Wellington: world’s coolest street
Wellington Street in Verdun has been named the coolest street in the world by Time Out.
I wonder what this does for property values in the area.
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MarcG 16:08 on 2022-08-25 Permalink
When I moved here 13 years ago Wellington was still 1990s recession Montreal – discount clothing, deps, dollar pizza, lots of mentally ill people – the change has been dramatic.
Blork 17:23 on 2022-08-25 Permalink
I will admit that when I walk around Wellington these days (meaning anytime in the past 4 or 5 years) I feel like it would probably be my top pick for a neighbourhood if I were to move back to the island. Then I check the prices…
JaneyB 09:11 on 2022-08-26 Permalink
Coolest street…that’s a bit of a stretch. Wellington is very pleasant but I moved there about 10 years ago and though there has been gentrification, there are plenty of mentally ill folks who are in and out of the Douglas, modest earners of every kind, and people tangling with the law. Just walk along the parallel Verdun Ave. Many of them grew up there and have family ties nearby. I don’t see that going away.
What makes Verdun coolish is that the borough council decided not to allow big commercial chains so nearly all the stores and restos are local. Any borough can do that!
MarcG 09:41 on 2022-08-26 Permalink
@JaneyB: When did they make that decision? The Pizza Pizza opened just a few years ago.
nau 14:07 on 2022-08-26 Permalink
Coolest street, whatever, but to the extent that it’s a cool street, the modest earners help keep it that way because they keep the prices more reasonable. Once it’s only expensive places (like say Greene Ave.), Wellington will suffer. What really made Wellington cool was the pedestrianization and consequent terrasses outside with no motor vehicle noise or exhaust. It doesn’t matter how good the food is at Paname if it’s non-stop cars right beside your table. Plus of course allowing bars.
As for back in the day, MarcG neglected to mention the ubiquitous pawn shops. (Was Pizza Al Pacino still around 13 years ago, I wonder?) Back 20 years, when people didn’t try to hide their disdain if you said you lived in Verdun, if someone had suggested that one day Wellington would be rated by anybody as the coolest street in the world, you’d’ve figured they could maybe use a stint in the Douglas themselves.
DeWolf 18:52 on 2022-08-26 Permalink
Having worked for Time Out in the past, I can tell you these kinds of lists are not put together in a particularly rigorous way. Not that there’s any real standard of “cool” anyway.
I’ve been to 14 of the streets on the list, though not in the past couple of years, of course. It’s a weird mix. Wellington is definitely pretty buzzy here, whereas Tai Ping Shan Street in Hong Kong was cutting edge maybe 10 years ago – now there are other, cooler streets. Same goes for Yongkang Street in Taipei. I’m certainly surprised to see Newbury Street listed. I haven’t been to Boston since 2007, but back then the only cool block was the one close to Mass Av., and the rest felt like a busier version of Greene Avenue.