Montreal, the second largest city in Canada and the largest city in the rogue French-speaking province of Quebec, is often
referred to as the Paris of North America. This reputation is well-earned: it is the second largest French speaking city in
the Western world after Paris. Its rues (streets) are lined with cafés, shop owners with often greet you with a hearty
bonjour, and the city has maintained its own culture despite continuous pressure to become more Anglophone. So,
jonesing for Europe and with the memories of holiday disagreements with family members still fresh in our minds, my
friend and I hopped a plane headed for Montreal shortly before ringing in the new 2006 year.
Our Travelocity last minute deal included airfare and four days stay in the swank Omni Hotel near Mont-Royal. The
deal was amazing considering holiday travel usually more expensive than any other time of the year. Once we arrived in
Montreal, we understood why the deal had been so cheap…it was freezing cold! The temperature in December and
January in Montreal hovers between -10°C and -5°C (13°F and 21°F). Heavy coats, gloves, hats, scarves, earmuffs, and
boots are necessities. I’ve heard that the city is gorgeous and pleasantly Mediterranean-feeling during spring and
summer. Ville de Montréal was still stunning in the cold weather. Snow gently covered church roofs, kids sloshed
around throwing snowballs at each other, and a steaming cup of espresso or tea was always a welcomed sight.
When we arrived in Montreal, my friend and I agreed we were definitely not in the States anymore. True to the
Canadian reputation, Montreal is exceedingly clean. Like any well-conceived city, the core of Montreal is set up as a grid
system meaning that most of the streets run parallel and perpendicular according to the cardinal directions. A grid system
keeps a city walkable and easy to navigate (or hard to get lost in). The metro system in Montreal rivals any of those in
Europe. It’s clean, efficient, and can get you to anywhere you need to go in Montreal proper.
Armed with metro multi-passes—a must if you are going to get around the city without a car—and wearing our most
snow worthy boots, we set out to explore the city. Unknowingly, we had selected a hotel in an ideal location. The Omni
Hotel is situated in Downtown Montreal near Mont-Royal, a gigantic hill in the heart of the city and Montreal’s
namesake. Downtown Montreal (easily accessible from Peel metro station) is bustling with restaurants, bars, clubs, and
cafés. Stroll down rue Crescent to pass a variety of mid-priced restaurants featuring Italian, French, American, and other
typical fare (there is even a British pub). Menus are usually posted outside the restaurants, so be sure to walk all the way
to rue Sainte-Catherine or Boulevard René-Lévesque before making a decision about your evening meal. Turn down
Boulevard de Maisonneuve or rue Sainte-Catherine for a mix of great shopping, lower priced eateries (delis and diners
abound), and cafés packed with college students (Université McGill is in the vicinity). My friend and I were fixtures at
Second, a 24-hour café with yummy pastries and strong coffee.
Downtown was the site of my not-so-wild New Year’s. Montreal does not have an event comparable to the Peach Drop
or the lowering of the New Year’s Eve Ball, just plenty of clubs and bars anxious to take your 75 or 100 Canadian
Dollars (1 USD = 1.16 CAD) in exchange for a “top shelf buffet,” “foam party,” or “all-inclusive experience.” I had
gathered a number of flyers and information from roaming advertisements but was unsuccessful in finding a place I
wanted to ring in my New Year. Fortunately, the breathtaking view of Mont-Royal and Downtown Montreal from my
hotel room was the perfect complement to a glass of champagne.
Downtown Montreal is not to be confused with Old Montreal. Old Montreal (walking distance from Place D’Armes
metro station) is the original settlement of Montreal around the Old Port on the St. Lawrence Seaway. As you would
expect, every block of this area is dense with interesting history and spectacular architecture. One of the best sites is the
Basilique Notre-Dame, which you can tour or attend a church service. Old Montreal is also the “tourist district” so there
are plenty of stands offering carriage rides and souvenir and gift shops to peruse for touristy knick knacks. Sneek down
a narrow alleyway to discover eclectic art galleries, creperies, and more cafés.
Since returning from Montreal, I have approached café-ing (the art of languishing and people watching from the vantage
of a café) as something of a hobby. At first, the café as the ubiquitous entity lining block after block of Montreal was
annoying. Then, as my friend and I walked more and the temperature dropped, a café became a welcome sight and
refuge from the cold. After endless hours of relaxing in Montreal cafés, a good American coffeehouse has become a new
experience (yes, even Starbucks). It’s a hub, a place from which I can sit stationary and watch others conduct the
business of their lives. It’s a comfort zone where I can sink down into a booth or oversized chair and think over a café
au lait and pastry. Now, I understand the obsession with cafés, why we need one on every corner. Montreal had the
foresight to embrace the café experience and the grace to relate it to me. Now, I visit the small café on the corner and
seek out the Mom and Pop coffee shop. Montreal gave me a new hobby.
However, Montreal is more than great cafés. There is no shortage of places to visit in Montreal and our extended
weekend was full of tours (and, of course, visits to adjacent cafés). The Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal is a must for
culture. If you are into environmental issues and zoos like I am, check out the Biodôme de Montréal (not to be confused
with the Biosphère). It is a science museum and zoo that takes visitors through four different ecosystems found in the
Americas: a tropical forest, a Laurentian forest, the St. Lawrence marine ecosystem, and a polar area. Our visit to the
Complexe Desjardins (Underground City) proved disappointing. Declared a must-see by maps and guidebooks, it proved
to be a semi-underground mall with rather poor shopping (Canadian versions of Lane Bryant do not excite me).
Your time is better spent exploring the ethnic areas of the city. Quartier Chinois (Chinatown) near Place D’Armes metro
station is about a two square block are filled this authentic Chinese restaurants and shops. You will know you’re there
when you pass under the huge Chinese archway. Although considerably smaller than New York or San Francisco
Chinatowns, Montreal’s Chinatown has many of the same themes: roasted whole duck hanging in the window of a
grocery store, trading company stores stuffed with inexpensive imports from China, and little old Chinese ladies quietly
slurping bowls of noodles.
To experience more of Montreal’s diversity, visit the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) near rue Sainte-Denis (somewhat
walking distance from Berri-Uqam station). Contrary to popular belief, this neighborhood is named after another in
Paris, not for its residents. The Latin Quarter is a multicultural overdose. Restaurants offer Indian, African, French, and
any other type of cuisine you may crave. Be sure to search around for Jewish cafés offering Montreal’s legendary
bagels. There theaters, boutiques, lounges, clubs, bars…and other places to get into trouble at 3 a.m. The entire area has
an open, almost bohemian vibe, due in part to its diversity and in part to its proximity to the Université du Québec á
Montréal (UQAM).
What I did not experience in Montreal were many people of African descent. Blacks are the largest minority group but
only about four percent of the population. We have been living in Montreal as slaves since its “New France” days. In
the 1960s, a wave of Haitians immigrated to the city. More recently, francophone West Africans have been settling in
Montreal. So where are they? The few Black people my friend and I were able to chat with during our café-ing claimed
that most people of African descent live on the outskirts of the city and in the suburbs. They suggested visiting during
the Reggae Festival, Jazz Festival, or Carifiesta Parade (all in July). (Check out The Road to Now by Dorothy Williams
for a scholarly history of the black experience in Montreal.)
So is Montreal the poor mans Paris? Well, like the answer to many questions in life, yes and no. Like Paris, Montreal is
the old confronting, yet coexisting beautifully, with the new. Cafés abound; café-ing is now one of my official hobbies.
Amazing historical, religious, and architectural sites are delicately placed alongside modern buildings, a testament to the
way both Montrealers and Parisians are able to live amongst history.
However, unlike the larger cities in Europe, Montreal is less foreboding, more approachable. Paris, London, even
Madrid, can leave the average traveler overwhelmed with sights to see and ground to cover. In Montreal, you feel that a
good map and a metro pass are all you need to get your bearing and begin exploring. Not to say that Montreal is simple
or easily conquered. Each alleyway brings a new café, restaurant, or art gallery to be enjoyed. Montreal just makes you
feel like you can take a weekend and explore a new place and be easy about it.
The comfortable feeling extends even to the language. Sure, Montreal is part of the only French-speaking province in
North America, but its residents do not only speak French. The average cab driver, waitress, concierge, or store clerk
also speaks English. In Chinatown or the Latin Quarter, they may also speak Cantonese, Hebrew, Guajarati, Arabic, or
any number of languages. The best thing: they are happy to speak whatever language you do. In Madrid, I was tsk-ed
for speaking below par Spanish. In Paris, you may be ignored for daring to say hello in English. But Montrealers don’t
care. They are proud of their language but not snobbish enough to force it on you.
To me, Montreal takes good parts of Paris and somehow manages to reformulate them as distinctly and comfortably
Canadian. The term “French-Canadian” is the perfect expression of its aura. Montreal offers great aspects of European
culture: cafés, museums, history, and walkability. Simultaneously, it does not overwhelm or offend, and is faintly
reminiscent of the familiar. Next time I catch a good deal, I’ll be reading the latest travel novel in a cozy chair at Second
Cup.
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| The Paris of North America by Eden June |