Montreal is often described as a multicultural city with a vibrant nightlife and lots of green spaces.
We asked some of our personalities from CBC Montreal to share their favorite spots in their neighborhood.
Debra Arbec, presenter of the CBC Montreal News at 6pm
What I like best about NDG are the alleys in the neighborhood. As a dog owner, I love strolling through them. It’s a different dynamic than walking on the street. People stop, chat, and get to know each other while their dogs play. In addition to a playground for dogs and their owners, the alleys bring the community together. There is a great atmosphere in spring when the neighbors gather to tidy up and tidy up and children flock in to play. There’s always a summer block party in my back alley.
“The alleys bring the community together,” says Debra Arbec, CBC Montreal news anchor. (Etienne Leblanc / Radio Canada)
Jeanette Kelly, cultural reporter
My favorite place is the grounds of the Villa Maria school in NDG, especially in spring when the apple trees bloom pink on the gray stone facade of the building and you can walk through the maple-lined driveway with a view of the city. It’s a quiet place when the girls aren’t playing soccer and an example of the architectural heritage of so many religious buildings in the city.
“It’s a quiet place,” says CBC art reporter Jeanette Kelly of the grounds near Villa Maria High School. (Jeanette Kelly / CBC)
Shari Okeke, writer / broadcaster for Daybreak
Parc Lafontaine is by far my favorite place in our neighborhood. It’s a great place for long walks any time of the year. In winter we enjoy the lights, the ice rink and the kids love to toboggan there.
In the summer we enjoyed lots of birthday parties in the park, the wading pool, the tennis courts, lots of picnics and cardio classes!
It was the starting line for the Tour la Nuit too and I did a couple of 5k races in the park … oh, and my kids love the ducks!
“It’s a great place for long walks any time of the year,” says Shari Okeke of Daybreak of Parc Lafontaine. (Charles Contant / CBC)
Sean Henry, weekend speaker, news reporter
For me it’s very simple: Tim Horton’s on Ontario on the corner of de Chambly in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. It’s part of my daily routine so most of the employees know about my coffee order. Tim Horton’s is in the heart of Promenades Ontario and is always a hive of activity. This is the only place you will meet almost everyone.
“This is the only place you will meet almost everyone,” says CBC reporter and weekend anchor Sean Henry of his neighborhood cafe in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. (Sean Henry / CBC)
Andrea Stanford, researcher
My favorite place in my neighborhood is a cozy cafe in the village of Valois called The Den. I spent a lot of time there during my maternity leave, so I fondly remember sipping coffee and chatting with the super friendly staff while my daughter dozed off in her car seat.
“I fondly remember drinking coffee and talking to the super friendly staff,” says Andrea Stanford of this coffeeshop in Valois Village on Montreal’s West Island. (Andrea Stanford / CBC)
Molly Kohli, social media editor and tech columnist
I love almost everything about Little Burgundy. I love how there are all these little oases in the heart of the city. I spend most of my summer somewhere on the Lachine Canal, in the grass by the water. There is something for every mood; I can people (and dogs) watch, enjoy the sun, have a picnic, or even play sports (okay, let’s face it, I don’t). It’s sad to see all of the new waterfront condos taking up so much space and generating so much traffic, but luckily, despite all the people, it’s still easy to find a little corner away from it all.
The Lachine Channel makes it “easy to find a little nook and cranny,” says Molly Kohli, social media editor and tech columnist for CBC. (Melinda Dalton / CBC)
Melinda Dalton, digital journalist
If you live in the city center, it can sometimes happen that you lose a little sense of community in the hustle and bustle. Only the Place des Festivals remains an oasis of well-being. In every season of the year, Montreal residents of all ages mingle with enthusiastic tourists, when giggling children run through the fountain or big children relive their youth on the glowing seesaws. People take a break together for a chat or a moment of joy in their day before returning to the busy pace of the city. It always makes me smile and reaffirms my pride in Montreal’s zest for life.
The Place des Festivals in Downtown is the favorite place of the CBC digital journalist Lelinda Dalton to experience the joie de vivre of the Montreal people. (Ulysse Lemerise / OSA)
Elias Abboud, news reporter
My favorite place in my neighborhood is the Jean Talon market. When I stroll through the aisles of the market in late summer and early fall, when the local fruits and vegetables are in abundance, I call it my “happy place”.
The CBC reporter Elias Abboud finds his “happy place” while strolling through the aisles of the Jean Talon market. (Elias Abboud / CBC)
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