Plateau Mont Royal
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Colloquially known as Le Plateau, this neighborhood is the arbiter of taste when it comes to "cool" things in the city. While downtown has its business centers, office towers and skyscrapers, the main streets of low-rise Plateau are lined with cafés, boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Built mostly in the late 19th and early 20th century, Le Plateau is a neighborhood of row houses many of which feature Montreal's trademark curved exterior stairs. Originally a working-class area, the neighborhood gradually became the hottest thing in Montreal (and, to some extent, in North America) by attracting countless bohemians who were in turn following writers, musicians, poets and other "creative workers". Thankfully, Montreal's financial type contigent is small, so the neighborhood became only moderately more expensive. Boulevard St-Laurent (also known as "the main") deserves a special mention as a sort of an open-air museum of immigration. Strolling the boulevard up from rue Sherbrooke, one gets to see the fruits of labor of countless arrivals from Poland, Portugal, Italy and (for more recent arrivals) Asia and Latin America - it suffices to take note of the restaurants, stores, bank and building names. In general, St-Laurent is a symbol of a true Montreal mix - neither exclusively "franco-" nor too "anglo-", peppered with flavors and colors of every corner of the globe - perhaps, just a little too commercialized for our liking, but intriguing and stimulating nevertheless. Places to VisitAs a residential and commerical neighborhood, Le Plateau is very light on attractions per se, which does not dimish its draw for tourists and residents alike. Any architecturally-curious visitor will delight in simply walking the streets of the neighborhood (recommended sites: the western side of La Fontaine Park and the houses around Square St-Louis). Fans of modern architecture should take note of the new (double-skinned) building of the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtelerie du Québec (2005) at 3535 rue St-Denis. » Our list of selected Plateau Mont Royal Places to Visit (2) Places to Eat, etcThe Plateau is the nerve center of Montreal's dining scene. Two of the borough's busiest streets (Blvd St-Laurent and Rue St-Denis) are lined up with eateries of every stripe. There are more restaurants here than in any other neighborhood in Montreal. » Our list of selected Plateau Mont Royal Cafés and Restaurants (12) Related Articles |
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I am amazed and grateful at the variety of cafés in Montreal. It is a city where people love to bring their office or school work to coffee shops, since most of them offer Wi-Fi. Hot beverages are essential during the colder months, but there is a difference between hitting the chain coffee shops and arriving by chance to a café in the middle of the very eclectic Blvd. St-Laurent..
