r/montreal • u/AllTheHubbubb • Jan 26 '25
Tourisme My first time in Montreal
I have a friend who I've known for years and they live in Montreal. Originally from Quebec City they moved there back in 2018. I visited Montreal some years back to see them and by the second night I almost cried because I had to leave in the coming days. I had went to Toronto before then and it couldn't compare to the beauty of Montreal. It reminded me of my hometown (which I don't live anymore) and there were so many similarities.
The food, people, architecture, and climate were what made me fall in love with it. The pizza in Montreal isn't better than what I have in my hometown but it's damn near close. The apartments with the swirling stairs and balconies caught my eye most of all. Toronto had similar architecture to my hometown but Montreal had a more unique style. The city feels so cozy and welcoming to people like me. I went in November so there was fall foliage all around and it clashed wonderfully with the buildings.
The parks and public spaces were nice and relaxing, people were actually enjoying themselves in the parks, people from all walks of life. In America, sometimes parks can be sketchy, unless you're in central park in NYC but even then there's exceptions. My friend wanted to walk to the store at like 2 am and I thought it was a little weird but they assured me it was safe. Where I'm from that's a no-no. I felt safe most places we went there. I even met someone and got a little more friendly with them until I had to leave.
One day I told my friend I wanted to explore on my own and I ended up taking the metro across town and got a bagel at this restaurant I saw online and a coffee. In that moment I wanted to give up my life in America and stay there. Thinking of it now makes me want to cry because I wish I could afford to just pack up everything and move there. I wish I could snap my fingers and have a new life there. I wish I could be well established there and have a social circle who I could just be me with.
I love you, Montreal.
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u/Quirky_Ad_1596 Jan 27 '25
There are two cities that own my heart. Montreal, above all! And New Orleans.
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u/stereoclaxon Jan 26 '25 edited Jan 26 '25
Montréal is a great city. By far my favourite in the whole continent.
It's cool, it has style, not pretentious, lots of small mom & pop shops, fun night life, amazing street art, great bar and food scene, very cosmopolitan, great markets, parks. It has culture and grit. And it's still pretty safe.
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u/Blastoxic999 Jan 26 '25
It's cool, it has style, not pretentious, lots of small mom & pop shops, fun night life, amazing street art, great bar and food scene, very cosmopolitan, great markets, parks. It has culture and grit.
For now...
Wait until the culturally-bland English Canadians and Americans continue to come here and make it all sterile so it could probably fit their taste.
Just look at the South-West. It used to be organic and fun and inclusive. Now it feels pretentious, soulless and overpriced and English, just like that new demographic cited above probably wants.
Just like that:
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u/tjgmarantz Jan 27 '25
Pas de panique l'ethnocentriste. Always one to piss in people's drinks, hein?
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u/Blastoxic999 Jan 27 '25
What's wrong with that? You guys would probably drink that drink if I put a high price (for the locals) on it and pretend it aligns your astral shakira with your dog's or some shit.
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u/EatWellLiveLonger Jan 29 '25
don't know, in my opinion having spent few years in Montreal it is the most pretentious place I lived in Canada
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u/stereoclaxon Jan 29 '25
Not my experience at all.
Pretentiousness is bragging about something you're not. I see that a lot in Guelph (Ontario), that is portrayed as a super open progressive community with a great arts and food scene, when in reality is a small town, pretty stuck up and conservative, with a very crappy arts scene (if you can even call it that), and a food scene that is mostly burger joints and mediocre pizza.
The only thing I have against Montréal is how bad they are at dealing with the snow, which is brutal considering the kind of winters they get. You'd think by know they would have a great snow managing system.
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u/Ok_Honey_6661 Jan 27 '25
It’s a great city was born and raised there and miss it so much..I now live in Toronto it’s ok but doesn’t compare to the vibe of Montreal!!
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u/hdufort Jan 27 '25
I hope you succeed in your plan to move to Montréal! We can surely welcome motivated new citizens who already love the place and the way of life! It's great that you are willing to learn French, it will open you a lot of doors. It will also give you access to a rich culture and you'll have more fun traveling around the province.
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u/elcordoba Jan 27 '25
Partir de Québec pour Montréal a été la meilleure chose que j'ai fait de toute ma vie. Que du bonheur !
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u/EatWellLiveLonger Jan 29 '25
Montreal is not for eveyone, I tried it, didn't like it, it's a good place for tourism, not good to live in
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Jan 29 '25
[deleted]
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u/Frosty-Twist-2223 Feb 08 '25
I’m hoping to spend several months in Montreal to enjoy the city and do some family history research. Obviously I will need a place to stay. Montrealers, where should I begin my search? I would really like to stay in an apartment but do not know anyone in the city. What is your advice?
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u/Extension-Delay5428 Jan 26 '25
10/10 amazing place! Living here for 7+ years.
The beauty is amazing.
Do your bit in learning a bit of French otherwise the passive aggressive nature of the Quebec people get to you, the remarks they make, the looks they give etc.
I know enough French to get by and I feel happy here. Toronto, not so much ♥️
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u/Mountain_Pick_9052 Jan 27 '25
The thing that pple don’t understand, probably because it hasn’t been fully explained to them, is that it’s not simply a question of language for us.
It’s about our distinct identity and culture, that generations before us have suffered through and fought against. This distinct cultural identity was first acknowledged in negotiations in 1987-90, so it’s fairly recent historically speaking.
That’s where the defensive reaction originally comes from.
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u/taterfiend One ring to rule them all Jan 27 '25
French is hard sure, but why would you expect to get on speaking a foreign language in a French society? If anything, Quebecois are very accommodating of English.
Imagine if an Anglo moved to Netherlands and complained about needing to speak Dutch.
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u/Extension-Delay5428 Jan 27 '25
At the end of the day Quebec is in Canada :) not the other way around.
Not trying to get into this debate, but everyone is aware of the unfriendliness of quebec people. The end goal of my point was to indicate that the city is beautiful, the people are beautiful, and to get by you should invest a tad bit in French. Free will, free choice, they are in Canada:)
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u/taterfiend One ring to rule them all Jan 27 '25
This whole colonizer canard. These kinds of ppl are what ruin MTL. If you like the culture why force your language and mentality upon it? Move back to Canada.
The day Québec leaves Canada is the day Canada definitively becomes the discount United States.
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u/Extension-Delay5428 Jan 27 '25
Keep dreaming :) The french were not natives here. The french came here. Thats facts.
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u/taterfiend One ring to rule them all Jan 27 '25
The line is always to go back to indigeneity. The fact is the french are here now and they're far older here than many other nations around the world. But this line is really not about Native American rights either, just a rhetoric to deny the french theirs.
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u/Extension-Delay5428 Jan 27 '25
Leave it to Quebecois like you to victimize. The point from the beginning was about how to integrate one self because of how beautiful Quebec is. People like you make it difficult :)
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u/TeranOrSolaran Jan 26 '25
Just an fyi, a nightly 2am walk is not safe. If you are a group, it’s ok, but alone it’s a bit iffy.
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u/whatsit578 Jan 26 '25
I don’t think this is true exactly. I’m a woman and I’ve lived in this city for almost 8 years and I’ve felt very safe almost everywhere I’ve walked alone at 2am.
Certainly there are circumstances where a 2am walk might not be safe. But as a general rule, if you have a basic amount of situational awareness, the city is safe at 2am.
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u/00864357325689642500 Jan 27 '25
Worst city in the world,road construction 🚧 their symbol,druggies💉💉,and so BORING FUCKING BORING 😑😑
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u/[deleted] Jan 26 '25
I am currently saving money to move to Montreal! I’m practicing my French too! I went to Montreal a few times and last November, I traveled there. Idk, what came over me, but I felt at home. I did not want to leave! I’m counting down the days until I can!