<p>these pictures make me wanna go back this summer for juste pour rire and the jazz festival… and i’m pretty sure i’m gonna try to live there for good, thinking about it and looking at all these photos is starting to influence my life</p>
<p>OMG, Montreal is breathtaking, it reminds me of Switzerland and France so much, it’s practically identical to Geneva actually. Thanks for those links TOB, much appreciated!</p>
<p>good questions, many of these you will figure out on your own as the city has unlimited things to do and see, but i will respond later today when i have more time</p>
<p>I could literally write for days on this, but I will keep it short, naming two for each, not necessarily favorites, but definitely worthwhile. If you have a bit more specific questions it makes it a lot easier to narrow stuff down, the city is so eclectic.</p>
<p>1-Favorite hang out outside mcgill bubble? The mcgill bubble, ie. where you can run into students, extends very far in essentially all directions except due north of the mountain where UdeM lies. But if we assume some of the more distant things are not considered part of the bubble I would say:
a) st. joseph oratory. it is a distance but a few dollars on the metro can get you there in 15-20min. located north of the mountain this cathedral is truly magnificent when illuminated at night and can be scaled to to reveal an amazing view.
b) if you stay for the summer, there is a mcgill owned public pool located halfway up the mountain behind the royal vic hospital. this is very specific and only accounts for a few months but its what came to mind. to compensate i’ll throw in old port too. old port is lovely to take a date and walk around and enjoy the cobblestones, and the elegant restaurants.</p>
<p>2-Favorite Festival? So many, there are a few that i don’t know the names of that block off St. laurent for a few days and all the bars make patios in the streets, those are great, but for naming sake:
a) jazz festival: is amazing, thousands upon thousands descend into downtown to hear from dozens of musicians simultaneously, stationed on several blocks. Literally walking 100 yards and you are entertained by a completely different genre of music, each as good as the last. Truly an amazing production of week-long free entertainment.
b) fireworks festival: less eventful but definitely worth the trip down to the pont jacques cartier (i think). see dozens of countries over the course of several weeks compete in a fireworks festival tuned to traditional and contemporary music.</p>
<p>fyi if you notice the prices, these are surely not everyday restaurants. and a final note, if you are a sushi fan, there are several amazing all-you-can eat sushi restaurants in montreal with lunch and/or dinner flat-rates ($14-25), i would live there if i could.</p>
<p>One of my favorite pastimes in the summer and fall was to hang out in Old Montreal. It is beautiful but very touristy, Friends and I would sit on a patio in Place Jacques Cartier and play “local”. We would wear McGill t shirts or whatever and people would ask us for info and directions. They would usually ask if we spoke English “Oui, juste un peu”. Some tourists were surprised that people actually spoke French in Montreal. They thought it was just a French heritage like in New Orleans. These were generally Texans. Hanging around on lower campusin the summer it was fun to field questions too. We would still be asked if we spoke English. Many tourists were surprised that there was a large English community in Montreal. “Why is there an English university in a French city?” Some thought McGill was French. My favorite question was from tourists heading for the Olympic Stadium asking which m</p>
<p>Speaking of bikes, should I get a bike while in Montreal? I know the transit system is pretty good, but I think it would still be neat to have your own bike since the city is so bike friendly.</p>
<p>dont buy/bring a good bike… buy a mediocre one on craigslist. mine was stolen amidst hundreds at the bus station after using it for two years without consequence, made for a long walk home…</p>
<p>the bike system is great and is growing. you can use credit or debit i believe (not sure about cash) to take a bike out for 20min or all day (check me on this). but there are racks everywhere, including the mountain, making it extremely convenient for people without their own transportation. having a bike definitely makes it easier to get to and from class and to run errands. it can save you from spending a bunch of cab money, and possibly even a pricey metro card. the only burden with bikes is where to lock it up at home. i didn’t want it to sit outside to rust so in some of my apartments i was forced to carry it up a few flights of stairs. but then again, if you buy a POS bike on craigslist you probably won’t care about a little water damage in the long run.</p>
<p>plus, riding in the streets is fun and a challenge. the locals and taxis don’t follow normal ‘lane guidelines’, so you have to keep your head up and be sneaky maneuvering in between cars… fun, but i’ve seen people get hit.</p>
<p>fyi, in case some of you wanna see the campus and city before you actually go for a visit, bing maps is an excellent resource, far superior to google maps/earth in my opinion because the zoomed-in images are angled instead of directly overhead, to give you a better perspective of the physical layout. give it a try, its a great way to get a feel for the city/campus</p>
<p>If you have decided to attend McGill, here is some helpful information about adjusting to life in Montreal and Canada.</p>
<p>Montreal 101</p>
<p>If you have never studied French in high school, you may want to pick up one of those “language in a box” instructional programs. I saw one yesterday at Costco for under $30 that promised to" immerse you in the French language and make you bilingual in ten easy lessons". No way LOL, but it will give you a basic vocabulary and some useful phrases. The audio component will help you with French pronunciation, allowing you to approximate the way of saying place names.
It will be helpful if you learn the English pronunciation approximations of streets, metro stops and neighborhood names:
If you go to Olympic Stadium, you take the m</p>
<p>1) What was your favorite place outside of the McGill bubble to hang out with friends?
There are so many it is hard to count. The McGill ghetto gets boring. Explore!
I would recommend:
Parc LaFontaine
Duluth Avenue - filled with “Bring your own wine” restaurants (imagine - cheap Italian or Vietnamese restos, bring all you want to drink…drinking age 18)
Casa Del Popolo venue in the Mile End for concerts</p>
<p>3) Any interesting things to check out in Montreal that aren’t well known?
The mechanical bull at Chez Serge bar, way north on Blvd. St-Laurent
The tam tams parties in Parc Jeanne Mance next to the mountain every Sunday afternoon while it is warm
Skating in the old port or on top of the mountain (at Lac aux castors) when it is cold</p>
<p>Nobody doesn’t love Montreal. You will come here, ride a bixi, eat some poutine, buy St-Ambroise beer in a depanneur and fall in love, and wonder how you could ever live anywhere else.</p>