I decided to bring my camera along with me today on what is Day 7 of my near month-long winter holiday in Montréal.  The city is quite remarkable and while it lacks in the architectual beauty of somewhere like Rome it definitely makes up for it with loads of quaint bohemian nooks tucked throughout the city. 

I sublet an apartment for the month of February in the Mile End district of Montréal, just off Boul. St-Laurent.  It can be classified as “up-and-coming” and I think it is best equated to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in terms of look and feel.  The buildings are all industrial and working class structures from the 1970′s, large utilitarian and box-like.  One added touch is that most of them are covered with really great grafitti. The neighborhood is a mix of working-class (mexican groceries, small dimly lit dive bars) and urban renewal (art spaces, trendy shops, cafes).  One thing I’ve noticed that differs this neighborhood from its US counterparts like Williamsburg, Echo Park or Bucktown is a lack of any real crime.  While Montréal  assuredly has its problems with poverty there is no sense of crime or fear for one’s safety while in Montréal.  The last time I noticed this in a city was while I was living in Madrid.  One could walk about the poorest neighborhoods of Madrid without any real sense of danger.  I think there is an inherent aggresion that exists in the US and when venturing to other 1st world countries the lack of this aggresion is definitely noticeable. 

For the uninformed visitor, I imagine Montréal would be somewhat of a disappointment.  The city lacks a real architectual beauty and there are almost no outright tourist attractions however, if one is willing to invest a little more time or effort into the city a multitude of quaint, bohemian gems can be found.  Places like Café Esperanza on St-Laurent (@ St-Viateur) are to me the reason to come to Montréal.  Café Esperanza is a small café and vegetarian restaurant in Mile End.  It is decidely kitsch, filled with lots of mismatched furniture from the 1950′s.  It looks as if it were an exact replica of the café in Amelie.  It is quiet,  has decent, inexpensive food, and great background music (when I was there this afternoon they were playing a Velvet Underground record).  The crowd is pretty great too, McGill students, local artists, ect.  I go there almost everyday, get a café au lait and read (currently Watership Down, it’s great).  Along this strip of St-Laurent there are also a number of art gallery/clothing stores.  I especially like the one pictured below. It has no name nor does it post any type of hours and while I walk by it everyday, I have never seen it open.  

While this place never seems to be open, one thing Montréal does not lack is great vintage stores.  You can find the same indie rock tees and mod dresses you’d find at Screaming Mimi’s but for a quarter of the price.  I’ve seriously considered buying a ton of stuff and selling to places back in New York, think of the profit you could make.  One of the best places I’ve found so far is a place on Ave du Mont Royal (@ Rue Bullion) called Meow.  While it lacks in stuff for girls, it has tons of great guy stuff, vintage tees, legit vintage indie rock buttons, cool sunglasses from the 80s, ect.  Plus, the staff are super friendly and will help you find that specific item for which you are looking.  I spent like 2 hours in this place recently and left with a Pixies t-shirt, four or five little buttons, a pair of 80s sunglasses, an old gold-plated watch…well you get the point. 

Meow is located in the heart of Plateau-Mont Royal.  This neighborhood is located directly to the south and east of Mile End and is a little more developed than its northwesterly neighbor.  I would equate it to maybe SoHo or the Village.  The two main drags of the Plateau are St-Laurent and St-Denis.  When I first came to Montréal in December I stayed at a great hotel on St-Denis (@ Rue Rachel) called the Anne ma soeur Anne.  It is decently cheap but still has a lot of luxe benefits, like a stocked minibar that is free to use.  Also, you can’t beat its location, half-way between the the Mont Royal and Sherbrooke metro stops, this part of St-Denis is filled with boutiques, decent restaurants and upscale bars. From what I can tell this is also the heart of French-speaking Montréal, thus giving you the ability to have all of the touristy necesities one needs for a short holiday (central location, good restaurants, ect.) but, still giving you a real feel for the city.  Of course, you can also find an American Apparel (two actually!) in this neighborhood, not surprising given this is where AA founder Dov Charney grew up.

American Apparel has become so ubiquitous in most major cities that I have a feeling once their urban boho style wears thin they will become nothing more than replicas of the Gap.  I think this is probably true in a larger sense for Montréal as well.  What makes this city so great are the people that live here.  Artists, musicians, free-thinkers and once everyone else discovers the beautiful community they’ve created here it will most likely fade and dilute, much like the East Village or London’s Soho.  However, it hasn’t happened yet.  So, to the discerning traveler, come to Montréal!  Just don’t tell any of those assholes at your office.

I’ll be in Montréal for 2 more weeks and undoubtedly will discover many more gems in this great city, which I will happily share with you.  Until then, aurevoir!