Michael Powell's Blog, page 46
May 21, 2016
The Chalet du Mont Royal and Kondiaronk Belvedere
Usually, the first thing we do after arriving in a city is ascend to its highest point for a birds-eye view. But we waited a full month before heading up Mont Royal, the hill (sorry, “mountain!”) which provides Montreal its name. When the weather finally cleared up enough, we found that the view was worth the wait.
The first truly nice day of the year happened to be on a Saturday, and the Parc du Mont-Royal was packed, and the paths which wind around the slopes were crowded as a city street...
May 20, 2016
The Views from the Olympic Tower
Built in 1976 for the Summer Games and attached to the Olympic Stadium, Montreal Tower’s height of 165 meters (541 feet) makes it the tallest inclined tower in the world. We took the funicular up to the top, where there’s an observatory that provides views of the Olympic Park, Mont Royal and downtown Montreal.
With its 45-degree incline, it would be an understatement to call the Montreal Tower “slightly tilted.” For comparison, the Tower of Pisa only leans at five degrees. However, Montreal...
May 16, 2016
The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium
One of the buildings which makes up Montreal’s “Space for Life” is the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. It opened in 2013, and features two full-dome theaters that take visitors on a tour through the universe.
The “Space for Life” is said to be the world’s first park dedicated to both nature and humanity. It’s based in the Olympic Park, and includes the Insectarium, the Botanic Garden and the Biodome, along with the Olympic Tower. You can buy joint tickets to get you into any combination of the...
May 15, 2016
Arsenal Contemporary Art
Located within a nineteenth-century shipyard in the neighborhood of Griffintown, Arsenal is a private gallery dedicated to contemporary art. We stopped by to check out the space, and see if we could make any sense out of the collection.
At first blush, Griffintown seems like a strange neighborhood in which to base a gallery of contemporary art. This has historically been a blue-collar kind of place, home to immigrant families who worked down at the docks. There’s been a recent effort to revi...
May 14, 2016
Lunchtime in Little Italy
If you follow St. Laurent north, past the train tracks and Rosemont Boulevard, you end up in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which has long been home to Montreal’s Italian expat community. With espresso cafes, pizzerias, upscale restaurants, and pastry shops selling cannoli, Little Italy is a place you should visit when you’re hungry, and not leave until you’re stuffed.
The motherland’s influence is strong in this neighborhood, but you’re not going to mistake the streets of Little Italy fo...
May 13, 2016
The Marché Jean-Talon
Opened in 1933, the Marché Jean-Talon is one of North America’s largest public markets, with dozens of stands selling fresh fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses and more. For residents, the Jean-Talon is a daily part of life. For the rest of us, it inspires fits of jealousy. Why isn’t there a market like this in my neighborhood? It’s a valid question, so somebody answer it!
The Jean-Talon is incredible. First off, the prices aren’t just competitive with the grocery store in which we shop, they’re...
May 12, 2016
After One Month in Montreal
As luck would have it, Jürgen and I arrived during what everyone swears is one of the worst Quebec springs in recent memory. For every sunny day, we’ve had six that were rainy and cold. But luckily Montreal has plenty of fun things to do indoors, and we still have a couple months to get outside and experience the city’s famous street life. Here are our first impressions, after one month.
Most Memorable
Mike: So far, I’d have to say the concert we saw from the great Montreal band Godspeed You...
May 11, 2016
St. Jospeh’s Oratory
Montreal’s largest religious complex, and almost certainly the largest we’ve seen in North America, the Oratory of St. Joseph is located in the heights of Mont Royal, and enjoys commanding views over the city. With multiple chapels, an underground church, a museum, and of course the crowning basilica, the Oratory is stunning in its scale, impressive even to non-Catholic visitors.
Jürgen and I love places like St. Joseph’s Oratory, despite the fact that we’re committed agnostics. To those of...
May 10, 2016
The Marché Maisonneuve
As we approached the Marché Maisonneuve, our excitement grew. We love visiting markets, especially when they’re set inside buildings as beautiful as this one. But within seconds of stepping inside, our enthusiasm disappeared. The market is gone, and the building is now used as a community center; today it was featuring amateur arts and crafts.
But even if there isn’t much to see on the inside, the Marché Maisonneuve remains a handsome building. It was built in 1912, designed by architect Mar...
May 9, 2016
The Impact at Stade Saputo
In 2012, Major League Soccer expanded to Montreal, finally giving the city another top-tier team to follow besides the Canadiens. The Montreal Impact play in the Stade Saputo, within the Olympic Park, and we decided to check them out for a Saturday match against the Colorado Rapids.
And I got to see Didier Drogba score a goal! Soccer snobs might roll their eyes at me, and they’re not totally wrong. This was an early-season MLS game, and Drogba is years past his prime. It’s not like we were a...
