Bringing a Friend To Montreal for His First Time?

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by harls

My first apartment in Montréal was on rue St Timothée. It was $375 a month and I shared the cost with my then girlfriend. Damn, that was over 25 years ago now..

Oh wow. Back when the economy wasn't good. The nice thing back then was that many low-income people could live in half-descent places. And food and eating out were so much cheaper compared to today even with inflation figured in.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by harls

Razor is going to have to update us with his experience in Montréal.

Oh for sure, although what happens in Montreal may have to stay in Montreal..(I'm the more tame and conservative one of the duo btw)


My pal has explored Vancouver, and being in Ontario, Toronto many times..Having spent most of his life near Windsor, the Go-To big city for him has always been Detroit..The Detroit from better days.
I can't wait to hear his impression of the city after. I couldn't describe Montreal to him, other than it has a cool vibe and soul. I've never been to Vancouver myself, so I don't know how radically different the pulse or energy of those two cities are from each other..

[Calgarian]

What's the Little Burgundy neighbourhood like? might get an Airbnb there...

[Zeej]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

What's the Little Burgundy neighbourhood like? might get an Airbnb there...

It's vibrant, walkable, has a lot of restaurants, is well connected to transit and is close to downtown. Maybe a 20 minute brisk walk along Notre-Dame (I do this frequently). It also borders the Lachine Canal which is a major attraction. Fun fact - it's Canada's third most visited National Park, despite being a post-industrial waterway.

Metro Lionel-Groulx is a bit sketchy these days. Quite a bit of homelessness and open drug use. It's highly unlikely anthing will happen to you there, but it's worth mentioning especially if you have kids and you don't want them to see that kind of misery (think a very-small slice of Vancouver's DTES).

Overall, great spot especially as a base for touring the city.

[Calgarian]

I'm a few blocks from Joe Beef, is it worth it? Anthony Bourdain always listed it as one of his favourite Montreal spots, but that may influence prices and the crowd lol.

[lrt's friend]

Last August, we stayed at a hotel within walking distance of Du Quartier REM station on the south shore. Only 20 minutes by REM to downtown. I remember arriving in the evening and the sun was setting as I crossed the St. Lawrence on the REM train with the skyline in the background. Beautiful There was no need to drive in downtown Montreal or pay extra for a downtown hotel. Lots of shops and restaurants next to Du Quartier Station and our hotel.

I thought it was a great location, and I took VIA from Ottawa. So, it was rail all the way, and an easy connection between REM and VIA at Gare Centrale. We were able to use REM and the subway to get to everywhere we wanted to go and we purchased a few day transit pass. Lots of walking, lots of fun.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by harls

My first apartment in Montréal was on rue St Timothée. It was $375 a month and I shared the cost with my then girlfriend. Damn, that was over 25 years ago now..

I had a great apartment (large 3.5) high up on the mountain (near "The Boulevard" and Victoria Street in NDG, right on the border with Westmount), relatively close to Villa Maria, Snowdon, and Vendome metro stations.

Got it for $500/month (2000). By the time I left, I was paying $575 (2005). Montreal was the best bargain for starving students. 99C giant slices at Al-Taib, poverty packs of smokes, cheap rent, cheap metro/bus pass, relatively cheap dive bars....ah the good old days.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I'm a few blocks from Joe Beef, is it worth it? Anthony Bourdain always listed it as one of his favourite Montreal spots, but that may influence prices and the crowd lol.

If you haven't been, you should go. It's an institution. That said, it's not my favourite, and there are many other restaurants around town in the same vein. Le Violon, Mon Lapin, Montreal Plaza, Salle Climatisée, Bar Saint-Denis... not to mention Joe Beef's sister restaurants, Liverpool House, Vin Papillon and McKiernan.

I keep hearing great things about La Lune, which does a kind of upmarket version of classic Quebec rôtisserie chicken (along with other dishes).

Originally Posted by Calgarian

What's the Little Burgundy neighbourhood like? might get an Airbnb there...

Location wise it's convenient, it's close to downtown and next to Lionel-Groulx (transfer station on the metro), plus you have the Lachine Canal nearby. There are a lot of bars and restaurants on Notre-Dame, both in Little Burgundy and further west in Saint-Henri. The Atwater Market is nearby. On the whole I find it a bit quiet as a neighbourhood and there aren't as many little discoveries as you'd find in other areas like the Plateau, but still not a bad place to stay.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by harls

My first apartment in Montréal was on rue St Timothée. It was $375 a month and I shared the cost with my then girlfriend. Damn, that was over 25 years ago now..

My first apartment was a 2 1/2 on Parc near Fairmount that cost $290 per month. It was very well maintained but looked out on a very narrow internal courtyard, so it never got any direct sunlight. I wonder how much it costs these days.

I'm now living in a 6 1/2 that costs $2,175 per month

That's a $225 increase from when I moved in four years ago... which would have been higher if I hadn't negotiated with the landlord and I had just accepted the officially permitted TAL increases. Crazy.

[harls]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

My first apartment was a 2 1/2 on Parc near Fairmount that cost $290 per month. It was very well maintained but looked out on a very narrow internal courtyard, so it never got any direct sunlight. I wonder how much it costs these days.

I'm now living in a 6 1/2 that costs $2,175 per month

That's a $225 increase from when I moved in four years ago... which would have been higher if I hadn't negotiated with the landlord and I had just accepted the officially permitted TAL increases. Crazy.

Nuts. I lived in a total of 4 places in Montreal, and the most expensive was in Mont-Royal (a block from the Canora station) for 600 bucks for a 3 1/2 (in 2004). The last place I lived was in Rosemont at 3e and Holt and it was $400 I think. That was in 2005. God knows what rent for that place is now..

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

If you haven't been, you should go. It's an institution. That said, it's not my favourite, and there are many other restaurants around town in the same vein.

I'd second this about Joe Beef. Great meal but it wasn't my favourite last time I was in Montreal, and I'd had a more memorable one the night before in Toronto (Lake Inez). While I know that doesn't sound like a glowing endorsement I'd still absolutely recommend going once. Make resos early as it's always busy.

[harls]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I'm a few blocks from Joe Beef, is it worth it? Anthony Bourdain always listed it as one of his favourite Montreal spots, but that may influence prices and the crowd lol.

I am sure it's a great place, but my advice as a fellow westerner.. just go with the flow and discover things naturally. I remember just stepping into some Afghan restaurant with an outdoor patio once on the plateau and it was marvellous.

I did the same thing with my kids a couple of months ago in Toronto.. found some hole in the wall authentic Thai place. It was the highlight of our trip.

[MolsonExport]

Agreed. The serendipitous discoveries, especially food, are the best things about Montreal. I go to my favourite comfort food spots whenever I visit, and that is what I look forward to most (yes, the gourmet food is incredible too, but $$$).

[harls]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Agreed. The serendipitous discoveries, especially food, are the best things about Montreal. I go to my favourite comfort food spots whenever I visit, and that is what I look forward to most (yes, the gourmet food is incredible too, but $$$).

My first breakfast in Montréal was on rue Ontario. Guy was smoking over the grill. Lovely 60-something waitress that called me 'mon cher'. Best introduction ever.

[MolsonExport]

Good ol' early to late 90s Montreal. I used to eat (almost daily) at "The Cassecroute du Coin" at rue Lambert Closse and de Maisonneuve Boul. Ouest. The short-order cook ("skippy" they called him, although he spoke very few words of English) chainsmoked while cooking up greasy spoon specialities. The leatherfaced waitress also smoked while slinging out orders. We all smoked back in those days. I'd sometimes smoke a joint with the owner of the place (who was usually high, even though he ran the place very well). Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, it was the place to go after drinking, before drinking, and sometimes even while drinking. A very interesting cast of characters inhabited this tiny, grotty little cassecroute, and there was a lot of Hockey and Hollywood Royalty that passed through. (I had interesting moments with people like Ed Harris, Patrick Roy, etc.).




The place was legendary.


Le légendaire Moe's Casse-Croûte du Coin, situé près du Forum de Montréal au 1455 rue Lambert-Closse, était une institution montréalaise de type « greasy spoon » 24h/24, fermée en décembre 2015 après près de 60 ans d'activité. Réputé pour ses déjeuners et plats classiques, il n'est plus en opération.

Its closure generated headlines. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/moes-diner-casse-croute-coin-closing-1.3353388

[Razor]

The last time I was in Montreal, my wife and my friend's wife split with us so they can check out some shops, so my friend and I found this bar called "Grumpy's" to kill an hour or so..What a great little bar!.The owner had everyone singing along in unison to some random Karaoke tracks, and his energy was infectious.He got everyone singing to Neil Diamond .I'm just wondering now if that bar is still open? I may want to bring my pal just to have pint..I know that it's downtown, just off to the side a little bit.

[MolsonExport]

Grumpy's used to be one of the watering holes for local Montreal celebrities like Mordecai Richler, Nick Auf der Maur, and even Leonard Cohen.

[Kilgore Trout]

Grumpy's is still around and while I haven't been there since my student days, I would be shocked if it had changed even one bit. It's one of a handful of old-school bars around there that cater more to regulars than to the tourist/party crowd.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

Grumpy's is still around and while I haven't been there since my student days, I would be shocked if it had changed even one bit. It's one of a handful of old-school bars around there that cater more to regulars than to the tourist/party crowd.

And that's those are the things I liked about it the first time around..Want to get a feel for a city..Go to where the locals go, and not where other tourists go..Thanks for the update.

[Calgarian]

So after 4 days in Toronto / Mississauga and 3 days in Montreal, here are my takeaways.

Toronto is a very cool city, as long as you are actually in the city. Fuck the traffic, especially on the 400 highways lol. I ended up staying in a hotel right beside Maple Leaf Gardens and didn't realize it until I was across the street. Went to a nice little pub called "Hair of the Dog" probably the best poutine I had on my trip. Checked out the Well as well, great development, think we need something like that in Calgary. Found a little ramen spot on Queen West called Ramen Remix, thought that was pretty stellar, never had a scallop ramen before. Ended up in the Spadina night market after that, love finding things like that at random. Need to go back to Toronto and spend more time downtown exploring. Found Toronto to be pleasantly clean, and there weren't many sketchy people that I saw. There are always a few, but nothing compared to here. The size of this city is readily apparent, just feels massive and there are almost constant car horns (nothing like NYC though).

Montreal was fantastic, what a neat city. The Old city was better than expected, I'd looked on streetview a few times, but the in person experience was much better, definitely has a very Euro feel to it. Place Des Arts was very cool, lots of cutting edge architecture (very Saucier + Perrotte). I love the subway in Montreal too (thought the stations need an update, there's a strong 70's vibe in there), was a block from a station and it was super convenient. Much better experience than Ubers in Toronto. I checked out the old Forum too, didn't realize what is was until I went inside and saw all the memorabilia, crazy to accidentally find the original 6 building in both cities! Weather was kind of shitty which limited how much exploring I did, wanted to rent a bike and spend an afternoon exploring, but it didn't work out. I will definitely have to go back to Montreal and spend more time! I'm quite surprised how dirty and run down parts of the city are though, a friend sprained her ankle stepping in a pothole in a crosswalk and I think an uber driver might have cracked a wheel on another one. I've never seen a city with the streets in as bad of shape as Montreal, and I've spent a lot of time in Winnipeg! Another thing that struck me was the amount of garbage everywhere, I stayed close to Notre Dame and Atwater, and the underpass under the freeway looked like a garbage dump. I saw lots of homeless, but way less meth heads and fentanyl folded people than Calgary. Not sure why the drug crisis is so much worse in the west...

Joe Beef was worth it, we went all out and had a few rounds of oysters and a nice white wine paired with them. Then appies and a main with another paired bottle of red this time. Found a little pub nearby to catch the end of game 1, sadly Buffalo was on top and the locals weren't feeling too festive. Was a great (but very expensive!) end to the trip. Would have loved to have been caught up in a celebrations by Habs fans, but it was not meant to be.