Tuesday, July 20th, 2010...10:17 am
They should rename it Festiville
Montreal is easily the most vibrant city in Canada, non?
We arrived last week when Just for Laughs was in full swing (which, for the record, follows closely on the heels of the city’s outrageously huge Jazz Festival).
Out of more than 200 English performances, we caught only two. (We would have attended more had we figured out earlier that we actually like stand-up comedy.) The highlight? Mike Birbiglia’s one-man riot My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend.
I had been to Montreal before, but only in the dead of winter so it was a treat to be able to roam the streets in a vintage t-shirt (bonus points for coordinating with the graffiti!).
And the vintage belt that I wore all over Quebec.
Speaking of graffiti, I have no idea what the story is behind this tag (maybe it’s as straight forward as it looks) but I kept spotting it all over the city. And it hit close to home because there’s nothing I heart more than a slice of emmental.
And speaking of a nice slice, Marche de la Villette in old Montreal serves up cheap(ish) breakfasts and lunches with great cheeses. L’Express on Saint Denis lives up to its hype. And, across the street from the Opus Hotel where we stayed, is Tequila Taco House, which looks like a hole in the wall but serves up amazing Mexican food.
Ah, the Opus. It’s right smack dab between the shops and festival grounds of Saint Catherine and the funky boutiques, restaurants and bars of Saint Laurent and Saint Denis. Which makes its location pretty much perfect.
(Just make sure you book a room that’s not facing the hotel bar because its patio is as packed and party-full as the city itself.)
P.S. Get festive and add the Anthology on Facebook.
15 Comments
July 20th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Loved all your tweets from Montreal!
What a wonderful city – I think I might try and do a semester of classes out there or something.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:33 am
I love cheese!
I know whose signature that is ;) I’ll pass this on…
July 20th, 2010 at 10:41 am
I love cheese too!
♥
July 20th, 2010 at 10:41 am
I loved Montreal and Quebec City! I over ate crepes and mussels & frites. I miss the Simon store there too. At an old job, I use to fly out to Montreal every 2-3 months and it was glorious…I loved their ‘summer of festivals’ *sigh*
July 20th, 2010 at 11:36 am
i love that cheese graffiti.
i’ve been wanting to visit quebec for aaagggeesss yet i keep hearing people snob the non-french speaking canadians. ugh, tell me it isn’t true!
July 20th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Maybe it’s:
I <3 Cheese houses?
July 20th, 2010 at 11:48 am
Take Two:
I ♥ Cheese houses!
July 20th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Was just in Montreal this past weekend! Did you ride a Bixi bike?
July 20th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I love Montreal so much, especially Old Montreal! I could spend hours just walking around pretending I’m in France. But then again, it’s undeniably Canadian too.
Hope you had a great trip.
July 21st, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I love the colour of your vintage tee. I’m glad you had a great trip! You’ve been travelling all over the place lucky girl!
Melissa
July 27th, 2010 at 12:21 am
I’ve been wanting to travel to Montreal for awhile, I hear it’s beautiful and from the looks of your photos, I heard right! I love the bright red shirt you’re sporting and your vintage belt as well. hope you had a lovely trip :)
August 9th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
haha love that I HEART CHEESE graffiti. they sure read my mind…long time no talk, K!
xo B
November 3rd, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Where did you spot that I love cheese tag? Do you remember the street name? I realllllly need to find it!!!! thx!
November 3rd, 2010 at 7:12 pm
I spotted it right across the street from the Opus — on Sherbrook.
Happy cheese hunting!
December 24th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
[...] A graffiti artist after my own heart. I saw many beautiful things in Montreal. But this was the most ridiculous. I take comfort in the fact that there’s another cheese [...]
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