Question:

To new readers, this is an intense labour of love that was written over weeks, and compiled over years.  Enjoy. To old readers, I give up…I have no clue where v3.1 went, but you should all be heartened to know that the new fully updated v3.5 will be up next week. To ALL: I welcome any comments, corrections, critiques or possible To 2 travellers:  2 people who emailed me for additional information regarding roads about a week or two ago.  I was on vacation and never saw it.  All I know is that they did exist at one point, and my baby cousin wiped out my email inbox completely.  Please send me your questions again. The Montreal Info Sheet 2000 (v.3.0) By Terrence Lo PROLOGUE The origin of "The Montreal Info Sheet" dates to a few years back when I noticed a few things that I loved most about my city were virtually unknown to most visitors.  While that situation has vastly changed in only 5 years (information to tourists has especially improved in recent years with a few points still worth noting).  Besides, I believed then (and now) that I owed a debt to the city for its’ influence on my upbringing and the open outlook of life that I like to believe I have.   It’s all written from my point of view (and recommendations from my dearest friends and family) with absolutely no compensation of any way except for my gratitude (and the odd amateurishly cooked chicken cacciatore dinner with a really cheap wine or domestic beer). Only first-hand experiences were to be included in this document, though occasionally inspired from the questions of travellers.  This was done to ensure only honest opinions with NO compensation or influence from others.  In most cases, the place in question was usually visited under routine conditions (special family events, festivals, day to day living, etc.) though some places had to be officially visited with the full knowledge of the reviewed business in question (for example, my friends and I don’t actually use that many hotels in the city and only an economically-minded nymphomaniac adulterer would regularly visit some of the other locales). Any and all suggestions for additions or changes are included, excluded, ignored and/or altered only after consideration.  In other words, if any of us really didn’t like a particular event, hotel, restaurant or business, I’ll say it because something happened, and no amount of argument by the merchant would matter unless there was a particularly good reason.  For example, I once changed my description of a given area with a strip of budget motels because my prior description was a bit too unfair. I will touch upon some of the tourist traps and related events, but I try to focus more on local specialities that only a native would readily know.  I hope that it’s informative and wish only the best for anyone using it.   I do recommend that all readers do understand that if I state that an area is strange and/or dangerous, I state it for a reason and warn the traveller to take the usual precautions.  And for those who take a little bit more than the usual precautions, Montreal does not allowed concealed weapons whatsoever (or openly displayed ones for that matter *).  Besides, for the most part, the city is friendly, open and safe to walk the streets at night. Any individual traveller is allowed to print this Info Sheet and please feel free to distribute it to fellow travellers.  For anyone else, please note the copyright statement at the end of this document. By the by, it’s a VERY long document (over 55 pages in MS Word in 12 pt.). If you want a more personal response, please feel free to email me at depending on my personal time restraints.   That’s it!  To the explorers, enjoy the city!  For the locals, I hope I helped introduce a few new places.   =1.0 MONTREAL, AN INTRODUCTION…= Montreal is one of the stranger cities on the planet. Built on both an island and on a mountain, it was once the heart of Canada’s economic and social power, but lost that influence to Toronto in the 1970’s. But, in the wake of that loss, Montreal never refused to give up it’s character and cultured, er, schizophrenia (as I like to describe it). As most travellers and news readers know, Quebec is the province that is always trying to achieve separation to become the first truly French country in North America. In fact, it’s only been a few years since the last referendum with no end of the petty squabbles in sight (as of this writing, they’re starting to act up again). Their arguments tend to run from differences in culture, language and lifestyles; which usually results in English Canada screaming for total equality in all forms in business and society. Being an anglophone myself (English is my mother tongue) and an allophone as well (non-white, Chinese), I’m supposed to be among these screamers, but after living my entire life in Quebec while spending a great deal of time travelling, I hate to admit that the Quebec French are right. Quebec IS different, and here are some of the reasons why: 1) Montreal is a truly cosmopolitan and open-minded city. The French and English atmosphere has created an unusually tolerant society. While I might not be able to say the same in the rest of Quebec, it is a different world here.  From out of the blue, Montreal has emerged in the last decade as the 2nd most gay-friendly city in North America (only after San Francisco).  Where else can you find a Greek and Turkish restaurant side by side, or an Arabic restaurant only blocks from a Jewish district?  Where else can you find a Chinese kid as myself, dine at an Ethiopian restaurant, in the middle of an Italian/Portuguese neighbourhood, with my British, Scottish, German, Hungarian and Indonesian friends?   While most cities can claim to have their central ethnic areas, Montreal tends to have only spot concentrations of ethnicity with the rest of the city an open mix and match. As a result, the people are friendly, generally open-minded to other cultures, and fun-loving (although they drink a bit too much and gamble way too much…the openings of the Montreal, Hull and Mohawk Casinos in recent years, widespread proliferation of the video poker machines in every bar & bowling alley and the numerous Bingo halls only highlighted that condition). 2) The city natives ARE much more relaxed here in general than anyone else in the country (with the possible exception of the Maritimes). We really do enjoy our leisure time.  The bars close at 3 AM, and anyone 18 and over is considered legally old enough to raise their blood alcohol level to somewhere near 100% proof.  Clubs seem to be a bit edgier in most regards, from music and atmosphere to er