NYLON - October 2007 - (Page 114) BONJOUR, VIEUX AMI You’ve asked us enough times, and so we finally went to Canada. Montreal, to be precise. Don’t say we never do anything for you. By Sarah Haight. Photographed by Jamie LeBlanc Craving a bit of French glamour, and lacking both the funds and time for a jaunt to, say, Arles, I make plans for a three day trip to Montreal—there’s something appealing about the possibility of soaking up some of the town’s creative mojo. As the plane banks left over the St. Lawrence river, nosing its way through the Canadian cloud cover, a sprawl of tiny verdant islands emerge; the Adirondacks recede, and I can see the snow-white crest of the Olympic Stadium’s tower, constructed for the ’76 games, stretching upwards in the distance. The city, which is nestled on the Island of Montreal, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, snagged its name from the three-headed hill, Mont-Royal, at the center of the city, on top of which rests a gigantic cross (leaving no questions as to the religious heritage of its early settlers). My cab driver tells me that tourists and residents alike use it as a directional beacon when they’re traversing the city’s streets. “You know, like the Eiffel tower,” he says in a thick Québécois accent as we make the short drive from Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport towards the city, “but less flashy.” I’ve divided my stay between two distinct neighborhoods—the Plateau, a flat area filled with rowhouses and popular with artists and musicians, and the Old City, where the cobblestone streets, elegant, 17th-century stone buildings, and hidden gardens evoke the European aesthetic of a French seaside town. I’m eager to get in with the artists and musicians—the Old City is a good place to have a glass of wine amongst weekending couples and families hauling around their kids, but I’ve been told if you want to be where the action is, go to the Plateau. My hotel—sleek, granite, and low-slung, right next to the club- and restaurant-filled Boulevard St. Laurent—is playing host to a bachelor party (think Brooks Brothers, Jameson on the rocks, and a lot of golf talk) when I arrive, and I’m reminded of another piece of cabdriver wisdom: During Prohibition, Americans descended on Montreal in droves, blessing the town with “Sin City” status. Decades later, it retains a bit of that heady charm: Making my way along the packed St. Laurent, I dodge the scores of twentysomethings filtering in and out Location: Quebec, Canada Population: 5.5 million Official language: French Currency: Canadian dollar (approximately 1.06 to the U.S. dollar)
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