Why does everyone love Montreal?

[SaskOttaLoo]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

But doesn't je ne sais quoi mean I don't know what, or something that is difficult to explain....

If you say that Montreal has "something" that you can't put your finger on, then you are in fact stating that it has a certain "je ne sais quoi"

Or are you just jerking us around......

I've never stopped loving this exchange. A true SSP classic!

[Loco101]

I've always enjoyed Montreal because it's really the only major city in Canada with a "sin city" kind of feeling to it. I know that feeling can be found in much of Quebec but I'm talking about in an metropolitan urban aspect where there are lots of people around. The rules are more relaxed when it comes to alcohol, strippers, night clubs, food products that can be sold, being outdoors at night in parks.

I'm sure there are a lot of other things that can be added to my list.

[Rico Rommheim]

Hahah "Toronto-style bagels". That's a new one!

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think Montreal's dining scene is being a bit short-changed on here. Toronto beats any city in the country in terms of having a good meal from countries X, Y and Z to infinity, but Montreal IMO has the most innovative and original *local* cuisine, with the most interesting celebrity chef scene as well. This innovative and extremely popular foodie scene in Montreal also permeates the city (and in some cases, the entire province of Quebec), like no other part of the country.

Montreal is a lot more than just French (or French-Canadian) food of course, but it's as short-changing to boil down the food in Toronto to "just a bunch of ethnic food", or Vancouver to "just a bunch of Asian food". I'm not so familiar with dining in Vancouver, but I don't you can pinpoint Montreal's as being particularly better or more innovative or unique than Toronto's (as evidenced by the national restaurant listings for example). Unless you meant that more of the origins of what's being made are rooted in local tradition, in which case I'd agree. The "innovative" food in Toronto is more likely to be modernized/localized takes on cuisines brought over by recent immigrants, as opposed to being heavily Quebecois-influenced.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The rules are more relaxed when it comes to alcohol, strippers, night clubs, food products that can be sold, being outdoors at night in parks.

Not weed shops though. The cops will bust your ass in a minute as evidenced this past week.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

Not weed shops though. The cops will bust your ass in a minute as evidenced this past week.

That's interesting, weed shops here have been blatantly selling the smelly stuff for years, all you have to do is ask! I was quite surprised when I saw that. I was also surprised to learn that harder drugs were available in many bars in Toronto through the bartenders! Most of their clientele are high functioning corporate types though, not the street junkie variety (I figure they must get their fix from less seemly establishments).

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Montrealers like to dine out late and often.

One of the reasons why Montreal (and Quebec City for that matter) have the highest number of restaurants in North America, on a per capita basis.

http://montreal.eater.com/2014/12/16/740...f-that-montreal-has-too-many-restaurants

People here in Montreal love to go out and spend money on food and drinks. French Canadians get their paychecks and spend it right away. English Canadians are more frugal and conservative.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by ue

Hasn't the coolness of the Kensington Market been usurped by W Queen W, Parkdale, the Junction, and East-end nabes like the Beaches and Leslieville? I haven't been in a couple years and I absolutely loved it the first time I was there over 5 years ago, but Toronto friends have complained lately about its commercial-ness. Like I said, it's been a couple years so I could be mistaken.

Kensington market is passé and is more of an old school artsy/hippie kind of place with a bit of a Latin flavour. W Queen W is the scenester hangout of the day. Perhaps Ossington too, but that also has a local mainstream Toronto vibe.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think Montreal's dining scene is being a bit short-changed on here. Toronto beats any city in the country in terms of having a good meal from countries X, Y and Z to infinity, but Montreal IMO has the most innovative and original *local* cuisine, with the most interesting celebrity chef scene as well. This innovative and extremely popular foodie scene in Montreal also permeates the city (and in some cases, the entire province of Quebec), like no other part of the country.

Yeah like Monkeyronin said above this isn't really the case anymore. Chefs like Grant Van Gameron and others are innovating just as much as anyone in Montreal nowadays (and work closely together in many cases).

[Darkoshvilli]

I too find I odd how such a presumably open city lags far behind Vancouver and even Toronto in terms of accepting selling recreational pot. The first 6 shops opened just last week!! And they were raided the next day. Vancouver has had them for ages now. Why the need to put money and effort into coming down on these shops when you know they will be legal soon anyway?

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

I too find I odd how such a presumably open city lags far behind Vancouver and even Toronto in terms of accepting selling recreational pot. The first 6 shops opened just last week!! And they were raided the next day. Vancouver has had them for ages now. Why the need to put money and effort into coming down on these shops when you know they will be legal soon anyway?

Yeah, like a lot of Toronto things, most scenes are private. Toronto's strength is that 90% of the social scene in Toronto is niche or underground. For example, the recreational drug scene I mentioned above, social scenes, etc. Even supposedly seedy stuff like prostitution is rampant and pretty much tolerated by police. They advertise their services online and even in main street papers like NOW Magazine. Ask any cop in Toronto, every single condo and apartment building in this city has at least one professional prostitute working in one of the units, every single highrise!

[hipster duck]

I don't find these "my city has better restaurants than yours" arguments to be very productive, particularly when we're comparing TO to MTL.

Unless you're a food reviewer who lives for food, you won't have the time or the expense account to comprehensively sample all the restaurants your city offers. Plus, new restaurants open and close at the drop of a hat; sometimes there are restaurants I want to try and then I wait too long and they're actually gone! And I live in a smaller city, too. When your city is of a certain size and global importance - and both Toronto and Montreal cross this bar - your restaurant scene has little to do with your city's creative environment, and more to do with the fact that, globally, gastronomy has attained a staggering cultural importance that didn't exist even ten years ago. We should realize that this is happening all over the world, and that people in Japan or China or Europe won't pay attention to what's happening in Toronto or Montreal because their own food scene has evolved at a similar pace.

I'm reminded of something Rousseau lamented a while ago: that culture happens in cities, but it doesn't belong to cities anymore. Food is no different. It used to be: Peking duck, Singapore fried rice, Salade Nicoise, Frankfurters, Wieners, Cocido Madrileno are some examples; so is Montreal Smoked Meat. These all harken back to a time when culture was tied to geography, sometimes extending no further than a city neighbourhood, let alone a city or a nation. For better or for worse, we don't live in those times anymore.

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

Not weed shops though. The cops will bust your ass in a minute as evidenced this past week.

Who needs shops though when you can easily have it delivered at your door ?

[Rico Rommheim]

^Yeah weed shops are only useful for people who don't have a connect. Home delivery services for your buzz are awesome and they offer a huge variety.

[Razor]

I said it on here before..Maybe on this thread...

Everytime we visit Montreal we always stumble on some sort of happy concidence..Happenstance, that just makes you chuckle a bit.

The last time, it was a large white van rolling slowly down a busy St. Catherine's with a full band jamming in the back with the back doors open..Small things like that.

Or that random little sandwich shop that made you the best chicken breast on a kaiser that you ever had.

I just find the Montrealers I encountered were always real cool and friendly as well..Almost small town friendly. And it's so true.Montrealers love going out.
We noticed a lot of middle aged to elderly locals dressed really well, going to restaurants.

[OutOfTowner]

Vancouver is the only city that has their weed shop shit together. Montreal has a few medical dispensaries but you have to have a note from your mother (if she's a doctor). Toronto has been raiding illegal shops all year long. We do occasionally read the news here.

And can you really buy drugs off of bartenders? Gee, that must be something new. Next thing you know, you'll be able to score lines off of toilet tanks!

I have no problem with raiding pot shops. People like Emery should stop being jackasses and wait until they're legal. Laying criminal charges for possession is what needs to stop. To give somebody a criminal record mere months before the law takes effect is idiotic- not that it hasn't always been.

Now, I have a call to make..

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

One of the reasons why Montreal (and Quebec City for that matter) have the highest number of restaurants in North America, on a per capita basis.

http://montreal.eater.com/2014/12/16/740...f-that-montreal-has-too-many-restaurants

People here in Montreal love to go out and spend money on food and drinks. French Canadians get their paychecks and spend it right away. English Canadians are more frugal and conservative.

And yet MTLers have the lowest personal debt and QCers the second lowest in Canada.

Maybe Enjoyment of Life is a better investment than many would like us to believe.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/equifax-debt-loads-1.3884993

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I don't find these "my city has better restaurants than yours" arguments to be very productive, particularly when we're comparing TO to MTL.

Unless you're a food reviewer who lives for food, you won't have the time or the expense account to comprehensively sample all the restaurants your city offers. Plus, new restaurants open and close at the drop of a hat; sometimes there are restaurants I want to try and then I wait too long and they're actually gone! And I live in a smaller city, too. When your city is of a certain size and global importance - and both Toronto and Montreal cross this bar - your restaurant scene has little to do with your city's creative environment, and more to do with the fact that, globally, gastronomy has attained a staggering cultural importance that didn't exist even ten years ago. We should realize that this is happening all over the world, and that people in Japan or China or Europe won't pay attention to what's happening in Toronto or Montreal because their own food scene has evolved at a similar pace.

I'm reminded of something Rousseau lamented a while ago: that culture happens in cities, but it doesn't belong to cities anymore. Food is no different. It used to be: Peking duck, Singapore fried rice, Salade Nicoise, Frankfurters, Wieners, Cocido Madrileno are some examples; so is Montreal Smoked Meat. These all harken back to a time when culture was tied to geography, sometimes extending no further than a city neighbourhood, let alone a city or a nation. For better or for worse, we don't live in those times anymore.

And by harken back, we mean the 20th century pretty much.

[flipv]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

And yet MTLers have the lowest personal debt and QCers the second lowest in Canada.

Maybe Enjoyment of Life is a better investment than many would like us to believe.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/equifax-debt-loads-1.3884993

Most debt is tied to real estate and in Montreal that's a steal. I could sell my humble two bedroom waterfront condo in Etobicoke and buy a McMansion anywhere in Montreal. I only wish that could be true here.

To answer the question, I don't 'love' Montreal as that's something I can only give to my two cities - Toronto and Belgrade. Montreal is another average big city in North America that I visit once in a while. If I want something out of the ordinary I go to Europe - more authentic anyway.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by flipv

Most debt is tied to real estate and in Montreal that's a steal. I could sell my humble two bedroom waterfront condo in Etobicoke and buy a McMansion anywhere in Montreal. I only wish that could be true here.

To answer the question, I don't 'love' Montreal as that's something I can only give to my two cities - Toronto and Belgrade. Montreal is another average big city in North America that I visit once in a while. If I want something out of the ordinary I go to Europe - more authentic anyway.

I guess you didn't read the article, par for the course these days.

Mortgage debt is excluded.