Franco Fun in Montreal
By Victor Ozols
Say what you will about the romance of Montreal in the snowy winter but the city is truly at its best in summer. When sidewalk cafes abound, the cultural calendar is packed with amazing entertainment and its nightclubs make the most of the long days and short nights. Canada’s second largest city has long been first in decadence and a stroll down any of its main thoroughfares will illustrate the city’s enduring joie de vivre. Begin your visit with a leisurely hike up Mount Royal, the three-peaked hill that gives the city its name, which dominates a park designed by Central Park creator Frederick Law Olmstead. From the 761-foot summit, you can take in the sweeping expanse of new and old Montreal and the St. Lawrence River, and plan your adventures in the inspiring town below.
Casino de Montreal
Located on the Île Notre-Dame in Montreal, Quebec, the Casino de Montreal is the largest casino in Canada, with high-stakes action 24/7. All the standard games are on offer, from hundreds of slot machines and roulette, blackjack, and craps tables to James Bond-style baccarat, a French game of chance where a tuxedoed croupier deals cards with a wooden paddle – and fortunes are made and lost. Play your best hand and then retreat to the cocktail lounge or cabaret to savor your victory (or comfort yourself in defeat).
Montreal Cinerobotheque
Spend a few hours discovering Montreal’s cinematic history at the city’s Cinerobotheque, a theater and film archive with more than 10,000 titles available to watch on-site in personal viewing stations, along with dynamic programming in the main theater. It’s a fine way to discover the city, with countless films on Montreal that chronicle its artists, neighborhoods, architecture, cuisine, and emerging hot spots. Of particular note is a film on Lost Neighborhoods, which chronicles the destruction and revival of entire neighborhoods in Montreal between 1950 and 1975 for projects such as the 1967 World’s Fair and 1976 Summer Olympic Games.
Velvet Speakeasy
Sure, the speakeasy lounge concept is a bit precious, but Velvet does it right, with an appropriately hidden entrance (through L'Auberge) that opens to a posh (and packed) subterranean room. Cocktails are delicious and reasonably priced in the $10 neighborhood, and the crowd is appropriately sexy. DJ’s rock the house with minimalist techno and electronica that rises through the night, leaving the dance floor crowded with sweaty bodies. Two bars — one on each end of the room — ensure that getting a drink doesn’t take too long, and a fireplace in the center keeps it cozy on chilly nights. To get past the doormen, dress in your finest designer duds and, well, be gorgeous.
Baldwin Barmacie
Okay, so New York’s Barmacy may have been first to embrace the bar-as-pharmacy aesthetic, but Montreal’s Baldwin Barmacie perfected it. To wit, its cocktail list resembles a prescription pad, with concoctions such as the RealRegate, SodaColada, and Pharmacien (white port, fresh lime, and tonic) that are good for what ails you, assuming you suffer from nightlife ennui. The ‘60s-inspired space features plenty of white accents, high-backed barrel chairs and tulip lights lining the walls. Nice looking crowd tends toward the bohemian earlier in the week (think asymmetrical haircuts, chunky glasses) and drifts professional on Friday and Saturday nights. Grilled cheese sandwiches cure the munchies, so there’s no need to venture out for provisions after a few.
Bar Blizzarts
The hottest dance floor in the city gets going at 10 pm and keeps honking till 3 am, with the city’s best DJ’s spinning for an artsy crowd. A fine choice for multiple nights, as they switch up the tunes throughout the week: rock on Mondays, reggae Wednesdays, electronica on weekends, etc. If you want a seat, arrive at the crack of 9, but this spot ain’t for chillaxing, it’s for shaking your moneymaker — and for finding a well-cultured honey to share the night with. Walk in like you know what you’re doing.
Tokyo
Just like the Japanese metropolis it’s named for, Montreal’s Tokyo nightclub pulses with lights, sounds and energy. It’s a young spot, with plenty of students (remember, drinking age is just 18 in these parts), but blissfully few amateurs. The main room is arranged around the DJ booth, which brings both local and international artists to spin reggae to ragga, hip-hop to house. Two separate outdoor areas help you catch your breath after a few wild turns on the floor, while the VIP section satisfies the bottle service needs of those with cash to burn.
image courtesy of Karel Chladek
