Montreal

[DonaldJ.]

i am headed up to montreal for a weekend in two weeks, im heading up with a friend who has already been up there but i haven't been there before yet. my friend isan't a photographer and i was wondering of any must do things from anyone on here to see/do there. i don't think there will be a huge amount of time from what we already have somewhat planned but things will end up changing either way in what we are doing.

 

[Paddy C]

Hmmm...Sort of like when people ask me what to do in Toronto. I live in Ottawa (sort of in the middle of both) and go to both cities a lot. But never to photograph. So I'm always at a loss.

Old Montreal is a good start.

Habitat is very nifty but I don't know what the access is like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_67

The Big O is a neat exterior to photograph.

Mont Royal is worth a visit. Great view of the city:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Royal

The Plateau is a nice neighbourhood to explore and you should find some stuff worth photographing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Plateau-Mont-Royal

Others more familiar with the broader city can probably give you more interesting locations.

 

[wolfpeterson]

There is only one store here that sell RF gear (leica, zeiss, voigtlander) and it's called Camtec. There are two locations (both in the old port).

It really depends what you want to do... Sightseeing has already been covered by Paddy C. I would also add going to see the Farine Five Roses sign, a large neon sign famous in photographs.

There are tons of parks and cafés to hang out in, odds are you will not be without one anywhere you go on this island 🙂.
If you want to see trendy shops and stuff, Mont-Royal Avenue is great. Also the Mile-End area around Parc and St-Viateur.

If you have any specific questions and you don't have a concierge at your hotel, feel free to PM me!

 

[FrankS]

There's a famous bagel shop that I'd visit again.
Also a mini "China Town" great for a late night snack.

 

[wolfpeterson]

There's a famous bagel shop that I'd visit again.

There are 2 competing bagel shops, St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel. Both are delicious and are the very definition of "Montreal-style" bagels.

 

[emraphoto]

marche jean talon - metro access to stop 'jean-talon'

http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=s...ocal_result&ct=image&resnum=2&ved=0CB4QnwIwAQ

ville/quatier de chinois - downtown and walkable from vieux port. pho at Pho Bang New York is a bit of a local staple.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartier_chinois_de_Montréal

au pied du couchon - an absolute must for dinner in Montreal! have the duck in a can!

http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca/

schwatz's - well, what is a trip without a medium smoked meat? grape soda and pickle on the side please!

http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

st viateur - bagels will never be the same once you've been there.

http://www.stviateurbagel.com/main/

joe beef - another 'must eat there' spot. little burgundy and a quick walk to atwater market and the metro

http://www.joebeef.ca/

a few camera shops that have rangefinder gear.

camtec (ouest version) - jean is a stellar fellow and quite a bit of gear.

simons - around the corner and down the hill. cusp of chinatown. last visit they had a decent stock of M gear. not really a place for deals though.

a walk down st. denis south of st. catherines is a decent outing.

up in the park there are these crazy folks who meet on weekends dressed in their garb from every sci-fi lord of the rings type story you can think of. they stage running battles throughout the day. quite a sight!

 

[DonaldJ.]

ill have to try the bagels, thanks for the ideas of places to eat, my only "problem" with them is that i am a vegetarian. does anyone know of any good vegetarian places to eat at?

 

[Paddy C]

au pied du couchon - an absolute must for dinner in Montreal! have the duck in a can!

But be prepared to be digesting that meal for at least a week. 😉

 

[ederek]

ill have to try the bagels, thanks for the ideas of places to eat, my only "problem" with them is that i am a vegetarian. does anyone know of any good vegetarian places to eat at?

St. Viateur bagels are incredible, worth checking out. au pied du couchon offered a stunning meal, just wonderful.

There are a couple open-air markets. I have a series of images shot at the Jean Talon market - plenty of fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, etc.

You might try shopping at the markets, then go for a picnic at one of the nice parks in the city.