La Belle Province (Part One)
Let me start by saying I'm sorry it's been a while since I last posted. Went up to Canada for a few days and have only now thawed out enough to operate a keyboard. I assure you I would not have kept you waiting any longer than I absolutely had to...so let's get to talking Montreal!
So I drove up Wednesday night with my brother Dan, as he was scheduled to do a touring film program for the film festival he runs here in NY called Rooftop Films. The drive up was not too eventful, though we did spend about 4 consecutive hours listening to a playlist of popular 80s songs. Before you start raising you eyebrow, let me tell you that it was NOT nostalgia...I hate nostalgia, and I'll have you know that I actually like the songs for their artistict merit. Or something.
Anyway, got in late, so only had time to grab a few drinks at Bily Kun before retiring to bed. The apartment where we were staying (which belongs to an away film producer who just happens to have a gorgeous three bedroom apartment for whenever he's in town to do a film) was right in the ever popular Plateau neighborhood right downtown! Bily Kun is a really chill, but popular bar which you'd remember as the bar with stuffed ostrich heads along the wall as their decore if you were ever to go. It was almost completely packed on a mid-Winter Wednesday night, making it good place to scope out the Montreal scene.
The next day we sort of just walked around as much as we could considering how bloody cold it was. We're talking like -20 with windy chill here, people...not funny. As Dan had never been to Montreal, we just walked the main strips, Saint Denis, Saint Laurent, Saint Catherine...yeah, it's a Catholic kind of province.
The evening was spent at the S.A.T. (Societe des arts technologiques) where the screening was being held. As soon as I stepped foot in the place (had never been before), I couldn't help but see it as a totally representative Montreal venue. They had big screens with squiggly digital art, a DJ table along the side, thick red curtains, and little red candles at every table. Kind of seems sort of loungey swank at first glance. Up close though, you notice the curtains are dirty, and the candles are unmistakably the same ones you can purchase at any Dollarama in the city. Yes, the same candles that college students use to try to get each other in the mood - horrible flashback to the night when a girl tried to seduce me in my first week of college with those same cheap candles and a Spiritualized cd!!! - line the tables of many major bars and lounges of Montreal's night life.
The screening went well, and we ended the first night in Montreal at Resrvoir, on Duluth and Saint Laurent. It's brews its own beers, which are quite good actually, and also has great brunches on the weekends. Check it out if you're there.
So I drove up Wednesday night with my brother Dan, as he was scheduled to do a touring film program for the film festival he runs here in NY called Rooftop Films. The drive up was not too eventful, though we did spend about 4 consecutive hours listening to a playlist of popular 80s songs. Before you start raising you eyebrow, let me tell you that it was NOT nostalgia...I hate nostalgia, and I'll have you know that I actually like the songs for their artistict merit. Or something.
Anyway, got in late, so only had time to grab a few drinks at Bily Kun before retiring to bed. The apartment where we were staying (which belongs to an away film producer who just happens to have a gorgeous three bedroom apartment for whenever he's in town to do a film) was right in the ever popular Plateau neighborhood right downtown! Bily Kun is a really chill, but popular bar which you'd remember as the bar with stuffed ostrich heads along the wall as their decore if you were ever to go. It was almost completely packed on a mid-Winter Wednesday night, making it good place to scope out the Montreal scene.
The next day we sort of just walked around as much as we could considering how bloody cold it was. We're talking like -20 with windy chill here, people...not funny. As Dan had never been to Montreal, we just walked the main strips, Saint Denis, Saint Laurent, Saint Catherine...yeah, it's a Catholic kind of province.
The evening was spent at the S.A.T. (Societe des arts technologiques) where the screening was being held. As soon as I stepped foot in the place (had never been before), I couldn't help but see it as a totally representative Montreal venue. They had big screens with squiggly digital art, a DJ table along the side, thick red curtains, and little red candles at every table. Kind of seems sort of loungey swank at first glance. Up close though, you notice the curtains are dirty, and the candles are unmistakably the same ones you can purchase at any Dollarama in the city. Yes, the same candles that college students use to try to get each other in the mood - horrible flashback to the night when a girl tried to seduce me in my first week of college with those same cheap candles and a Spiritualized cd!!! - line the tables of many major bars and lounges of Montreal's night life.
The screening went well, and we ended the first night in Montreal at Resrvoir, on Duluth and Saint Laurent. It's brews its own beers, which are quite good actually, and also has great brunches on the weekends. Check it out if you're there.
posted by Phil at
10:58 AM
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