Montreal in 19 neighbourhoods: A series
THE VILLAGE
EVERYTHING’S WAITING FOR YOU, DOWNTOWN: Montreal’s downtown core has an interesting mix of highrises, old Victorian homes, distinct neighbourhoods like The Village, Latin Quarter, Chinatown, Old Montreal, and the Quartier des spectacles, and even an underground city. In 1642, the city was a fort called Ville-Marie, originally settled by a group of 50 women and men recruited in France to create a Catholic community — and convert the First Nations that already called it home — before its name was changed to Montreal in the 18th century. Today, in Montreal’s Gay Village, located in Ville-Marie’s Centre-Sud area, diversity is celebrated. That’s why Ste-Catherine Street becomes pedestrian-only during the summer months, from St-Hubert all the way to Papineau, under a canopy of pink balls, which, this year, are rainbow-coloured.
1. L’Olympia
Built in 1925, L’Olympia is an important part of the city’s theatrical and architectural heritage. It has a standing area that fits 2,600 people, a theatre with more than 1,300 seats, and a cabaret. Over the years, it has welcomed everyone from Gilles Vigneault and Daniel Bélanger to Tori Amos and the Arctic Monkeys.
2. Le Fridge Amherst
Le Fridge is located in the Centre communautaire de loisirs Sainte-Catherine d’Alexandrie and was founded in 2015 by Catherine Adam, who was inspired by the European food-sharing movement. It runs like a food bank, but donors give the food (either fresh or already prepared) from their homes, and people who need food can pick up from Tuesday to Thursday. So one community fridge tackles two problems: food waste and hunger.
3. Cabaret Mado
Named after Montreal’s best-known drag queen, Mado Lamotte — a former UQÀM theatre student named Luc Provost — Mado’s is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, so it’s bound to be a big one! Madame Simone, a drag legend known for her pointy lashes and unique hats, often greets Cabaret patrons at the door.
4. Church of Saint-Pierre-Apôtre
A 165-year-old Catholic church that was designed by Victor Bourgeau, a prolific Quebec architect, the Church of Saint-Pierre-Apôtre stands out from the crowd for its welcoming attitude toward people of all religions and sexual orientations. The church features a Chapel of Hope, which was inaugurated in 1996, in honour of the city’s countless AIDS victims.
5. Sky Complex
Part pub, part club, part rooftop terrace, and all fun, the Sky Complex is one of the Village’s bestknown haunts and one of the largest gay bars in the country. Spread out over three floors, each area has a different vibe — and a different style of music — so there’s something for everyone, literally.
6. La Mer
Originally opened by the Katsoulis family in 1968 as a small west-end fish market, La Mer moved here, at the foot of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, in 1976 when it became a wholesaler and distributer, in addition to a market. La Mer now imports fresh fish from around the world — including sushi-grade salmon and tuna for some of the city’s best Japanese restaurants — as well as oysters, which it sells both in-house and via Uber-Eats, shucked or unshucked.
7. Ste. Catherine St. West
For many Montrealers and tourists, “downtown” means Ste. Catherine St. West. Stretching for 15 kilometres, this part of the street is lined with department stores and shopping sites like Ogilvy, Hudson’s Bay and the Eaton Centre, as well as smaller boutiques, restaurants, cafés and bars. Below the street, the so-called underground city pulses with a life of its own along several métro stations on the green line. More than 500,000 people travel through it daily, making it one of the busiest areas in town. The underground city became a reality in the early Sixties, in anticipation of Expo 67.