KMK: Ten Things To Do in Montreal

Montreal in the Summer may be the best time to visit the city. I know what you’re thinking: why travel thousands of miles for a Canadian vacation when you’ve got all of Asia at your doorstep? Basically, I needed a change of scenery. And not only does Montreal offer a unique experience in North America but it’s also been on my list of sights to see.

My first impression of Montreal came by way of the airport. The Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport may be named after the father of the world’s sexiest Prime Minister, but none of that vivaciousness translated into the building. It reminded me more of a cold cement block than a sleek modern structure of the future. Still, functional is good, practical, and reassuring so perhaps Montreal would turn out to be more grand-mère than mademoiselle? I could deal.

As Uber is barred from airport pick ups (this is before I learned about the free shuttle to a nearby hotel for an Uber pick up trick) I jumped into a taxi. Speeding into the city center on a rain drenched night my driver, a grandfatherly wrinkled chap from Iran, regaled me with stories of his two Canadian grandchildren and their poor Farsi abilities. As he droned on I noticed the lack of traffic thinking it had to do with the storm but instead learned from my driver it had more to do with the highway fees? Maybe I misunderstood. In any case grandpa had me downtown, on Rue Ontario and Frontenac, just steps away from my Airbnb.

My friend had already arrived and I soon discovered what I find we had. The location was agreeably central, right on the edge of the village, within walking distance of the big tourist spots. It’s a simple one bedroom, but also has a fold out bed and every modern convenience you’d need for a stay in the city.

So, with luggage unpacked and friend by my side, our Montreal adventure began! So lets finally dive into Ten Things To Do In Montreal!

1. Grab a Drink and a Peek in the Village

The village in Montreal exists as the beating heart of the city. All the capillary streets find themselves, one way or another, leading here, bringing along a hodgepodge of old and young, gay and straight, tourist and local all for a good time of drinks, eats and fun. People continually spill out of the Beaudry Metro Station into the crowded main thoroughfare of Rue Sainte-Catherine.

Cabaret Chez Mado 1115, Sainte-Catherine Est Montreal QC H2L2G2 ca

We popped in for cocktails and queens and Mado didn’t disappoint. The atmosphere was bubbly and the crowd suitably genial. While you sip your pricey drinks you can take in the Queens who put on a professionally fabulous show. You won’t be disappointed. My tip: go at happy hour, see Mado Lamotte’s opening number and enjoy the ride.

Black Eagle  1315 Rue Ste-Catherine St. E., H2L 2H4, Gay Village Montréal

When I heard the words black eagle and leather bar my mind exploded with images of denim, leather straps, and dim lighting. None of that happens to be the case with the Black Eagle in Montreal except the denim. The bar is all about bright lights, smiles, conversation, and drinks, drinks, drinks. There was even TV screening Star Wars Episode One so don’t let your leather daddy dreams up too high unless of course you’re in the mood for Darth Vader.

Bar Stock 1171, Rue Sainte-Catherine E Street Montreal, QC H2L 2G8

Finally, we ended up at the infamous Bar Stock. Not for the faint of heart or weak willed, Bar Stock delivers everything you heard, imagined, and disbelieved right smack in your face. Grab a table, your friend, a drink and prepare yourself for a show that leaves little to the imagination because everything is on the stage. I do mean, every not so little thing. Yowza! On the downside the drinks seem watered down, so I guess it’s good folks aren’t there for the liquor.

Our boozy night at an end we decided to Uber home instead of stumbling back. This decision delivered us into the simmering conflict brewing between Uber and the local taxi mafia. Apparently, in Montreal, Uber exists in a hazy undefined legal space where what they do isn’t exactly on the up and up but neither is it against the law.

For some unfathomable reason if a Taxi driver catches an Uber picking up a customer they are in their rights to cut that person off, block them from leaving, and call in a tow truck to seize their vehicle. Since Uber cars are unmarked you can imagine the chess game at play as taxi drivers attempt to puzzle out just who is and who isn’t an Uber! The latest move, which I was unaware of, is to see if a person gets into the back of a car which, I guess, no friend would ever do! I know, I know, shaky logic in my mind as well, but that’s the game on the table and folks are playing.

When we bumbled into the back seat our Uber driver freaked; his head bobbing and weaving to spot any potential taxi rivals out to seize is source of income. Thankfully, none were spotted and he sped off explaining our grievous error en route to our Airbnb.

2. Dig in for Brunch

The next morning to ward off our hangovers and to start the day right we decided on brunch. Literally hundreds of options exist to break you fast but our first brunch spot turned out to be Cora’s on Rue Sainte-Catherine.

Cora 1017 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2L 2G4, Canada

Specializing in fresh, healthy, and hearty breakfast foods the scrumptious dishes cooked up at Cora’s need to be tasted. I rarely like anything too fancy for my first meal of the day so I was pleased to order up  eggs, bacon, and crepes along with sides of fresh fruit. Operating since the late eighties Cora’s knows what goes into making a good proper breakfast. Keeping things simple, fresh, and tasty must be serving them well because the place was packed.

Dame Tartine 1653 Rue Ontario E, Montréal, QC H2L 1S8, Canada

As an alternative to Cora’s, the following day, we hit up Dame Tartine. Here the brunch menu possessed a decidedly French flair. I ordered up the house specialty La Dame Tartine (poached eggs, ham, asparagus and tomatoes) and enjoyed every forkful. Despite having more options here, I think I preferred Coras between the two. Though that mimosa hit the spot in all the right ways.

3. Place Des Arts

After filling our bellies we ventured out into the bright warm streets of downtown Montreal. We made the Place Des Arts our first stop. Also known as the Quartier des Spectacles (Quarter of Spectacles, duh) the area houses the Canadian Grand Ballet, the Opera of Montreal and the Montreal Symphony. It’s a trifecta of artistry and the hub of Montreal’s performing arts. The area also boasts the rangy space for street performers, buskers jamming in the streets, b-boys dueling in a battle of twirls and flips as well as a variety of interactive activities like folks challenging each other to a game of human sized giant chess. We took in the local color and hit up our next stop.

4. Eaton Center & Underground Montreal

Continuing the metro exploration we ditched the sunny streets and made our way down into the Underground corridors of Montreal’s city below the streets! Known for its harsh winters, Montreal has come up with an ingenious idea to escape the frigid temperatures. Crisscrossing the downtown area way underground you’ll find folks shopping, dining, commiserating, power walking and generally going about their day despite whatever is going on above ground. During winter up to half a million a day use the underground city. We did get turned around a few times and found ourselves at the Atrium Le 1000 de la Gauchetière for some good old fashioned ice skating.

Eventually our underground journey spewed us out into the Eaton Center. No need to comment much on the Eaton Center. I’m not really a big shopper unless its for electronics or games. For me a mall is a mall is a mall. Eaton Center is a mall. Shops abound so if that’s your thing you’ll be in heaven. I did appreciate the A&W Root Beer Burger joint which doesn’t exist at all in Korea. I did pick up a few touristy knickknacks, teas, and the obligatory maple syrup.

After emerging back into the sunshine we found ourselves right in the beating heart of Montreal: Old Town.

Vieux-Montréal

Old Montreal stands as the original city and remains the jewel in the city’s crown. Here traffic is kept to a minimum in favor of cobblestone streets with horse drawn carriages. Don’t get me wrong, cars very much do whiz by but it’s easy to ignore them and become wrapped up in the history of the old streets. Mill about at a sidewalk cafe with a cup of coffee. Drift in and out of the many galleries and boutiques. Do a bit of shopping at the Marché Bonsecours (Bonsecours Market). Street performers abound prancing and dancing among the tourists competing with the sidewalk sketch artists to earn a few bucks for the day. Old Montreal is where you want to stroll along, arm in arm, soaking in the sights.

Notre-Dame Basilica

One of those sights happens to be The Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. The Basilica stands as an iconic monument of the city. The original church was built in 1672 and later, in 1824, a new building was constructed to accommodate the growing congregation. Taking in the building on the cusp of dusk conjures a magical lost in time feeling. The building really is quite magnificent and shouldn’t be missed.

Old Port of Montreal

The Old Port of Montreal brings a vibrant piece of history into the present with an abundance of sights and activities. At the port you have everything from an IMAX theater and Montreal Science Center to the Montreal Clock Tower. The riverfront boasts roller-bladers, segway rentals, and quadricyles bumping up against cyclists, power walkers and joggers.  There’s Voiles en Voiles, a huge pirate ship turned into an aerial extreme sportsman’s wet dream with nets to climb, ropes to cross, a death drop, and all manner of pulleys and levers that do who knows what. You can hit the water in a pedal boat or a river cruise. Make your way to Terrace Bonsecours for a much needed drink and the sound of music. Or you could just pop a squat along the river, relax, watch the world go by and the sun sink into the horizon.

6. Mount Royal Cemetery

At the base of Mount Royal, before beginning a trek to the peak, there’s an opportunity to see a tranquil place of peace. The Mount Royal Cemetery with it’s vast green sea of manicured lawns and winding pathways offers a somber bit of quiet. Though, admittedly, we tried to use the cemetery as a short cut. It turned out to be an unexpected surprise. We spent a few hours just wandering around admiring the faded marble mausoleums, gasping at the haunting statuary, and often gaping in outright astonishment at sheer size and scope of some poor soul’s ridiculously ostentatious monument.

7. Mount Royal

Eventually we made our way out of the Mount Royal Cemetery up into Mount Royal proper. Hugged on each side by the University of Montreal and McGill University Mount Royal finds itself nestled right in the center of the city. The fabled park provides an oasis of green in the summer months for the citizens of Montreal. You can picnic, take a nap under a shady tree, go for a bike or a hike, or make your way up to the top to see the Belvedere Observatory. Here you’ll find breath stealing views of the city sprawled out below. If you’re going in the summer bring water. Keep hydrated. I barely made it, but it was worth it to see the city stretched out before me.

8. Casino De Montreal

Smack dab in the middle of the Saint Lawrence river you’ll find Ile Notre-Dame. It’s a man made island playground that treats hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to fun and frivolity. This fun manifests primarily as a multi million dollar Casino. Like any big casino worth it’s name you’ll find everything you could possibly need. Shows upon shows can be seen. From Tom Jones to Michael Jackson impersonators to an all girl cabaret revue-it’s all only a ticket away. Plus they ply you with so much alcohol you don’t even need to hit up the bars back in town. What’s you’re game of choice? Slots? Texas Hold ’em? Roulette? Hopefully not Russian, but I’m sure some back room high stakes game of chance could be found. Maybe. I stuck with the slots. The Walking Dead slots to be specific. They got me with the zombie cut scenes. My wallet may have lost but my liver won big time or perhaps in the long run it too lost.

Address: 1 Avenue du Casino, Montréal, QC H3C 4W7, Canada

Directions: From Jean-Drapeau Metro station (formerly called Île-Sainte-Hélène station), take Bus 777 labelled “Casino,” which goes directly to the Casino. Bus 777 departs every 15 minutes or less.

9. La Ronde Amusement Park

Adjacent to Ile Notre-Dame sits its sister island Ile Sainte-Hélène. The highlight of which happens to be a decades old amusement park, La Ronde, that dates back to the 1967 International Expo. How’s that for a pedigree. We had planned to go and I’d done the research, but sadly we didn’t quite make it to coast on rollers. However, thanks to my chatter box Slot machine neighbor I learned all about La Ronde so I’m hoping you will go and tell the tales I never experienced! The main attraction for me when it comes Amusement Parks boils down to one thing: RIDES. I want the tallest, meanest, scariest death dropping coaster of all time. That and cotton candy. So, as you can imagine, my heart soared when I heard the name Demon. I pictured a fiery roller coaster of death. Instead it’s a giant Gondola that makes 360 degree circles. Um, yeah not exactly Beelzebub, am I right?  Thankfully, Chatterbox clued me in to Goliath, the hyper-coaster. Standing 52 feet and inducing 4 G’s of speed! Yeehaw! Of course there are other rides, thrills, amusements and what not’s but as long as there’s a singular roller coaster experience that induces delirium I’m all good.

Address: 22 Chemin Macdonald St. Hélène Island Montreal (Quebec) H3C 6A3

Directions: Jean-Drapeau station and bus 767 La Ronde or Papineau station and bus 769 La Ronde

10. China Town

Sometimes Montreal’s China Town felt more like China Block, but what it may have lack in square footage it made up for in color and vibrancy. If you’ve been to a China Town in another city then you know what to expect. Here you’ll find a rainbow of pan Asian communities held together by a shared sense of community. As you walk the streets you’ll find dim sum eateries, Cantonese spots, Mandarin boutiques, Vietnamese Pho restaurateurs, shopkeepers selling kitschy touristy items, mom and pop restaurants with steamy bowls of noodles and soups, traditional craft shops as well as others offering medicinal herbs and even martial art items. Best of all you can find Acupuncturist and other medicinal/therapeutic/holistic services.

Address: Corner of Saint-Laurent Blvd. and De La Gauchetière StreetMontréal, Québec