Monday, May 11, 2009

Montreal


I can't believe I am finally going to Montreal. It is, without a doubt, the most wonderful city in North America. In summer, it is particularly great with sidewalk cafes, all kinds of festivals, and crowds of people enjoying life. Of course, half the city will most certainly be under construction, so the noise and the dust will allow me to have a true Montreal experience.

I only have a few days to spend this summer in the most amazing city ever. The gastronomical program I have to accomplish is huge. Living in a small town, as I do now, really limits my range of culinary experiences.

There are also many places in Montreal that are dear to me and that I would love to see for the memories they hold. This corner of Decelles and Edouard Montpetit, for instance, might seem incredibly ugly to many people. But to me this place means a lot.
This is next to where I first lived when I came to
Montreal eleven years ago.

Many freshly arriving immigrants settle in this area. Some of the streets around here are downright nasty. The building where we lived, however, was not bad at all. I will always feel fond of this part of town.

McGill College Street is one of my favorite places. I spent so much time there while studying and working at McGill. There are two big bookstores in this street, and I can't wait to visit them again.

http://www.teachersparadise.com/ency/en/media/8/8f/montreal_mcgillcollege.jpg

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

---The gastronomical program I have to accomplish is huge.

Have you ever been to Mochica on St.Denis? It is Peruvian, and real Latin-Americans say it is authentic. It looks very unpretentious, but everything is very tasty there, and the chef is trained at Le Cordon Bleu.

The bathrooms are worth seeing too (they have some nice pottery there :) My wife thinks male bathroom is more interesting than the female one in this respect :)...)
V.

Clarissa said...

There is this great Peruvian restaurant that I love located on St.Denis (or is it St. Laurent?) next to the Italian area. I never remember it's name. It's a cheap unpretentious place but they have the best chupe de mariscos (fish stew) ever. I have dreams about this dish, it's that good.

But I will definitely check out the one you are suggesting. And thanks for the tip about the male bathrooms. Always good to know things like this. :-)

Clarissa said...

Oh, I remember, it's called Chicho's. It's a very "low-class" sort of place. But what can I do if I'm this low-class kind of person?

Anonymous said...

Mochica is a more expensive place, with main dishes starting at 20...
3863 St.Denis
V.

Anonymous said...

---Always good to know things like this. :-)

Are all Peruvian restaurants' bathrooms alike then, if you immediately understood what I meant by interesting pottery?.. And I thought Mochica is special... :(
V.

Clarissa said...

I happen to know stuff about the Mochica culture and their amazing ceramics. It's not for nothing that I'm in Hispanic Studies. :-)