Quartier des Spectacles

Created by decree in an attempt to revitalize the area previously known for sketchy bars, even sketcheir strip joints and plentiful illicit activity on its streets, the Quartier des Spectacles is undergoing transformation that has been compared to (some say, modeled after) the makeover of New York's Times Square.

The idea is slightly different, however - instead of outright Disneyisation and commercialization that were the main methods of "revitalizing" Times Square, the city of Montréal decided to amalgamate all cultural and nightlife entreprises it could think of in one place. So, the new project for the neighborhood envisions theaters, concert halls, dance studios, clubs, bars, etc - everything that could be called remotely creative, using them as a "lever for development".

Attractions

» Our list of selected Quartier des Spectacles Attractions (1)

Restaurants

As of the time of this writing (2008), dining still is a hit-or-miss affair in the Quartier des Spectacles, although the hope is that with the overall revitalization, quality restaurants will come, too. At present, even the best places, such as the Café du nouveau monde, (at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde) are somewhat unreliable.

» Our list of selected Quartier des Spectacles Restaurants (1)

Links

• www.quartierdesspectacles.com
• Quartier des Spectacles @ Montreal Bits (our sister site)

Articles, Updates and Reviews

Last year we wrote about the massive reconstruction project in the Quartier des Spectacles - namely, a new plaza for the yearly Jazz Festival and similar events. One year has passed and the project bore its first visible (or, rather, walkable) fruit.

The $40-million Place des Festivals plaza was unveiled last month with an inaugural show featuring fluttering multi-colored water jets (a rather expensive spectacle, opined some local journalists) and packs of awe-stricken tourists enjoying the last warm days of Montreal's short summer.

Having snubbed the inauguration festivities, I went by with my camera to take a look a few days later...

Read the rest of: "Place des Festivals Opens, Fountains Operational"»

The Montreal Jazz Festival 2008 has just finished and the city is already fevereshly preparing for the 2009 edition. You might think this is an overstatement - after all, there's almost a year left! But in fact, in this short year, one of the most important concert spaces, the plaza between Place des Arts and Rue de Bleury will have to be completely redone. The models and renderings for the new Place des Festivals were made public a few days ago and the city's mayor took the opportunity to assure everybody the project is "on schedule, on budget"...

Read the rest of: "Montreal to Get New Plaza in 2009"»

"Luba Lounge" is gone, and we've been mourning the loss. The next step in our grieving process was to visit Vinyl, which has taken its place on Bleury St. just below Sherbrooke. After a Friday night film fest at Cinema du Parc we decided to check it out. 

Read the rest of: "Vinyl Bar"»