D. / Nov 2020
"Walking through this neighbourhood always reminds me of my teens to my mid-20ʼs .
I have a lot of memories from here-dating back to the late 80ʼs.
-shopping at the army surplus and at Eva Bʼs back in the day
-being with friends, smoking joints, hanging out at a local park behind/near
Foufounes Electriques
-seeing and watching prostitutes going in and coming out of doorways or lanes
-being with friends and going to our favourite bars, and late night eats from where ever
Walking through here and hearing your voice in my ears-yes it was strange, you are not from here, so there are new things(structures) here now and there are many other things that are no longer there.
I suppose I felt a little nostalgic. I have so many great memories. Crazy ones too, all good, but so crazy.
-Iʼm not so into the condos and how theyʼve transformed the area for all its festivals etcetera. It sort of feels like the intention was/is to “clean” it up. But there has always been a raunchiness to this part of town-I donʼt think itʼs ever going to go away. There's too much history here, and it's kind of sad to see how it has evolved. The grungy has always been its charm."
Elsy / Nov 2020
Florian / Nov 2020
"For me, this experience was about memories. At the Saint Laurent Metro I was reminded of my first spring here. I was working on Sherbrooke street in May, 2 years ago, and stopped every day at Saint Laurent Station. I never saw Montreal that Summer, just the Winter. Step by step, I discovered and saw the beginnings of life. People staying outside, smiling and ready for summer.
Point 3, on Saint Catherine Street, was the music spot for me. Memories of the shows, I saw at Mtelus. And my favourite music store!
At points 5 and 6, I remembered the crazy and amazing Montreal nightlife. I saw my first Drag King show, it was awesome! There is so many interested people on St Catherine street. You realized, Montreal is the city of all different types of artists.
At point 8, I spent all summer in 2019 going to festivals(Africa nights, For laugh, Jazz festival etc...). It was my party place. For me, it's always overcrowded and sometimes you feel stuck and breathless. But it's so good to share music with other people. Those were my feelings that came up during the walking tour."
Hanieh / Nov 2020
"I went for the walk during the Indian summer, so the weather was lovely. Like many other people, I also decided to use a bike to reach St. Laurent Metro Station and make my day more enjoyable.
1. Start at St. Laurent Metro Station
I passed St. Laurent street a few times before but never really stopped here, and have a good look, so everything looks kind of new. It just is one station further than Place des Arts, but somehow very different. The area seems like a transition between some downtown’s fancy large buildings with smaller and more simplistic ones, combining different urban fabrics in a way.
2. Intersection of St Dominique St with Boul. de Maisonneuve E
Tricotés Serrés (picture 6) is a temporary artwork by artists Jorden and David Doody, featuring in "Quartier des Spectacles." The bike lanes are adorned by paintings inspired by "yarn bombing" or knitting-graffiti. The poster gives the information in French and illustrates a map where you can find the artworks.
I also found this sad kitty (picture 7) sitting on a post box.
As I was taking pictures of the beautiful leaves (picture 9) and listening to your voice, I felt that someone was behind me and talking to me. I turned around and took off my headphones and said: “Sorry?” He looked at me as though I was mad and went away. I was baffled! What was that? I waited a few moments and attempted to forget the moment by shaking my head and following the rest of the journey!
3. St. Catherine’s Businesses
There is some construction going on in St. Catherine, as always; maybe this is the most popular business on this street. When I got there, a bulldozer was working and made lots of noises, but as I started to record the sound, it went quiet! (Unintentionally? I doubt…)
Anyway, I could see the 'Place des Art' from where I was standing. As many people were out and enjoying the weather, it kind of reminded me of last year. In summer 2019, We just came to Montreal and spent lots of days walking in this area… It sounds so far now… The days before the pandemic! Remembering these good memories made me happy, but also sad that we haven't had access to festivals and events for more than a year now!"
(more to come...)
