you end up i will have some advice/spots

    Thank You!

    ______________

    I am not really trying to make this a competition - each city has its good and bad and people have all kinds of reasons for staying where they do. But to call Toronto's cultural identity boring is absolutely ridiculous...especially as it doesn't have one identity.

    That the city (and greater region) is one of the, if not the most, multicultural areas in the world means more than just hot chicks and good food - it means those communities' concerts, danceclubs, movies, art, literary and dance events...open to all to attend. And we have community papers and radio shows - in native tongues and English - for most, if not all, of them.

    We're basically one of the, if not the top, movie capitals in the world, which includes more than TIFF - which is not just the film festival in September but year-round programming with Sprockets for kids, Hot Docs (about to start), Cinematheque, art shows and lectures.

    There are also repertory theatres, non-English movie theatres and year-round film festivals dedicated to any number of language/ethnic/cultural groups and more arty ones like Images (also just about to start).

    We get concerts and art shows no one else in Canada does.

    We have numerous year-round literary, theatre, dance and art festivals.

    We have the country's major fashion week and Arts & Fashion Week (also about to start).

    Jazz Fest, Manifesto, NXNE, CMW.

    Caribana, AfroFest, six different Chinatowns, Pride weekend, Salsa on St Clair, the summer programming at Harbourfront (every weekend has a different country's theme which includes related food, music, movies, lectures/panels, art and theatre), Taste of Little Italy, Taste of the Danforth, Fesitval Of India, Parkdale Village Festival, ice skating to DJs at Harbourfront, Eglinton W street fest, Jane's Walk.

    The Goethe Institute, Japanese Cultural Centre, National Film Board, Columbus Centre, Jamaican Canadian Association - to name a few - all with film, art, literary, etc. events open to the public

    Regular conferences/workshops about Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism - just to name a few.

    Community art associations and galleries from Steeles to Bloor, Rexdale to the Rouge.

    Art, music, language and writing courses offered at every level from neighbourhood community centres to PhD programs.

    What is there? Four colleges, two art schools and two universities? So, more music, more art, more fashion, more literature possibilities.

    Sign up for Akmbo's email list which will flood your inbox and then tell me how boring Toronto's cultural scene is.
    Actually, here, here's an example from today's listings - South Asian Experimental Film + Video

    This is all shit off the top of my head, imagine if one were to dig a little deeper? Cmon, e-friend.



    Come Back to Toronto!!!!!

  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    Vices et Versa!!!!!!

    http://www.vicesetversa.com/fr/bieres

    Dieu Du Ciel

    http://www.dieuduciel.com/en/home.php

    Montreal is a world class city for beers and clog your arteries food. I always come back somewhat constipated, hah.

    restos I rike....

    maison publique
    le comptoir
    lawrence
    joe beef

  • tech12ztech12z 56 Posts
    bassie said:
    I 3 Toronto

    And that, right there, is why I was frothing at the mouth to move back to TO after spending the last couple years in Victoria, BC.

    Home sweet home.

  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    I will definitely concede a pretty strong anti-Toronto bias right now... lol... same city same routine same job life crisis-related.

    Having a bike has already made me see the city in a new way though. So many neighbourhoods to explore! I can't front, Toronto is pretty fucking rad.

  • http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/Pilot+project+will+last+call+Montreal+bars/9777112/story.html

    The Ville-Marie borough is initiating a pilot project to extend the 3 a.m. closing time for certain bars until 6 a.m., with alcohol being served until 5:30.

    The project, initiated by the downtown merchants association and Montreal Police, will have bars stay open late on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays on four consecutive weekends from June 12 until July 5.

    The weeks were chosen because they fall after the Grand Prix, which is already very busy for bars and restaurants.


  • covecove 1,566 Posts
    Not excited about either of these :-S

    --Really crappy selection of bars chosen for this.

    --So you have food in a truck...? I'm still not paying 12$ for a regular sandwich.

  • Great topic! I'm tossing up between spending a weekend in Montreal and Charleston in between visits to NYC and New Orleans. Is there a fair bit going on in Montreal (read: hungover record shopping) on a Sunday?

  • soulmarcosasoulmarcosa 4,296 Posts
    Thanks for the info everyone, but as it turns out I'm not going to be able to make it to Montreal after all. :(

    Here's the MODTREAL event I was talking about though, if anyone is interested:

    https://www.facebook.com/events/1451597091736877/

    Stay tuned for my next "tell me about a city I'm going to visit" thread, coming soon. NYC. And I promise to actually go this time.

    PS: I like Vancouver too, Frank

  • IM UP IN THIS BITH!!

    WHUT IT DOUX MES AMIS?

  • Im guessing most are in front of a screen right about now watching the habs. Not too sure whats up this weekend but a few dope shows next weekend if your still around.
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