Montréal, only second to Paris as being the largest French-speaking city internationally, has a reputation of superiority in dining, fashion, and hosting award winning events. Being the first North American city designated as a UNESCO City of Design by the Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity, it doesn’t take much to understand why Montréal is on the travelling lists of so many throughout the world.
Surprisingly enough, this was my first bout adulting in Montréal, and it was high time for me to do so. What better time to visit than during the weekend of Fierté Montéal (the more polished sister of Toronto’s own PRIDE celebration)?
Day 1: Mode Touristique
First on our list was Vieux Montréal and Vieux Port, typically the first in line for most who visit this city. Watching the rising sun on the St. Lawrence River is a moment that you’ll keep your eyes peeled for. The streets of Old Montréal, motionless if it weren’t for the flutter and cooing of pigeons swooping in on the day ahead, ceases to maintain serenity at about 6am whereby bustling Montréalers crowd the streets in heedless commotion.
Our stomachs motioned us to grab a bite to eat. Something fresh is what we wanted; Something fresh was what we procured at Marché Jean-Talon. At Brûlerie Aux Quatre Vents, my roommate and I shared a ham and cheese croissant with matching hot beverages. We continued our way to sort through the brightly fresh produce offered by the market. From baskets of berries and ripened tomatoes to maple syrup sweets and sticky jarred jams, Marché Jean-Talon is a rainbow of assorted editable goodies that will surely make your mouth water. Meats, cheeses, and wines can be purchased at La fromagerie Hamel, as well as an array of potted pepper plants and blossoming fruit vines throughout the rest of the market.
From Marché Jean-Talon, we proceeded to Parc La Fontaine to take a rest and dip into a charcuterie board we prepared on-site. While the ducks and squirrels were a delight, the seagulls and pigeons were quick on ruining our temporary encampment before heading to our weekend accommodations downtown.
Before settling into our digs, we picked up a case of Le Cheval Blanc, a local hand-crafted beer, and a couple of cans of St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale. Once we entered our unit, however, Mr Sandman hit us with a spell that inevitably crept up and sunk us into la-la land. Luckily, travel-mode kicked in and we were up again to watch the sky transition from the light blue we were so accustomed to, to an amber red as the sun set far in the distance.
A good friend of mine, a Montréal local, invited us to his place before partaking in some not-so-innocent late night entertainment. Le Salon Daomé, a narrow apartment-style house club, was the destination for their Dream Vacation event featuring Jamie Kidd, Darem Aissa, and Jan Pienkowski.
Day 2: Retour aux sources
Downing half-a-litre of O.N.E. coconut water and nibbling on whatever we could get our hands on, my roommate and I were up at dawn and excited for the day ahead. Jardin Botanique, the destination in mind, is just a short 20 minutes metro ride from downtown Montréal. Before hitting the garden, we took a short detour around the Parc Olympique de Montréal.
Designed by French architect Roger Taillibert and nicknamed “The Big O” for its doughnut-shape frame, Parc Olympique de Montréal is the world’s tallest inclining tower sitting at 165 metres tall at a 45-degree angle from the north base of the stadium. 70 million people have visited since it hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics, and I was more than happy to be an addition to this number.
Only a five-minute walk West of the Parc Olympique de Montréal is one of Montréal’s many jewels, Jardin Botanique. At the entrance of the garden, our appetites spiked as we were greeted by the Turkish-tiled patio of Restaurant Jardin Botanique, offering a wide array of seasonal and local cuisine true to Montréal standards. Within the garden itself, we found ourselves instantly captivated.
From the Toxic Plants Garden to the spectacular Green House Collection, Jardin Botanique holds a gorgeous collection of over 20,000 plant species and cultivars. We found ourselves losing our sense of time, as we paced through the cultural areas, such as the Chinese and the First Nations gardens.
In addition to the colourful vegetation, the garden holds a fairly large Insectarium where you can learn about the behavioural habits of ants and admire beautiful, and often times alienesque, insects from all corners of the globe.
Indeed, if you want to get the most out of the Jardin Botanique experience, I suggest making a day out of it and visiting the garden once it opens. My roommate and I eventually called it a day by 7pm, and we weren’t able to get to The Frédéric Back Tree Pavilion, and just missed the closing time of the Japanese Garden (6pm).
Before the sun began to set, my travel companion and I found ourselves once again sitting at a table with a plate topped with delicious food unique to Montréal. This time, with “The Tacos” classic style poutine at Frite Alors on St-Laurent. Garnished with ground beef, spices, tomatoes, sour cream, grilled onion, avocado, Mexican spicy sauce, and nachos, we left sufficiently satiated.
My roommate and I parted ways once the sky deviated to a star-lit backdrop of black. While my roommate found himself in elation at Complexe Sky, arguably Montréal’s largest nightclub in the core of the gay village, I took my stance at Abreuvoir Bar & Terrasse with friends from the night prior. With a 10 tequila shots for $30 drink special, a surreal seizure-inducing culture-fuck of a patio, and a downstairs douche-inspired bottle-service dance club, Abreuvoir Bar & Terrasse has a no-holds-barred open invitation for filth and debauchery.
Day 3: Pas de Honte à Être Fier
Finishing off what was left of my supply of O.N.E. coconut water, I rushed out the door to meet some friends before the start of the PRIDE parade on Saint-Catherine St.
Fierté Montréal was founded in 2007 and is the largest LGBTQ focused gathering of francophone folks in the world. Like many other PRIDE festivals throughout the globe, onlookers are able – and are often encouraged – to join the parade in celebration of queer identities. As I sat along the sidelines admiring the colourful personalities that graced the fluid stage of Saint-Catherine St., I couldn’t help but notice some specific groups that stood out more than the others, such as Foreskin Pride and the all-male cheerleading troupe.
With our energy depleted from the mid-day sun, the group of us went to Qing Hua Dumpling, one of many dumpling houses situated in Montréal’s China Town. Each of us enjoyed a bamboo steamer-full of mouth-watering plump dumplings and eventually dispersed in opposite directions.
While I waited to meet up with my travel companion, who seemingly had as good a morning as his night, I devoured a guilt-promoting milkshake at la Diperie. After catching up on the gossip, we adjusted ourselves back to tourist-mode and made our way for Le Mont Royal.
Le Mont Royal, the main influence behind the city’s title, is located at the very core of Montréal’s layout. Parc du Mont Royal, located on the mountain, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same person who designed New York’s Niagara Reservation and New York City’s Central Park. With a breath-taking perspective of a truly romantic city surrounded by eager tourists and lustrous lovers, the lights of Montréal’s tallest buildings shone brighter with every passing moment in the sunset’s transition. An exceptional last-night in a city known for its charming character.
Day 4: Bonne Soirée belle ville
We kept ourselves busy in our last hours spent in Montréal. Stopping first at the Barbie Expo, appropriately located at the upscale shopping centre Les Cours Mont-Royal, we spent approximately an hour-and-a-half admiring the historical representations of Barbie throughout her almost 60 years of existence. From wearing high-fashion threads, such as Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera, to dressing up like famous personalities and historical figures, such as Grace Kelley and Marie Antoinette, the Barbie Expo is certainly on my top 10 free exhibits list.
Montréal, known for many things, retains a multitude of grandiose churches that will surely not disappoint. By mid-day we revisiting old town, taking a free glance at the inner architecture of Saint Patrick’s Basilica, designed by P. L. Morin and Felix Martin. A short walking distance away and a small contribution of 5 dollars later, we also took a tour around the pious architectural masterpiece Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal, designed by James O’Donnell.
My roommate and I shared a plate of onion rings and confit duck wings on the detached patio of Le Bureau Bar Tapas, a quaint little bistro situated half-way between Griffintown and Little Burgundy. Anthony Bourdain himself credited Montréal as being his most beloved city in Canada for its palatable cuisine and genuine hospitality, and there’s no mystery as to why.
Celebrating the end to a wonderful travelling experience, we bid Bonne Soirée to an awe-inspiring city that steals many hearts. Ce n’est pas au revoir, c’est à vous de voir (this is not goodbye, this is see you later).