An Insider's Guide to Montreal: Downtown and West End - 2008

 Before Montreal was a city, it was Hochelaga, a village the Iroquois had established at the foot of Mount Royal. In 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier discovered Hochelaga and claimed the entire St. Lawrence valley for France. 

Seventy years later when French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived, he reported that these early Iroquois settlements had disappeared from the St. Lawrence valley, due to inter-tribal wars, European disease and migration.

Champlain founded a permanent French settlement up river in Quebec City, in 1608.

Paul Chomeday de Maisonneuve, founder of Montreal.

The founder of Ville-Marie, the precursor to Montreal, was Paul Chomedy de Maisonneuve (1612 - 1676),  an aristocrat and French military officer. He joined the military at thirteen and was hired by Jesuits to build a mission on Montreal Island.

In 1641, Maisonneuve was in Quebec City, where the governor tried to dissuade Maisonneuve from establishing a mission in the midst of the unstable Iroquois territory. 

Maisonneuve did establish the settlement of Ville-Marie on the island of Montreal, where he also built a chapel and Ville-Marie's first hospital, the Hotel Dieu, under the direction of  lay nurse, Jeanne Mance.
 

 
Nurse Jeanne Mance atop Hotel Dieu, Montreal's first hospital. Photograph, courtesy of Gene Arboit.

Relations between the French and the Algonquins  were peaceful during the first year but the flood of 1643 threatened the newly founded settlement of Ville-Marie.

Maisonneuve prayed to the Virgin Mary to stop the flood. The flood stopped and Maisonneuve erected a cross on the top of Mount Royal, where you can see it standing today.

 
James McGill, Scottish immigrant and wealthy Montreal merchant, benefactor of McGill University. Photo: KEO

 This is Queen Victoria, so chosen for the former Women's College, Royal Victoria College,  now the building of the Music Faculty. Royal Victoria College is now the women's dorm at McGill and consists of a newer building, the Roscoe building, built in 1964, where I stayed.   Photo: KEO, 2008

 An old photo of McGill University, viewed from Roddick Gates along Sherbrooke Street West, looking toward the Arts Building, where the English Department is located.  Photo: KEO

Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832. During  the 19th century, the industrial and economic boom attracted French Canadian laborers from the Quebec countryside to live in cities such as Saint Henri and Maisonneuve. English, Scottish and Irish settlers lived in Point St. Charles and Griffintown. 

Montreal soon became the seat of financial and political power for English and French Canadians.  By 1852, Montreal had 60,000 inhabitants; a few years later, it was the largest city in the British Commonwealth in North America.

Montreal grew rapidly in the latter 19th century and continued this growth into the 20th century.

The 20th Century: Prohibition  Brings Tourists, Money and Glamor to Montreal

During Prohibition, Montreal was a  haven for American bootleggers who drove  their souped up cars past Southern Sheriffs in a race to the border. Most times, the preferred destination was Montreal.  

The Bronfman family of Montreal was the noted importer of Seagram's Canadian Whiskey.  

The presence of booze in Montreal quickly turned Montreal into a tourist haven for deprived Americans looking to drink. In turn, alcohol brought other pleasures. Sin city existed before Las Vegas and the name of this sin city was Montreal. 

Burlesque houses, varietal theatre and jazz clubs thrived during this era. Canadians and Americans would travel to Montreal to partake in this hedonistic existence.

Sammy Davis Jr. was said to have tap danced with a girl from St. Henri when he was about seven years old. Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway,and numerous other visiting jazz greats thrived in the nightclubs of Montreal during Prohibition and after.

It was Prohibition that established Montreal as the nightlife capital of Canada, and one of the nightlife capitals of North America.

Famed burlesque artist Lili St. Cyr, whose den was Ste. Catherine Street's Gayety Theatre, would greet crowds with her trademark phrase, "Hello Suckers!" 

The 1950s: Drapeau Cleans Up Montreal 

This nightlife was quite open by American standards in the early part of the 20th century and continued this way until the 1950s, when Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau imposed a closing time on bars. This closing time was 3 a.m. 

In the 1950s, Drapeau ran an investigation to discover the big names who were frequenting the burlesque houses and brothels in Montreal. 

Now, when the bars close at  3 a.m. anyone over the age of 18 (and some younger teens, I can assure you) spill out of the clubs in force, often doing crazy things, such as jumping on top of taxi cabs until literally booted off.  

An old photo of Ben's Restaurant on Ste. Catherine Street West. 1908 - 2006. Photo: KEO

Ben's restaurant was a famous restaurant and deli that stayed open until 4 a.m. for revelers who needed a smoked meat sandwich (or a pot or two of coffee) before returning home. Photos of celebrities who had eaten at Ben's  - such as Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Elvis and dozens of others, lined the walls.

Beginning in the 1950s and continuing to the 1960s, Drapeau launched a unique modernization of Montreal: he built the Metro subway system, then built the the famous underground city, a collection of underground malls at each Metro stop so that Montrealers could shop without needing to go outside during the cold winter months.

More convenient to residents who lived in the high-rise office and apartment towers that are built on top of the Metro stations, the underground city is a welcome respite for all those who suffer through Montreal's average January cold temperature of 5 to 13 degrees Fahrenheit, - a daily average that is colder than either St. Petersburg or Moscow.

The wind chill often reaches many degrees below 0 - up to 84 below.Temperatures this cold make staying outside for any length of time dangerous. Frostbite is a real concern during these months. 

Montrealers dress functionally, often in down or fur coats. Heavy scarves 6 or 8 feet long, wrapped around the face (leaving only slits for eyes) are common. Hats are pulled down to cover the ears. Down or leather gloves, plus long john underclothing and snow-proof and waterproof boots complete the outfit. 

If you do travel to Montreal during the winter, think SKI - dress as you would for a ski slope. Forget fashion, forget how you look, just be prepared.  Many Americans under dress and report a bad experience with winter in Montreal.

Place Ville Marie, Montreal's first skyscraper, seen from bottom looking upward,  built in the shape of a cross.  There is the Place Ville Marie shopping mall underneath and the Place Ville Marie Metro stop. This is part of the underground city Montreal is famous for. Shoppers can go from one Metro stop to another in the winter without having to venture outside.  Rare to be able to go from one shopping area to another in winter without even wearing a winter coat, but that is what the Underground City is famous for. Photo: KEO

During the 1960s, American professionals and draft dodgers emigrated to Montreal and other parts of Canada in significant numbers, seeking jobs or politcal amnesty. The 1960s was a heady time to be in Montreal, a city that had toned down its earlier prohibition-era reputation but which nevertheless enjoyed a looser atmosphere of bon vivant conviviality than many American cities of the era.

A 1967 aerial view of the Expo 67 islands of (St. Helen's) Ile Sainte-Helene on the left and  (Notre Dame) Ile Notre-Dame on the right, with most of the Expo 67 site in view, except Habitat and the pavilions on la Cité du Havre. Source: the National Archives of Canada, courtesy of Wikipedia, public domain.

It was Drapeau's grand vision to make Montreal an international city: this he accomplished with bringing Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics to Montreal.

Polticial Instability in the 1960s and 1970s

The 1970's ushered in many political changes and the rise of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) to power. French Canadians in Quebec had suffered from centuries of oppression from English-Canadians, and the PQ (Pequistes)  wanted to re-establish French Canadian dominance in Quebec, a mostly French speaking Province.

One need only to have lived in Montreal before the 1970s to see that affluence was clustered in relatively few towns, which were mostly English-speaking enclaves: Westmount or Town of Mount Royal, or in the comfortable middle class-to upper middle class towns of Montreal West and Notre Dame de Grace. 

Vast sections of Montreal east of St. Laurent and many towns west of St. Laurent were economically deprived and mostly  French speaking.

In 1969, mailboxes on the street in my home in Westmount were removed because some had been bombed.  We had many bomb scares during my high school  at Westmount High that year.  Though I was a newcomer, the anger the French Canadians felt toward the English was palpable.

I quickly learned the phrase, Merde aux Anglais (prounounced Maudsy Onglay, which literally means, Shit on the English.)

Since 1963, the terrorist group, the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ)  carried out several bombings that resulted in the deaths of six people. These were mostly the mail box bombings, such as those in Westmount and other English towns.

But on February 13, 1969, the Montreal Stock Exchange was bombed, which caused extensive damage and injured 27 people. The FLQ had stolen several tons of dynamite from military and industrial sites. The FLQ then threatened the public that more attacks were to come.

1970 

By 1970, twenty-three FLQ members were in jail, including four convicted of murder. In February, two men  were arrested in Montreal for possession of a sawn-off shotgun and a communiqué announcing the kidnapping of the Israeli consul. Police raids during this time yielded significant munitions weaponry and dynamite.

A draft of a ransom note to be used for the kidnapping of the American consul was also found during these raids. 

This was a dangerous time to be in Quebec. As a teen, I knew little and did not understand the serious nature of all that was going on. 

Demonstrations were becoming increasingly violent, such as the violent Quebec Libre demonstration in which protestors yelled, "Quebec pour les Quebecois" (Quebec for the Quebecers - meaning French Quebecers), in which with molotov cocktails were thrown (I was there, I saw this).

The October Crisis, 1970 

The October Crisis of 1970 in Quebec is well known in Quebec but few in the US or elsewhere are familiar with the details.

*    On October 5, the FLQ kidnap British Trade Commissioner James Cross, followed by the demand to release convicted or detained FLQ members. 

*    On October 10, the FLQ kidnap Quebec Labor Minister Pierre Laporte.

*    On October 13, reporters ask Trudeau how far he would go to protect peace and he replies, famously: "Just watch me."

*    On October 15, in separate events, members of separatist groups speak at the University of Montreal; 3,000 students gather in Montreal in support of the FLQ; many Canadians are rightened by this rally and believe it could cause insurrection.

*    On October 16, Trudeau announced  the implementation of the War Measures Act, which suspended habeas corpus (so police could enter and search without a warrant), and allowed police to apprehend and keep in custody individuals suspected of terrorist links.

During this time, police did enter private homes. (Wild or not so wild parties brought the police, who confiscated IDs, to return them hours later.)

*   On October 16, The FLQ announce Laporte has been executed.l

*    On October 30, Rene Levesque, journalist and future Quebec Premier writes that "The Army occupies Quebec. It is unpleasant but undoubtedly necessary in times of crisis."

Hundreds of soldiers were in Montreal and in Westmount, near the American consulate, not far from where we lived.

An excellent book on the October Crisis has been published. The October Crisis, 1970: An Insider's View, by Willaim Tetley, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006.
ISBN 0773531181

The cover shows Canadian soldiers in Montreal during 1970. 

*    On November 6, Bernard Lortie is arrested and charged with Laporte's murder.

*    On December 3, kidnapped minister Cross is released. Simultaneously, five FLQ terrorists, Marc Carbonneau, Yves Langlois, Jacques Lanctot, Jacques Cossette-Trudel and wife Louise Lanctot are flown to Cuba in Canadian Forces aircraft, arranged by  the Canadian government and Fidel Castro.

*   On December 27, the remaining three members of the FLQ cell responsible for Laporte's murder are arrested.

Famous quote: Michel Chartrand (an FLQ supporter) said: "We are going to win because there are more boys ready to shoot members of Parliament than there are policemen."

By 1977,  Bill 101 was passed, which meant that Quebec's official language would be French - not English and French, as was previously the case. English businesses or instituations, such as McGill University, could do business in English but their outside dealings, including their signage, must be in French.

I thought this was a great step for the French in Quebec, but I was American, not French Canadian. A year later, I left Montreal for Toronto; one year after going to Toronto, I and returned to the US. 

*       *      *   

 I have visited Montreal dozens of times since.  

Carol Roach  and I met at the Faubourg mall on St. Catherine Street West, near Concordia University, one of several student hubs in Montreal. (Condordia was once two separate universities, Sir George Williams and Loyola, but they combined in the 1970s to form Concordia.) 

Carol Roach.   Photo: KEO

Carol and I enjoyed cups of lovely coffee, while talking about things Montreal, Gather and everything else under the sun. It is so nice to meet people in the flesh that you've been talking with online for a long time. So much to catch up!

And to continue our tour of Downtown Montreal and the West End, we begin at the site of former Expo 67, located on islands off of Montreal proper.

 Former American pavilion at Expo 67. Now the Biosphere. Photo: J. Oleski

 
La Ronde, the amusement park that was on the Expo 67 site. People still go to La Ronde. Photo: J. Oleski

The Clock tower along the St. Lawrence River in Montreal.  Photo: J. Oleski

 
The Hotel Nelson and old Hotel de Ville in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal), seen here from the waterfront.  Old Montreal has many restaurants, churches, bars, shops and markets. Photo: J. Oleski

 The view of Old Montreal and the waterfront area.  Photo: J. Oleski

Locks in the waterfront area. In recent decades, the Waterfront has been significantly redeveloped. Photo: J. Oleski

 Locks. Photo: J. Oleski

Moshe Safdie's Habitat, a modular apartment development for Expo 67. Photo: J. Oleski

The unique vision that began as Safdie's McGill thesis was originally built in Montreal for Expo 67. A similar project in London has been built. 

Originally, these now luxury condos were designed as modular affordable housing. We went on a tour of these unique apartments at Expo, where we saw many design innovations, such as a blue/orange complementary color scheme in the interior design, which was novel at the time.

 
The Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). Photo: J. Oleski

 The Bonsecours Church, back view, as seen from the port.  Photo: J. Oleski

First established in 1657 by Marguerite Bourgeoys, the Bonsecours Church is also known as the Sailor's Church. Mark Twain once remarked of Montreal,  'that there are so many churches in Montreal that one could not throw a brick without hitting a church window.'

Ah, yes,  that is what makes Montreal so lovely.

The five-storey Montreal City Hall (Hôtel de Ville) in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal), was built between 1872 and 1878 and is an example of Second Empire architectural style. The Hotel de Ville is located at 275 Rue Notre Dame Est (Notre Dame Street East) facing place Jacques Cartier. Photo: J. Oleski

Champ de Mars Metro station in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal), near the Hotel de Ville. Photo: K. Oleski. Yes, this is a subway station!

Street performer along the waterfront. My husband is on the right, helping the performer mount the unicycle.  Photo: K. Oleski

Turning West, we are at Crescent Street, outside the Sir Winston Churchill Pub, where many college students and tourists go. What St. Denis street is to the East end (bars, restaurants), Crescent Street is to the West End. 

Crescent Street, looking south from Ste. Catherine Street toward Rene Levesque Boulevard.

Photo: KEO

The Sir Winston Churchill pub and cafe on Crescent Street. They have happy hour. This drinkingestablishment is the oldest on Crescent Street, now in its 40th year. Crescent Street draws residents and tourists from all over the West End.  You can see that Montrealers do not miss a chance for a sunny afternoon at the Sir Winston Churchill.

Years ago, I drank a bit too much Molson (underage) and danced with friends at the pub next door (it was The Boiler Room, a wild cousin of this genteel, gentllemanly pub) while the sound system piped Janis's Bobby McGee before she met her tragic early death. Photo: KEO

Stopping for a sandwich, we are at Nickel's Restaurant on Cote St. Catherine Street, on our trek westward. Nickels is a chain that Celine Dion owns. You can get excellent Montreal smoked meat sandwiches here.  Montreal Smoked Meat is similar to Corned Beef, except it is brisket that has been smoked, not corned.  When in Montreal, be sure to taste the local food. Photo: KEO

 
Continuing our tour, we jut sharply to the West and North, to St. Joseph's Oratory, in Westmoun.

St. Joseph's Oratory. Photo courtesy of K. Oleski, Sony CyberShot.

In earlier decades, St. Joseph's is famous for its pilgrimmages of people too crippled to walk these stairs so they crawl. Brother Andre, whose chapel is in the rear of the Oratory, is famous for curing these infirm individuals. Crutches line Brother Andre's chapel. The Oratory has a rare carillon bell that is still in use.   

Returning east, we drive along Mount Royal to see the view from the Summit.  

Night view of Montreal from the Summit of Mount Royal. The round building in front is the Medical School at McGill, where my parents taught. This is one of two most famous shots from the Summit, the other one being the Olympic Stadium, to the east and far to the left of this photo. This is looking directly south from Mountain, to Downtown.  Wikipedia.

In the recent 2006 census, Montreal proper had 1,620,693 inhabitants, with  3,635,571 living in the Metropolitan area. This includes French, English, Italian, Greek, Portuguese and Jewish populations. Montreal is mainly comprised of European, Arab, Black, Latin American and Asian ethnic groups, among others.

There are many things to do in Montreal, but this is true especially in the summer, when the Montreal International Jazz Festival comes to town. I've never been, regrettably, but this is someething I plan for the future. 

 
The Cirque du Soleil is headquartered in Montreal.  

The Cirque du Soleil is headquartered in Montreal. Photographed by Stu Seeker, courtesy of Wikipedia. 

Back downtown, we see that what once was Ogilvy's Department store, now is a collection of boutiques, as shown in this composite reflection.

I shot the camera directly into the store window to capture the mannikins and the images of Ste. Catherine Street as reflected in the store window, symbolically representing flux within stasis - our styles and perceptions are in flux but the structures within our lives are in stasis. Photo: KEO, Nikon Coolpix.

This is the window of Le Chateau on Rue Ste Catherine O., a boutique chain.  Photo: KEO, 2008

This is a study of the old reflected within the new in downtown Montreal in this Banque National  de Parus tower. Photo: KEO, 2008

 Fresco along Rue Sherbrooke and Aylmer. Photo: KEO, 2008

 Street scene on Rue Ste. Catherine O. (St. Catherine Street West) with a Scottish bagpiper raising funds for the Scottish National Games. In the right hand corner, you can see part of the American Express building. In the top left, you can see part of the Guess sign; below the Guess sign, is a sign for the Canadian Grand Prix;  in the background, you can see a sign for the restaurant, Carlos et Pepes, just part of the international flavor that comprises Montreal.

Photo: KEO, 2008

This is where I lived with my family in Montreal. The entrance was on the side, as you can see. My bedroom was the baywindow on the second floor, but not the  room with the balcony. The bedroom with the balcony was my sister's.  The bay window on the street level is the dining room.

There was a large convent with a huge cornfield in back of our backyard where our dog used to run.

Photo: KEO, 2008.

And this is the front view of the house. Many houses in Montreal are semi-detached - not duplexes - those are the 'row houses' but two single family homes built together, side by side. Building 'semi-detached' homes saves on the huge oil heat bill caused by a six-month cold season (winter, pre-winter, post-winter).

The living room was the bay window in front, (left) and the master bedroom was the bay window (left) on the second floor.

Here you see, our house, number 660 and a bit of the house to the right - number 662.

These homes are large but not as large as if they were one single family home. We had 5 bedrooms,  1 full bath  and 2 half-baths, a basement,  family room, front and back yard. 

This was a Victorian built in 1906. The half bath in the basement had the old pull chain flusher.

You will never see a wood frame house in Montreal. The homes are all brick or stone.

Photo: KEO, 2008.

On our last night, we lit sparklers in Carre St. Louis (Saint Louis Square) on Prince Arthur East and Rue Laval Est, near where we were staying. 

 In years gone by, poets and would be poets would daydream about Rimbaud and Baudelaire in this artistic neighborhood. Photo, courtesy of K. Oleski, Sony CyberShot.

And now you have now seen some of Montreal, with its 400-year history of cultures that clash and blend in a unique melange that is so appealing to the tourist, a city unique in its offering, a bounty for all who come to see her beauty. 

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Every year for the last several years, we stay at Martha's Bed and Breakfast every year, a charming Bed and Breakfast on Rue Laval Est.

In years gone by, Martha Pearson sang opera, as a dramatic soprano.

Now, Martha still sings and also sells her paintings at exhibits. Photo: K.E.Oleski

 
Painting by Martha Pearson. Photo: KEO

Painting by Martha Pearson. Photo: KEO

  Martha Pearson, proprietor of Relais Montreal Hospitalite. Photo: J. Oleski

Martha's Bed and Breakfast: Breakfast is French Toast, Eggs or Muffins, with juice, coffee, toast, jam.

Visitors from around the world line Martha's dining room table in this B & B that she and daughter Chantal run.

This last visit we chatted amiably with a man and his wife, who were from Lyon. We stay in one of the two basement apartments; a Swedish couple rented the other basement apartment. 

Montreal is a place to get away, to see people and places you're not likely to see elsewhere in North America.

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To stay with Martha, here is her site.

Relais Montreal Hospitalite 
3977 Avenue Laval
Montreal,  PQ
H2W 2H9  Canada 

Phone 514- 287-9635/800-363-9635
Fax: 514-287-1007

$$. 

Credit cards accepted. Free on-street parking. Close to public transportation, shopping, retail, banks, the mountain, easily accessible to the highway and the countryside. English spoken nearly everywhere. Consumer prices are equivalent to city prices in the US, except for alcohol and tobacco products, which are much higher, due to the sin tax.

http://www.martha-pearson.com

And then, after a wonderful trip, it was time to return home.  

When you are in line at the border, you will see this International marker. Make sure you have your passport with you and be prepared to wait. We were in line for nearly an hour to enter the United States.  Photo: J. Oleski

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Lodging: There are numerous hotels you can find online in Montreal.

For Tourist Information about Montreal:

Tourisme Montreal
1555 Rue Peel, Bureau 600
Montreal, PQ
H3A 3L8   Canada

Phone: 514-844-5400/800-464-7777
Fax:514-844-5757

http://www.tourisme-montreal.org
Email:info@tourisme-montreal.org

Copyright  © Kathryn Esplin-Oleski, 2007, 2008