Tell me more about Montreal

I've been thinking about moving to Montreal, but I've never been there. What's it like there? Are people as friendly as they are here in Vancouver? And is everyone bilingual? Could I as an anglophone find work there? Even if it's just low wage menial type work? Anything?

How's shopping there? Do they have Aritzia there?

Thanks.

anyone please???

Montreal is a great city to live in!!! It's very diverse, stylish and cultural. Restaurant food is A1.. Chinese food is probably not as good as Vancouver though (depends which restaurant you go to).

A lot of good shopping here and a lot of great sample sales too. I don't think there is an Aritzia in Montreal yet.

I've never been to Vancouver, but from what I hear, people there are a little more laid back - most people in Montreal are pretty friendly though

Hope this helps

As for finding a job, I'm pretty sure you can find a job where you don't need French. Try going to a job placement agency. You can probably get a temp job somewhere. Most jobs do require some knowledge of French though.

I'm from the West Coast myself. People in Mtl are very selfish and less laid-back if you will. Kind of more high-strung. If you are a pedestrian, they'd attempt to run over you when you're crossing the street (on a green light!). Driving- they'd never let you pass or make a turn, even if it's your right of way. Did I mention they were selfish? Ok, other than that-in general people dress very nicely, in a quirky European sort of way, lots of girls wearing high heels even on weekends Great restaurants, real estate and rents somewhat cheaper than elsewhere. Jobs-really depends on what you do. But being bilingual will surely open more doors for you. Be prepared that some people don't speak any or very little English.

buddy from montreal says montreal girls are hotter than van girls and much nicer and not snobby like van. pretty sure its cheaper to live in montreal than in van.

I love Montreal and wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. Can't say the same about the rest of Quebec, but Montreal is awesome!

I have to agree with the statement that Montreal is an awsome, awsome city!!! I've lived in 2 other major cities in Europe but will always consider Montreal my home. It can be quirky, just like every city has its peculiarities, but nothing unforgivable.

Let's see... Great food - you can get anything from the $7 (and that's splurging!) lunch in Chinablock (I'm sorry, it's too small to be called Chinatown), $3-5 meals at Al Taib near Concordia Uni, to $100 dinners at O Thym (amazing French cuisine on de Maisonneuve east, BYOW on top of it!) and everything in between (like La Banquise, famous poutine place)!!!

For a night out on the town, there's something for every taste - from the 5,000 Irish pubs which have great pub fare, great beers, and great atmosphere (special mention to a British-style pub, The Burgundy Lion on Notre-Dame in St-Henri, a-ma-zing), to the numerous microbreweries that just don't compare with anything else (Benelux, L'amere a Boire & Brasseurs de Montreal being some of my faves), to the whole scene on St-Laurent (B-side & Rouge being classics), Crescent, and the afterhours...

And then we have parks, and a great bike path that runs practically around the whole island! And the mountain, on which you have to, HAVE TO go on lazy summer Sunday mornings to hear the tam-tams & just chill on the grass (or join a volleyball game if you're not too finished from the previous night's bar hop).

With all of this (and much, much more), how can you not forgive little annoying quirks, such as utter disrespect of traffic signs? I am a pedestrian and almost got run over twice, once my fault & once b/c of some moron driving a monster of an SUV & chatting on his cell, not giving a $#@t that I had right of way. True, that would never happen in Ontario, but have you ever been to NYC?!?! But I digress. The point is, drivers should be more polite, but let me tell you that pedestrians should also stop thinking they're invincible - and not a single Montrealer can deny this: at an intersection, when there is a pack of pedestrians, they tend to cross all together, even if the light is against them. They'll casually stroll across the street (they are a pack, after all) and if a driver has the misfortune of honking they'll immediately slow down even more & give dirty looks to said driver. It's a Montreal thing, love it or hate it!

Moving on to jobs, I think certain positions might be hard to get if you don't speak French (such as jobs in the service industry, be it restaurants or retail), but if you can get an administrative position there are tons of companies who deal with US clients only, or even clients from outside QC (a good example is an international transport company, who most likely deals with the USA only).

Last but not least (I know, I know, I've been going on FOREVER!), I really believe that people's attitude is a reflection of our own (in most cases). So if you're nice, interested in what they're saying, smiley and in a good mood (basically if you make an effort), it's quite likely it'll be returned, and this is regardless of where you might be in the world.

Phew... OMG I forgot to mention THE most important part... We are THE hockey town in North America, have the best (and craziest) fans, on slow news days the most important piece will be about who missed practice (and more importantly, which bar they got trashed at the night before, making them miss said practice) even though our team... well... they are who they are and we love them 'til the end! GO HABS GO!!!!!

Great post, Cheers!

I'm a Montrealer living in Vancouver... and am planning to move back. Yes, Montreal may not be as clean, as polite, or as politically correct as Vancouver, but that's its charm. How should I put this... you don't feel like there's a rule to everything. Someone's being rude? Yell back. Not having a good day? Show it on your face. Not happy about drivers? well, jaywalk in front of them just to piss them off. Yes, the drivers are bad, but you will learn as a pedestrian to be more assertive/aggressive. Yes, you might need to speak some french to get a job. But downtown core (McGill Ghetto/Concordia/NDG), you can get by without speaking much french and work in sales. Shopping IS GREAT!!!! I don't think there's an Aritzia... but you won't be looking for one either. Many more options exist, and sooner or later you'll learn that Aritzia uniform really doesn't fly in fashion world. Can't wait to go back!

You don't have to speak French...Montrealers are pretty friendly to the tourists - they're only mean to fellow-Montrealers that don't speak French. LOL! And it is a very affordable city.