[repost from HTLAL]
Montreal Pt. 2In this second part of my trip report I'm including all the media and links I was too lazy to put in Part 1.
My book haul:
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/qzjaedbzr/18316776624_797de65c00_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/89raxmj93/18751675328_6ca617ed09_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/6qvwsncon/18751698258_85026e8c01_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/n0hhhsxyv/18913096586_97ecdd7ee0_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/41wiovhtj/18934013142_1d269cdc70_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/5ee7qrf93/18942261681_6ce9f30266_o.jpg)
As I said, I focused on buying stuff that would be difficult to find and/or expensive to get locally. So I got a lot of nonfiction (history, politics, sociology, etc), some new(ish) fiction, and a few BDs. I'm a social science geek so I'm interested in the topics plus at C1/C2 level I think reading a lot of nonfiction will help develop key fluency skills, especially argumentation which is emphasized heavily on the exams.
emk has a roundup of most of the bookstores on
this page of his log but I had a couple more to add:
Librairie Le port de tête (New and used)
262 Avenue du Mont-Royal E, Montréal, QC H2T 1P6, Canada
La Librairie Du Square (New - apparently a bookstore of historic significance)
3453 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2X 3L1, Canada
Boutique Volume (Used)
Cégep du Vieux Montréal, 277 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2X 1L4, Canada
And a couple used ones that I saw but didn't manage to make it to:
Librairie Mona Lisait (Used)
2054, Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC, H2X3K7, Canada
Le Colisée du livre (Used)
908, rue Sainte-Catherine Est, Montreal, QC H2L 2E7, Canada
And finally a full
Yelp list with lots of stores I tagged but didn't get to. Basically you can make a big loop along Saint-Denis and and a parallel street between rue Sainte-Catherine Est and Avenue du Mont-Royal and you'll stumble on a lot of them.
Some BDs that are on my "to consider" list:
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/6fjid02k7/18677477450_911d90c67e_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/3pa6ft5vb/18677472380_e0dba0dc9e_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/6kn9mo9vb/18679006699_fabffb616c_o.jpg)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/65bztnnxz/18677474710_782e9c39d6_o.jpg)
The Lunes Birmanes one had some beautiful color inside so I was really tempted.
And I'm not sure, emk, if you were ever talking about this author, Jacques Abeille. A local I met up with to check out book shops was saying he's considered a bit the French JRR Tolkein (he's not a fantasy reader but he liked the first in this series):
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/gyji26587/18867733661_66fcb6e439_o.jpg)
Some food and drink suggestions:
For a really good nice dinner (not cheap but not the most expensive in town either - that would be more like Joe Beef) there's the renowned:
Au Pied de Cochon by Martin Picard
536 Avenue Duluth E, Montréal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada (514) 281-1114
The whole menu is basically pork, duck, foie gras, all topped with more foie gras. Not for vegetarians. In winter they do a whole sugar shack/cabane à sucre. They also have a food truck that serves foie gras poutine if you want a taste for less money.
Portuguese rotisseries all over the city.
Beer:
Dieu du Ciel29 av Laurier Ouest, Montréal, QC H2T 2N2, Canada (514) 490-9555
Broue Pub Brouhaha5860 Avenue de Lorimier, Montréal, QC H2G 2N9, Canada (514) 271-7571
Go Monday evenings for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 kind of experience with
Douteux.orgL’amère à Boire2049 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2X 3K8, Canada (514) 282-7448
Le Sainte Elisabeth1412, rue Sainte-Elisabeth, Montréal, QC H2X 3C6, Canada (514) 286-4302
Has this lovely courtyard terrace where I had a beer with the band
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/xhbu8qi2f/10986911_10153293046870071_2691549195636275841_n.jpg)
Cafes:
Cafe Arts201 Fairmount Avenue W, Montréal, QC H2T 2M8, Canada (514) 274-0919
(also try Fairmont and/or St. Viateur Bagles nearby!)
Pikolo Espresso Bar3418 B Avenue Du Parc, Montréal, QC H2X 2H7, Canada (514) 508-6800
Café Parvis433 Rue Mayor, Montréal, QC H3A, Canada (514) 764-3589
Discovered thanks to Instagram due to it being the prettiest cafe in Montreal
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/4nv4vu8l3/10391393_10153293981330071_7479369554902845207_n.jpg)
Bars:
Just one (they have two other locations)
La Distillerie300, Rue Ontario E, Montréal, QC H2X 1H6, Canada (514) 288-7915
Really creative cocktails and super nice staff! If you sit at the bar and get the bartender Fred on a kind of a slow night (during the week is best) he'll offer to make up some crazy concoctions for you based on what you like, like this one:
![Image](http://s5.postimg.org/aelb9kgl3/11427235_10153279648280071_8281357688570122486_n.jpg)
I told him I like Moscow Mules so he mixed a coctail based on tequila and orange bitters, took out a cigar and a smoker, put some of the cigar leaves in the smoker and torched it (there's a blow torch at the bar that gets a lot of use), poured the smoke over the cocktail and let it infuse for a while. It was really good!
A couple other activity-based places I wanted to check out but didn't get to:
Le Bordel Comédie Club312 rue Ontario E, Montréal, QC H2X 1H6, Canada (514) 845-4316
Randolph Pub Ludique2041 Rue Saint Denis, Montréal, QC H2X 3K8, Canada (514) 419-5001
(pub with a ton of board games - could be good for meeting locals)
Montréal Improv (plus tons of other improv places)
3697 St-Laurent Boulevard, Montréal, QC H2X 2V7, Canada (514) 507-3535