In Montreal, Layering Is A Method Of Survival
Background story - I lived in Montreal for a year when I was five. I cracked my elbow in dance class before my mom and I moved here, so most of the photographs we have of that year features me with an arm cast slung around my neck. This is also the city where I had chicken-pox, listened to Celine Dion’s A New Day Has Come album on repeat (because we never drove anywhere far enough to make it to any of the remaining five CDs), and tread snow up to my knees. I have more fingers than I do memories of that city. While making a weekend out of a visa renewal, I’m discovering that a few latent memories of this place still exist.
A small disclaimer: I didn’t bring a camera along for this short weekend trip. I found Emily’s Montreal based film photography account @mtl.35mm and she was kind to let me feature a few of her shots! Feeling very grateful :)
As a new-ish New Yorker (a little over two years), the public transportation system in Montreal makes me want to sing at the top of my lungs. The metro is clean, well-lit, spacious, and most importantly, ON TIME. Granted, four lines are much easier to maintain than 27, but I can’t help but imagine now different New York City would be if the MTA operated like this one north of the border. Interesting enough, the price for a single-ride is about the same (although the living costs are not as comparable). Luckily, there are bulk passes that include airport transportation that served me well.
The sheer number of restaurants in Montreal is astounding. Apparently, Montreal has the highest number of restaurants within the city parameters in the entire continent of North America, second only to New York City. No wonder this city is constantly praised for its gastronomy. Natural wine and baked goods are the bonafide focus here and on that I have 0 complaints. I was that kid in the candy store, starring restaurants cafes and bakeries on Google Maps left and right, especially in Mile End. One of the most surprising things about the Montreal food scene though is that there are so many vegetarian restaurants. Maybe it’s to balance the rich, fat-dense French/Quebecois cuisine, or maybe Montreal is just more health-conscious than Brooklyn can ever dream to be.
In addition to le vin et le pain, another way Montreal reflects its francophone culture is through opening hours of local businesses. Many restaurants and bars cease operation on Sundays, with the exception of fast food joints and the two main bagel shops (wait, we’re getting there). I’m in agreement that this cadence of operations benefit the business and people but am hopelessly limited by it, especially on a shorter trip. Arriving late on a Saturday, this meant I had to get choosey. Between Provisions 1268 and Liverpool House, I ultimately chose the latter.
Liverpool House is the sibling of renowned Joe Beef. Opened in 2005, Joe Beef has gone so far to even having it’s own Wikipedia page (not sure how many restaurants I can say that about). At the bar, I went with lobster (not a huge fan of lobster but when in Rome i suppose) with a side of greens with pecorino and a glass of Malbec-leaning red. To be completely honest, it’s rich and not a meal I would write home about, but I did have a heartwarming conversation with the older couple next to me visiting their daughter at McGill . I would recommend people to go for an occasion where you feel like having a decadent meal.
I decided to walk it off by heading to Le 4e Mur, and as one would expect I didn’t get very far in -9C before ducking into the metro. Le 4e Mur is by far the closest I have come to a true speakeasy. It’s not on any mobile map application. To find it, you have to find the website, enter your email to receive “further instructions”, and find your way to the location where you would have to figure out how to open the door. Arrived only to find I wasn't in the mood for anymore alcohol, but it was a fun quest regardless.
Weeks before this trip, my roommate hosted musician who had grown up in Montreal. He told me about SQDC, a chain of regulated weed dispensary aimed to educate the public on safe recreational use. Did I visit? Of-f-course - I owe it to myself after passing up on dispensaries in Oregon and Washington. So for the remainder of a windy Saturday night, I retreated back to my cozy Airbnb where I zenned out :)
Sunday I woke up early to check out the Jean Talon Market, which I vaguely remembered. My Airbnb was located one block off Sainte-Catherine St, which is a major street extending through Concordia University’s downtown campus to Places-des-Arts to Le Village. Despite this city being so estranged from me, it feels familiar at core; I’m comfortable here.
After attempting to do market-related things in French, I strolled (maybe a verb too generous for -9C weather) towards Miles End to test out these Montreal bagels. Even in the cold, Miles End is still such an adorable neighborhood. St-Viateur Bagels was my first stop. Perhaps the most well-known bagel shop in Montreal, St-Viateur has been serving wood oven bagels since 1957. There’s almost always a line of solo eater like myself or families buying dozens. I got a sesame bagel with a little single serving pack of cream cheese, and seriously considered getting merch just to piss off New Yorkers. About a 10-minute walk away was my second target, Fairmount Bagels, which is slightly more dougey than St-Viaetur. Apparently, Fairmount is the genuine birth place of Montreal bagels, and St-Viateur just improved on the original recipe and made it into Montreal bagels as we know it today.
Main takeaway: Montreal bagels are smaller and lighter in texture. The dough is also a little sweet compared to New York City bagels. For each NY bagel I have, I could probably have four Montreal ones.
Ironically, the cold became more apparent to me after ingesting all these carbs, probably because all the blood had rushed to my stomach to break down the starch instead of warming up my limbs. Cafe Resonance around the corner seemed like a decent shelter. It’s a vegetarian cafe that doubles as a genre-agnostic music venue at night. Sitting by the window, I was reminded that places like Cafe Resonance will always hold more value, to me, than fancy restaurants upcharging wine and steak. With warmth, caffeine, and a grain bowl, I finally mustered up enough courage to write this, the first full article for this project. So there you have it, a full circle.
Oh, and the visa renewal was a successful one.
