What to do in Montreal ?

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I'll be visiting Montreal in a few weeks with two friends - is anyone familiar with good things to do in town, places to go, sights to see?

calstars (calstars), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 11:06 (twenty years ago) link

Unless you're a vegetarian, you MUST go to Schwartz's deli and get a smoked meat sandwich.

Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 12:08 (twenty years ago) link

music at Casa del Popolo or La Salla Rossa

food at Chez L'epicier (gourmet), Aux Vivres (veg), Chu Chai (veg thai), Mondo Frites (fries and beer).

movies at Cinema du Parc

hiking on Mont Royal (you mustmust visit Tam Tams on sunday for drum-circle hippie juggling picnic fun, plus 20something quebecois male faux-jousting in the back)

shopping on St Denis (Le valet du coeur is the bestest shop in the world for toys and games and funfunfun)

Sean M (Sean M), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 12:19 (twenty years ago) link

Dude. See the Expos before it's too late!

ModJ, Wednesday, 13 August 2003 15:32 (twenty years ago) link

Is Cinéma L'Amour still going?
That's the place where Houdini got his fatal punch, y'know.

Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 15:34 (twenty years ago) link

Schwartz's is excellent, seconded.

Nick H, Wednesday, 13 August 2003 15:36 (twenty years ago) link

Don't buy CDs at Debede! I did and when I brought them home they were all completely scratched up. He keeps them in little lunch bags!

amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 15:38 (twenty years ago) link

When are you going?

What kind of music do you like?

What kind of food do you like?

What type of stuff do you want to do?

cybele (cybele), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 15:44 (twenty years ago) link

The old, old part of town by the water is really cool... a bit touristy, but still completely unique for North America.

Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 15:48 (twenty years ago) link

We've discussed this a bunch recently in Montreal RFI and Record Stores in Quebec .

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:23 (twenty years ago) link

do anything, montreal is fun and a half

dyson (dyson), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:32 (twenty years ago) link

also say something nice about montreal

gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:43 (twenty years ago) link

Also any specific questions I am happy to answer! Cybele too I'm sure!

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:44 (twenty years ago) link

S1utsky, what are the better brothels in Montreal?

amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:46 (twenty years ago) link

You should check out the Better Brothel Bureau for specific info.

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:52 (twenty years ago) link

the fourth b is for 'bon appetit'

mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:54 (twenty years ago) link

whenever you go into a store pull out a ruler and take it to whatever signage they might have.

Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 16:56 (twenty years ago) link

eleven months pass...
so I may go to Montreal for the weekend....anyone else have any suggestions?

this is on my to-do list:
-eat well
-see art
-go dancing (stuff with breakbeats and deep bass, dancey rock, hip hop, disco, cheesey eurodance, new wave, electro, minimal techno or certian kinds of house will do me right)
-hear music
-people-watch (cute boys a plus)
-meet nice people
-attempt to speak french

thanks for the help!

waxyjax (waxyjax), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 19:32 (nineteen years ago) link

in two weeks it will be Gay Pride here. so if that appeals it is a pretty big celebration (www.diverscite.org)

anthony, Tuesday, 20 July 2004 19:41 (nineteen years ago) link

hey, i did mentin that i wanted to see some cute boys....and i have a boyfriend, so their sexuality won't make a difference anyway.

are there any good websites that list events?

waxyjax (waxyjax), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 19:43 (nineteen years ago) link

cute boy events?

fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 20:42 (nineteen years ago) link

Montreal is hott right now, so you definitely must visit.
Check out The Mirror and The Hour online - English weeklies. For shows: www.montrealshows.com. There isn't really a website with any kind of comprehensive listing that I know of. If you're into dancing, you should go to Stereo (it's afterhours - 2am-10am or later - and great soundsystem, nice crowd.) And for great fun on Sunday afternoons go to Parc Jean-Drapeau for Piknic Electronik - a quick metro ride away from downtown (yellow line from beri-uqam) - dancing in the park all afternoon, who could ask for more out of a summer Sunday? I've been loving it anyway.

Have fun!

rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 00:50 (nineteen years ago) link

i wrote a big article about diverscite for the mirror, it should be on montrealmirror.com on thursday i think

s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 01:22 (nineteen years ago) link

(it is not a good article)

s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 01:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Take the Metro, its like a minirollercoaster.

Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 02:02 (nineteen years ago) link

yes, but are there ninjas¿

dyson (dyson), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 02:14 (nineteen years ago) link

If the metro is like a mini-rollercoaster then certainly, yes, there are mini-ninjas. But they only speak French.

rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 02:25 (nineteen years ago) link

one year passes...
THIS:

http://static.flickr.com/49/172336709_89fe5b4fcd.jpg

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 22 June 2006 01:07 (seventeen years ago) link

i've been on ilx for over two years! (i know this is minor in comparison to others, but this thread made me realize it's been that long. i don't know why it took me so long to get into it really. a mix of ignorance, work, bf, watching a lot of WWF, the old-fashioned land of email/listservs, etc.? hm.)

slutsky parties are ALWAYS FUN and the MUSIC IS TEH BEST

rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Thursday, 22 June 2006 03:48 (seventeen years ago) link

it's way too early -- i read that as SUFJAN SUPERBLAST.

jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 June 2006 11:35 (seventeen years ago) link

OMG.

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 22 June 2006 11:54 (seventeen years ago) link

you have permission to kill me if i ever put on an event called "SUFJAN SUPERBLAST"

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 22 June 2006 11:54 (seventeen years ago) link

tonight!

s1ocki (slutsky), Saturday, 24 June 2006 14:23 (seventeen years ago) link

how expensive/cheap a city is montreal, to live in?

what is the job market like there, for I.T?

duff (duff), Saturday, 24 June 2006 14:42 (seventeen years ago) link

still quite cheap

i don't know about the IT job market... do you speak french?

s1ocki (slutsky), Saturday, 24 June 2006 16:07 (seventeen years ago) link

no. i wasn't sure how much of a handicap that was going to be in montreal itself (as opposed to rest of quebec)

i'm thinking about maybe moving to canada in the next couple years or so. like the idea of montreal best, though probably without any real basis

duff (duff), Saturday, 24 June 2006 16:57 (seventeen years ago) link

you can live & even work in montreal w/o french but you will eventually realize you're living in a self-imposed ghetto and that you're kind of living in a small town inside a medium-sized city.

but you can always learn french.

s1ocki (slutsky), Saturday, 24 June 2006 17:00 (seventeen years ago) link

two weeks pass...
I just part of a crumpled-up GRIFFON BLONDE label interspersed with a stack of papers I am editing. This is odd -- I've never seen the beer outside of Quebec, and even though I was in Montreal a couple months ago, I've never handled this stack before.

Here's what I can read:

ON
nde
/vol.

UÉBEC

jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 10 July 2006 19:42 (seventeen years ago) link

is that on the label or the papers?

s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 10 July 2006 19:52 (seventeen years ago) link

SUFJAN SUPERBLAST sounds like an indie rock Mortal Kombat finishing move.

choinklate (nickalicious), Monday, 10 July 2006 19:55 (seventeen years ago) link

On the label. The papers are encyclopedia entries from BR through BZ.

jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 10 July 2006 19:59 (seventeen years ago) link

hmm, that should have been in BL or GR.

s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 10 July 2006 20:03 (seventeen years ago) link

sometimes i feel like i should drink other beers in the summer than griffon blonde. but it works so well. (and no headaches from it!)
that's weird about the label though.

UÉBEC
reminds me of this time a friend of mine (born and bred in mtl) and i were looking at old mtl from a weird vantage point in downtown, you know, one of those angles that rearranges part of the city and your perspective on it, and he pointed at the name/sign on a building and said "Uebecor?? what?" and i said "dude, where do we live? there is a giant yellow Q there too." and then we laughed.

the superblast party was fun - dancing yaay!

rrrobyn sharkattack battleforcenet (rrrobyn), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 02:12 (seventeen years ago) link

it was... i dunno if i'd do another one in that venue but it was cool. thx for coming!!

ps: uebecor is my employer!

s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 02:29 (seventeen years ago) link

uebecor is huge! (another funny thing is that this friend a writer/coms person too.)

ah, lambi is weird... and hot! bar+gymnasium-like. but comfortable in a strange way, esp once it fills up.

rrrobyn sharkattack battleforcenet (rrrobyn), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 02:45 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah... works better as a showbar than a dance party space though i think... it's too big or something!

s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 03:24 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

If I am to be spending the next 5 weeks there, I would at least like to be informed as to where the hell I can find a good burrito. I've had no luck in all my past experiences.

mehlt, Saturday, 5 July 2008 02:41 (fifteen years ago) link

why wld you want to eat a burrito here??

rrrobyn, Saturday, 5 July 2008 03:32 (fifteen years ago) link

just OD on burritos before arriving so you can focus on eating like everything else

rrrobyn, Saturday, 5 July 2008 03:32 (fifteen years ago) link

i've heard it's fun to do coke in montreal

Surmounter, Saturday, 5 July 2008 03:33 (fifteen years ago) link

Yeah NOT a good place for burritos. But get thee to La Banquise for some poutine. I've never had a burrito that could match the splendor that is Poutine Trois Viandes.

Kevin John Bozelka, Saturday, 5 July 2008 05:33 (fifteen years ago) link

agreed. not a burrito town sadly. but there is PLENTY else to occupy your mouthpiece.

s1ocki, Saturday, 5 July 2008 05:57 (fifteen years ago) link

i've heard it's fun to do coke in montreal

-- Surmounter, Saturday, 5 July 2008 03:33 (4 hours ago) Link

. . .

Pfffft. Burritos are like a lifeline for me. Say what you will about Toronto, but hey, we at least have this part figured out.

mehlt, Saturday, 5 July 2008 08:24 (fifteen years ago) link

Pizza sucks in Montréal too.

Kevin John Bozelka, Saturday, 5 July 2008 08:33 (fifteen years ago) link

Well, compared to Toronto, they at least have that part figured out.

mehlt, Saturday, 5 July 2008 08:40 (fifteen years ago) link

guess you'll need a new lifeline!

s1ocki, Saturday, 5 July 2008 14:33 (fifteen years ago) link

late late night fun bars etc in mtl that are not called stereo?

(for friend visiting end of july)

G00blar, Saturday, 12 July 2008 13:40 (fifteen years ago) link

will ask again Monday

G00blar, Saturday, 12 July 2008 18:30 (fifteen years ago) link

two months pass...

i can't recommend this highly enough:

http://www.dansedanse.net/DDA_0809/en/cies/toneelhuis.html

i saw it in Glasgow earlier in the year and loved it so much i went to see it again the following night. it's easily my cultural highlight of this year and, no exaggeration, one of the greatest things i have ever seen in any medium.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is one of the key innovators in dance-theatre and i've seen enough good and bad work in this area to know he's the real deal.

please go if you can - i'm already planning a trip to Belgium in May next year the main purpose of which is to make sure i see the follow up, "Origine".

jed_, Saturday, 27 September 2008 00:22 (fifteen years ago) link

^I'll vouch for this

damien jalet is hott

charack obarkley (cozwn), Saturday, 27 September 2008 00:23 (fifteen years ago) link

^I'll vouch for this

jed_, Saturday, 27 September 2008 00:28 (fifteen years ago) link

oh wow, cool! i'll see if i can scam some tickets!!

s1ocki, Saturday, 27 September 2008 01:08 (fifteen years ago) link

scamming sucessful! i'm going on friday!

s1ocki, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 15:57 (fifteen years ago) link

:D

jed_, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 16:12 (fifteen years ago) link

so what do i have to look forward to here? why did you love it so much?

s1ocki, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 16:14 (fifteen years ago) link

see you there, dude!
i hear it's awesome - looking forward to seeing a big dance production, as i haven't seen one in a long time.

(being media is kinda rough in pacing but i dig the occasional perks - i gotta get into asking for more media passes/free tickets tho. i have been busy. les grands ballets' queen of spades is supposed to be pretty great, big-budget production stuff)

terminator boyfriend (rrrobyn), Wednesday, 8 October 2008 18:04 (fifteen years ago) link

oh cool when does that open? i wanna go!

perks rule

s1ocki, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 18:06 (fifteen years ago) link

starts on the 16th

perks do rule, esp as a counter to the billion emails i sort through every day. am getting used to the volume tho, somehow, as if it's feeding me and i am slowly turning into some arts superhero with, like, laser-eyes editing power
oh lolz

terminator boyfriend (rrrobyn), Wednesday, 8 October 2008 19:02 (fifteen years ago) link

it's just relentlessly inventive and surprising. it starts off so silly, in a way, that its progression into something genuinely moving and (yes) profound is all the more devastating. it has a lot in common with those multi level computer games and also with japanses anime films. ironically, i have no interest in the former and actively dislike what i have seen of the latter.

the main reason it is so great is because the choreography and the performances are genuinely, thrillingly (*_*) !

jed_, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 19:11 (fifteen years ago) link

or maybe (@_@) !

jed_, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 19:15 (fifteen years ago) link

seven months pass...

going there next week - any recommendations for bars/nightspots?

baaderonixx, Monday, 11 May 2009 13:10 (fourteen years ago) link

what r u into

s1ocki, Monday, 11 May 2009 14:25 (fourteen years ago) link

I guess with places a certain historical "cachet"

baaderonixx, Monday, 11 May 2009 14:41 (fourteen years ago) link

oops - I guess places with a certain historical "cachet"

baaderonixx, Monday, 11 May 2009 14:41 (fourteen years ago) link

bars with a certain historical cachet?

s1ocki, Monday, 11 May 2009 14:47 (fourteen years ago) link

yeah? I mean thinking more about old school bars rather than fizzy lounges.

baaderonixx, Monday, 11 May 2009 14:49 (fourteen years ago) link

two months pass...

Is there stuff to do in Verdun? I have never been there.

The controls are janky (Will M.), Tuesday, 4 August 2009 18:01 (fourteen years ago) link

eight months pass...

goin here for the weekend--anyone got pro-tips for cool bars or cheap interesting restaurants? good local-style cuisine a plus.

call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 April 2010 15:48 (fourteen years ago) link

local style cuisine:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Poutine123.jpg

salsa shark, Thursday, 22 April 2010 21:29 (fourteen years ago) link

cool bars or cheap interesting restaurants

what kind of food are you looking for? local-style cuisine that isn't poutine? (which, re: poutine - la banquise, but only after you have had a LOT to drink. that shit is absorbant.)

re: bars - are you looking for a microbrewery? something sketchy and sleazy and hidden away? alcoholically, i've been rediscovering the distillery lately, which is often supercrowded but serves colourful drinks in GIGANTIC mason jars.

(thinking it over, my standard haunts aren't places i would recommend to people as "the best that montreal has to offer" - they're just convenient, or socially convenient. hmm.)

Alex in Montreal, Thursday, 22 April 2010 22:01 (fourteen years ago) link

"cool cheap restaurants": faux pulled-pork at Le Pick-Up, burger at the Sparrow (lunch only), pain perdu at Lemeac (not cheap - but this is the city's single best $10 dessert omg), DUMPLINGS! at Qin Hua, portuguese chicken at Romodos, pain perdu brunch at Chien Fumant [also not super cheap], ICE CREAM at Bilboquet or Havre Aux Glaces)...

and pastries pastries pastries
(eg: kouign d'amman at Kouign D'Amman, hot sesame bagel (no topping required) at St-Viateur Bagel, olive fougasse and canelés at Mamie Clafoutis, brownie at Olive & Gourmando, butter croissant from Paltoquet, and on and on)

sean gramophone, Friday, 23 April 2010 03:53 (fourteen years ago) link

eight years pass...

finally coming down for the first time in ~three years this weekend...what should I eat?! where should I go?! (already seeing cupcakke and grabbing soup DUMPLINGS!)

wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Thursday, 27 September 2018 05:10 (five years ago) link

There’s one of those 36 Hours In... features in The NY Times today about Montreal. I was just salivating over it.

o. nate, Thursday, 27 September 2018 13:50 (five years ago) link

Oh snap, good looking out

wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Thursday, 27 September 2018 14:00 (five years ago) link

Montreal!

flopson, Friday, 28 September 2018 03:02 (five years ago) link

i think I’d recommend auntdai over cuisine Szechuan tbh

flopson, Friday, 28 September 2018 03:03 (five years ago) link

also dep le pickup

flopson, Friday, 28 September 2018 03:04 (five years ago) link


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