The joie de vive you experience when visiting Montreal is enough to make you want to go back.

Montreal is Canada's second biggest city, the only French-speaking metropolis in North America. After Paris, it is one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.

Mount Royal

Montreal is situated on an island surrounded by the St. Lawrence River. Towering over the city is the 764-foot high Mont-Royal. It is the place to view the city at night or to enjoy outdoor skating in the winter.

Montreal's 'East-end' is still predominantly French, whereas the "West-end", or downtown area, is definitely English.

Once upon a time

Sanctuaries, the last works of John Hejduk

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Once upon a time : Walt Disney, the sources of inspiration for the Disney Studios

Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais ; Pavillon Jean-Noel Desmarais, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Munich ; New York : Prestel, 2006.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Sanctuaries, the last works of John Hejduk : selections from the John Hedjuk archive at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal and the Menil collection, Houston

K. Michael Hays.

New York : Whitney Museum of American Art : Distributed by Harry N. Abrams, c2002.

This compact book, which accompanies an exhibition at the Whitney Museum, pays tribute to John Hejduk (1929-2000), one of the most original figures in American architecture and design. Best known for his visionary works on paper and his influence on students at Cooper Union, New York, where he was Dean for 25 years, Hejduk in his last years moved from the mathematical concerns of his earlier designs toward an allegorical mode that exalted architecture's spiritual function. His lyrical last works explore themes of falls from grace, itinerancy, passage and transformation, and, above all, architecture as sanctuary.

In the heart of the city, two main shopping streets are located, rue Sherbrooke and rue Sainte-Catherine. Don't miss the noon-time Scottish tradition of listening to bagpipes when you visit the Olgivy store.

Nightlife and food are two shared passions of Montrealers.

Night view of Montreal

Nightlife downtown is centered on small side streets of Crescent, de la Montagne, and Bishop. For more nightlife go north and visit one of the ethnically diverse Greek, Portuguese, or East-Asian neighbourhoods.

The Main, or the "East-end" of Montreal, is rue Saint-Denis. It is rich in restaurants and nightclubs. It runs through the exciting Quartier Latin.

A visit to the 'East-end' Montreal should include a meal at the Schwartz's Hebrew Deli.  Schwartz's, one of Montreal's 4,000 restaurants,  offers smoked meat - which is beef brisket prepared according to a recipe imported by  Romanian Jews. Definitely, Montreal is a must for food lovers of the world!

A visit to Montreal will not soon be forgotten.

Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff