THE WORLD’S HIDDEN TREASURE Montreal

I have lived in the Province of Quebec, Canada for the past 41 years and in Montreal proper, for about 20 and there are still things that I have discovered about this wonderful and unique city, which I did not learn in school… “Montreal, an island located in the Saint Lawrence River, was originally inhabited by the Iroquois (Aboriginal people) who had lived in Quebec for thousands of years. In 1535, Jacques Cartier (an explorer from France) was among the first Europeans to set foot on the island. He and his men climbed up the mountain to place a cross and claim the land in the name of France. Cartier named the mountain "Mont-Royal". In the early 1600's, the French colonized the island and the city of Montreal (originally named Ville Marie) was founded.” (

Montreal : the city of contrasts

Montreal is a city of contrasts. Skyscrapers line the streets beside Victorian brownstones and majestic buildings that, were once mansions inhabited by the Anglo-Saxon elite. Then just when you think you have seen it all -- a modern architectural wonder appears over the horizon, knocking you for six! The downtown core is always bustling with students on their way to or from the library or University, business people and/or tourists trying to maneuver themselves down the Main streets of Saint-Catherine or Sherbrooke, and the young girls and boys shopping for the latest in Montreal fashion. The energy on the street is almost palpable!

Out door terrace – soaking up the sun!

International Designs

Multicultural Montreal As a multicultural city, Montreal is not only influenced by the trends of North America— we truly have an international flavor and are influenced by everything from Japanese Anime to London’s punk rock sensibility and even more traditional ladies wear and fashion trends can be spotted on our streets. Montreal is like a living and breathing fashion house with Ste Catherine’s street as our catwalk. Yes we have great fashion on the Street, from Betsy Johnson to Mango and even a UK favorite, Top Shop –Montreal fashion designers prove great contenders and certainly can be proud of its high quality and beautiful clothing. St. Laurent Boulevard is another main street in the Plateau area – which divides the city from East and West. With a mish-mash of cultures and resto’s, this very Bohemian part of town is known for it’s mostly French and Ethnic mix…

Montrealers love our cafes and quaint restos

Sushi Anyone???

Cours Mont Royal’s public food court

Montreal’s own: Le Chateau clothing store

Canada’s premier casual clothing line

The Underground City The Underground City is a network of 33 kilometers of connecting passageways where people can walk underground and shop in our malls, dine in our food courts and visit our hair salons – we even have some well renowned spas at our disposal. Our winters can be severe (a windy -40 degrees below Celsius at times), for this reason the Underground City is truly brilliant. Can you imagine hopping on a Metro and going shopping without having to walk on an inch of snow? There are even some students who wear running shoes all year long! Montrealers are a bit quirky. It is not unusual for them to walk on a red light, come home from a night club in time for lunch, to wear shorts and to ride around on bicycles in the middle of January… Most Montrealers are bilingual and they will surely accommodate you in either English or French or sometimes a combination of the two.

Which Montreal Street had the highest concentration of millionaires in all of Canada at one time ?

The END?? NO just the beginning!!

The End! There is so much more to say about this great city have I peeked your interest ? Well come on now Make Montreal your home away from home!!!