Montreal City Weblog

Kate 10:13 on 2020-08-28 Permalink Reply  

• DeWolf 11:36 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  I moved back here from halfway around the world because I think it’s such a great place to live. “Le bruit, les chantiers, le trafic.” I mean, okay, compared to Rimouski it’s a noisy, dirty, frustrating city. But I’ll continue to enjoy what I consider to be a uniquely laid-back big city where I can enjoy quality neighbourhood life and abundant greenery in a dense, walkable environment that is always surprising and interesting.

• Ian 12:53 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  I first started coming to Montreal back in ’86 when I was 16, and knew that I wanted to move here immediately. I moved here in 1990 for university. When I finished, I moved to Toronto because I had a huge student loan and the job scene here was bleak. I earned enough to pay it off in 5 years and moved back to Montreal as soon as I could. I was living on Queen West, the most fun part of downtown Toronto, but I missed Montreal every_single_day. I have never regretted moving back to Montreal, and I think one of the greatest things about it is that my 2 kids are real Montrealers, born and bred in the heart of the Plateau.

  Despite our different backgrounds I basically agree with Lagacé 100%, it sounds like our experience of the city is very similar. Just because you love something or somewhere doesn’t mean you are blind to its faults 🙂

• Kate 14:40 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  I’m in the opposite situation: I was born in Montreal, and over a period of years watched my cousins – all older than me – then all my friends from school, then my sister all move away. Some thought I was crazy to stay here. Sometimes I wonder myself what I could’ve done in a place where I wasn’t a member of a semi-despised minority. (I’m not trying to take on a mantle of victimhood à la Bock-Côté, but let’s be honest, for someone who enjoys writing, and writes in English, there are better cities to be ambitious in.)

• walkerp 16:00 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  There are, Kate, but the problem is they are all so boring. 🙂

• Ant6n 17:30 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  New York is interesting

• Ian 17:45 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  Toronto is actually a great city to live in, kind of dull to visit though. NY is great if you can afford it, like SF. Montreal is the only one of the bunch where you work to live, not live to work. It’s much more expensive than it used to be but in cities that have super high rents you kind of have to focus on your hustle.

• Bryan 21:24 on 2020-08-28 Permalink

  I totally agree with DeWolf. I came here in 2011 after having lived in London. I love that Montreal offers many of the desirable aspects of a big city (a diverse population, great food, a vibrant arts & music scene) but it is a more affordable place to live than the larger cities of Western or Southern Europe and North America. Of course, Montreal is more expensive than many other places to live in Canada. But, trade off of living in Rimouski over Montreal is much too big for me.

• DeWolf 12:20 on 2020-08-29 Permalink

  Toronto is a fascinating city with a lot going on. But as Ian said it has a horrible work/life balance, and part of that is because it’s so expensive you need to earn a ton of money to have the kind of lifestyle most of us take for granted in Montreal. I live in overpriced Mile End, and for what I pay here, I couldn’t even get a basement apartment in a mildly interesting part of Toronto.

• Meezly 16:32 on 2020-08-29 Permalink

  Totally agree with all the things about Montreal. Also live in Mile End and now that I’m older I find it’s a great place to raise a kid with a nice network of families, conveniences close by and not needing to own a car, which is a good trade off for the privilege of living in a pricier area. I have never found Toronto dull to visit. Always look forward to the diverse food scene, esp. of the Asian variety, and the book shops. Always make a point of visiting BMV. But geographically, it is quite an eyesore. I remember being on a plane seeing TO for the first time and thinking what an ugly concrete sprawl it seemed. Flying into Montreal, I see how the city surrounds Mount Royal and the St-Joseph Oratory. I get an immediate impression of a city with a rich history. Geographically, Vancouver can’t be beat, but no one can afford to live there anymore without being house poor, or having to commute to work from a distant suburb.