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38 | Out in the Mountains lseptember 2000

= travel ==

BY ERr~nE MCLEOD WITH KEVIN Moss

Although Le Village is the
hub of gay life in Montreal and
the logical place to base one-
self when visiting, there are
numerous reasons for the gay
traveler to venture beyond its
borders. After all, Montreal
feels pretty queer, even when
there aren’t rainbow flags in
sight.

Unsurprisingly, a summer
visit to the city is a different
experience than in the dead of
winter. For example, the side-
walk cafés along St-Denis, so
festive in fair weather, hold
scant appeal come December.
Trekking out to the Botanical
Garden greenhouses is a lovely
idea in spring, but a question-
able one during the dog days of
August (remember holding a
magnifying glass over those
poor little ants?). The best way
to cope with Montreal’s wildly
variable climate is to go fre-
quently, ever-prepared to layer.
Here’s a few other suggestions
— it’s up to you to transform
them into gay happenings.

Wandering

When the wind chill doesn’t
make you fear your extremities
will begin dropping off at any
moment, simply wandering
around is our favorite way to
enjoy Montreal. Old Montreal
is an obvious start, too obvi-
ous. » Instead, try strolling
funkier Plateau Mont-Royal.

Though I am in many ways
a stereotypical gay male, my
fag credentials fall short in a
couple of notable areas: I adore
neither the musical theater nor
shopping. While it’s unlikely
the words “original cast
album” will ever make my
heart race, the stores on St-
Denis and St-Laurent (the main
streets of Plateau Mont-Royal)
have nearly inspired me to
shop till I drop. The best strat-
egy is take the Metro to
Sherbrooke or Mont—Royal and
then to begin window-shop-

ping in earnest.

~ There are all kinds of cloth-
ing and accessory stores along
St-Denis, from the inevitable
Gap-blah-blah chains to small
shops with more eccentric
wares. If the thumping disco
doesn’t put you in the spirit to
toss off your lackluster
wardrobe for groovier duds,
the trendily groomed clerks
just might. Last time I was on a
spree, the young saleswoman
almost convinced me I was
cosmopolitan enough to con-
sider black stretch hip huggers

and a shimmering shirt in some .

stunningly unnatural fabric.
“Great for club hopping!” she
said brightly. “Right!” I
responded, forgetting for an
instant that, in Vermont, club-
hopping doesn’t I exist.
Montreal gives you permission
to play with the possibilities,
even if practicality wins out.

If it’s your home that needs
a playful makeover, you’ll find
furniture stores that‘ Ethan
Allen never dreamed of, not to
mention unique civil-union gift
ideas. And if you’re seeking a
swimsuit too sexy for uptight
American tastes, you’re on the
right rue. Between stores, be
sure to check out restaurant
menus and muse over which
corner of the culinary globe
you might want to land in that
evening.

If it’s a nice day and the
sidewalk cafés don’t lure you
in, take a break by wandering
through Square St-Louis to
pedestrian rue Prince-Arthur.
Note the colorful row houses
surrounding the square and
pick the one that will become
your deluxe pied-a-terre when
your lottery number comes up.
Prince-Arthur leads you to St-
Laurent, on which you’ll find
more shops, chichi restaurants
(a bit overpriced, but man,
you’ll look phenomenal in
them), and — we’re back in 02,
Dorothy — L’Androgyne,

RESTAURANTS ~

Ln Bo!:1en1e
3625 Rue St.-Denis
(SI4) 28()'()()59

IOmservice5.qc.co/bol1eme/honac.ht

in!

X/Vitloof‘

36!‘) Rue St~[)oni5

Laloux
250 Av. (lee; Pins Est
(514) 28’7~9l2’l

(S14) 281-()I()()

l"S(1t‘()ld\’£‘l"l1d du Syurposiurn
4.293 Rue St~l)er1i.-4
(5:4) 8-42—()8()7

Chu (Thai
4 088 Rue St-Denis
(514) 843-4194

l.,LIgrmu)

‘/73 Av. l\1nnt Royal Est

(514) 524~s47o

if WAAWINDERINGS & ATTRA

l\luntrcal lfluseuru of {inc Arts
mmfa.qc.ca/a~son1mairohtml

Cmmclima (‘L-I1tr*e forArcl1iteCture i
cca.qc.ca./con1.ents.html.
Montreal liotanical (lmxlcn and Ins-‘ectarium
villc.n1nntreal.qc.ca(jm‘c.lin{idr(.lin.l1tin
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Montreal’s compact but well-
stocked gay/feminist book-
store.

We’ve been lucky enough to
hit St-Laurent in the midst of
their street fair, where you’ll
find people-watching opportu-

3630 Boul St-Laurent: ~ (514) 84.1~4'7o.5

 
   

nities and bargains galore.
Continue up the street until you
reach the ethnic food shops,
the most amazing of which is
called La Vieille Europe. Here
you’ll discover delicacies from
around the world at very rea-
sonable prices — it’s all I can do
not to buy all 44 varieties of
mustard.

Chinatown makes for a
more bustling yet equally
enjoyable wander. It’s within
walking distance of Le Village,
centered on St-Laurent (look
for the telltale gateways)
between René-Lévesque and
Viger. There are, of course,
innumerable Asian restaurants
to peruse, particularly along de
La Gauchetiére, most making
up in authenticity what they
lack in atmosphere (save the
romantic candlelit dinner for
elsewhere). The Asian gro-
ceries are a treat, though vege-
tarians like myself may want to
steer clear of the hanging
chickens section. We always
bring a list and stock up on
exotic ingredients, sadly fore-

 going the fruits and vegetables

t prur.q c.ca/

(I can see the headline now:
Gay Vermonters Caught in
Baby Bok Choy Border Bustl).

Other attractions

If you need to escape the
urban rush for a spell,
Montreal offers oases inside
and out. The Museum of Fine
Arts on Sherbrooke is always a
dependable choice; through
Oct. 15, they’re featuring
“From Renoir to Picasso.”
More out of the way, but worth
the trip, is the Canadian Centre
for Architecture/CCA on Baile
(metro Guy-Concordia or
Atwater). It has a terrific book-
store, and the building is a
must-see for anyone interested
in beautifully crafted contem-
porary architecture.

For those longing to con-
template nature instead of art,
Parc Mont Royal has a scenic
if confusing network of paths
circling the mountain. From
the Chalet, there are striking
views over the city, if you’re
not too distracted by the
Spandex-clad cyclists zipping
about the terrasse. Like any