Here are some belated notes about visiting Montreal for the first time.
Traveling to Montreal was a unique experience. There’s a curious blend of North American structure and commercialism with some “old world” European sensibilities that feel relatively unique compared to other cities in the US and Canada.
-Before visiting Montreal, I knew French was the primary language, but I don’t think I realize how primary it was. It really is the default, which resulted in me being pretty disoriented for the first day or so. Ordering food and interacting with people in stores suddenly becomes a thing when the assumption is that you speak French. There are tricks to getting around this, fortunately – since I speak no French whatsoever. Pretty much everyone speaks some English. I only interacted with one person who seemed to only want to speak to me in French but that was relatively easy to navigate. Entering a store, you can say something like, “Bonjour, hello!” and then move into speaking English. This seems to go over well and French-speaking residents seem to appreciate the French portion of your greeting. Apparently, there’s a whole movement in Montreal trying force the English language as the primary, which feels like a shame.
-Montreal is a very walkable city. I only used the subway once because I was tired and had trekked out the Olympic Stadium area by foot and needed to get back to my hotel before it started raining. The subway and bus system are all relatively easy to navigate – especially compared to Philly’s.
-If you’re able, hiking up Mount Royal is absolutely worth it. I haven’t visited a city with a similar way to get a full view of the city from such a vantage point before.
-Poutine and bagels are cool but Montreal has a ton of different food on offer. My only regret is that I didn’t have time to eat more.
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