Montreal

It's really cold there, OP.

I'd buy a jacket if I were you, OP.

Can I have your stuff?

Make sure you have boots for the winter and a shovel for the snow, OP.

OP, do you have a scarf?

Are you Canadian or American?

Muscle stripper heaven if you're into that. And nudity allowed

You will freeze to death. Don't do it.

Where are you from OP?

In all seriousness, invest in a winter coat that can handle -30C weather.

The bathhouses are AMAZING. Full of fun, hot AND nice men.

Cleanest city ever. People are nice and speak perfect English and French. Winters are brutal.

OP do you speak French? It's going to be hard to find your groove if you don't.

Beautiful city but every American I've known that moved there couldn't take it. Yes, it's that cold!

Im from Victoria BC ..

It doesn't look like it's THAT much colder in Montreal than in Victoria. I'd just avoid the local theme park.

Never known anywhere as oppressively cold as Montreal.

Stockbar is the best male stripbar in the world.

I went to La Ronde once and almost got a concussion from how jerky the one roller coaster I rode was.

I have some Swedish friends who had to work there during the winter, and they HATED the winter there. If native Swedes can't take it....

Any idea of what kind of neighbourhood you'd like to live in?

You'll fit right in OP. Very Victorian type winters you'll find....a bit of ice and power outages once in a while but it's only for 7 months of the year.

You'll need an air conditioner as well.

And the men there seldom wash their genitals.

I second the shovel. Bring two.

Oh please. Montreal has been experiencing warming just like every other place on the planet. In ten years it will barely have winter.

R13 brings up a good point - you don't need to speak perfect French, but enough to for basic interactions in shops, in the workplace (even at McGill, you'll encounter a fair bit) and in social situations (if we ever get to have those again), just to be polite.

I will "oh, dear" myself - "for", not "to for".

It depends on how much OP wants to integrate. Any gay man will do better with a "bonjour" but it's not absolutely necessary. And if it's a temporary situation, OP might want to only deal with Anglos (not recommended).

Go have some fun OP. Just don't expect great sex to mean you have a boyfriend the next day. We Montrealais usually attached but allowed to poke around and leave a stain. Then go home to a loving husband, who has his own list of, usually younger, sodomists.

Winters are brutal. Boys are really really cute. Food is amazing.

If Canada will let the US in, I'd love to visit over Christmas and New Years. Europe is going to be a no go so Montreal seems like it could be a fun option for maybe 7-10 days. Are bars and restaurant open right now? What's the COVID situation?

Montreal is an incredible city as is Quebec City. Two incredible places. The men are so much hotter, hornier, direct and friendlier than Torontoans are. None of that passive-aggresive BS you get with them.

[quote] We Montrealais usually attached but allowed to poke around and leave a stain.

That was funny, even though I'm not sure what it means.

All I want to do is go on a fucking spree over the holidays with non Americans. I went to Vancouver and the guys were so straight forward and fun in bed. it was so easy and non pretentious compared to here.

I moved from Vancouver to Montreal and I LOVE it. I’d never move back. Beautiful neighborhoods, the best restaurants in Canada, culture, gorgeous and friendly people.

The winters are cold but I don’t mind them one bit. We could also afford to buy a beautiful condo here which we could never do in van.

Neighborhoods to explore:

The plateau, mile end Villeray Rose mount Saint Henri

Great weekend getaways

Wakefield Val David Mont tremblant

Loooooove Quebec

Loved my time in Montreal. Only school boy level conversational French but once people realised that I wasn’t American (the Aussie accent was a dead giveaway) everybody couldn’t have been lovelier. Having said that, I have never been colder anywhere in my life (it was Jan/Feb) but I was dressed for it and LOVED the city and its people. Especially it’s incredibly sexy and sophisticated men and women. Fuck covid - as soon as I can get out of town I would love to get back.

R34 Tell me more about the neighborhoods. I’ve been looking at the plateau. It seems pretty young and hipster…

The summers have great festivals every week and beautiful open air dining. Lots of smokers though.

The winters have mountains of unmelted snow dumped on vacant lots.

It was fairly cool when I visited there for a weekend at the start of August almost 30 years ago, but as others have noted it's a beautiful albeit seemingly compacted/dense city with lots of traffic/lights. But I grew up in Boston where it's very cold with annoying weather for almost 9 months out of each freaking year, so Montreal's winter weather can't be that very different or non-continuous than Boston's is, where we can be snowing or freezing even if everyone's milder all around us. Go for it, OP!

The Plateau is a mixed area demographic wise - Mile End is definitely young hipster but the area around Laurier/St denis to Papineau is a mix of young professionals and young families. I like both a lot.

I also really like Rosemount which is up and coming - not as trendy as the plateau but great little independent food stores and restaurants- close to the Jean Talon market too.

Griffintown is very hip too but way too much like yaletown in Vancouver for my taste. I highly recommended living in the French neighborhoods instead of Westmount/NDG.

Montreal is so alarmingly cold (often in Winter the air is too cold to inhale directly) an underground city was built. There have to be multiple cruising/hookup spots down there.

Is it really that cold R40? It's colder than NYC? I'm surprised. Can you wear a pea coat in the winter there?

I've been to Montreal numerous times. Absolutely love it. But the winters? Oof. Good luck with those.

Just beware if going to Stockbar like everyplace else they do have a ladies night (Wednesday IIRC). So if you want to avoid wall to wall screaming (and horny) fraus suggest not visiting on that night.

It's honestly not that cold in the winter there but I'm probably used to it.

R41

NYC is not that cold in winter, and especially these past several.

Rochester, Buffalo and other areas upstate OTOH are far colder than downstate/NYC. One of the reasons so many are bailing out of that area for other places. Well climate and there not being much work...

OP, if you've lived, grew up or otherwise have spent considerable time anyplace where winters are really cold and snowy, you'll do fine in Montreal. As with everything else you soon get used to things and adapt accordingly.

OTOH if your idea of winter outdoor gear is a hoodie with a down vest, then you may have some problems.

Unlike NYC where threat of a mere dusting of snow caused mayor to shut things down, and when it arrived had people freaking out, people in Montreal simply carry on....

I've lived in Boston, NY, and spent time in Montreal wintertime. As a poster above said, when it is cold enough in Montreal (in DAYTIME) you can't breathe the air, and your eyes will freeze. There is also a wind like the NYC canyon effect. Before stepping outside, you have to wrap a scarf several times around your nose and mouth. And glasses instead of contacts in winter. I have a friend who has permanent frostbite from wearing earrings on an evening out in Montreal. It was a real cold snap over New Year's. Walking back from a.party, a single woman pulled her car over in downtown Montreal, told me and my friend (2 males) that it was too cold to walk, and drove us to our destination.

Not a reason not to live there, but some people can't handle it.

Watch out for the polar bears. They're big muthafuckas and they will CUT YOU without asking s'il vous plait.

Food can be a problem.

Why is no one suggesting living in Montreal's Gay Village?

Someone mentioned Griffintown above.

I hear you can see beavers on the street. Not sure I'm interested.

the Village is not a great place to live.

I actually did see a beaver in Montreal. It was on tue island where the F1 race is. We were walking over there to tue race. Lots of hookers in MTL for F1...just saying.

I've been on the McGill campus. I hope you like body odor.

This is what you need OP

R56 is right. It's overrun with students from Alberta and the US.

The Catholic Church in the gay village Ste Pierre is very progressive and gay friendly.

Do you speak French?

Some of the people do not speak English.

There's a nice bookstore very close to McGill.

It's not a car-friendly city. Public transportation was pretty good prior to Covid, now it feels crowded and deadly. Be careful about relying on the outer prongs of orange metro line. It's overcrowded during rush hour. Don't even consider living off-island.

R40, I think that is brilliant actually. Toronto has an underground mall too. Frankly, Chicago should have one too.

I loved the Montreal subway--it was so clean. And I only saw one crazy person, total. Nothing compared to Chicago's El.

It's a dump. Provincial, crumbling infrastructure, depressed economy, lousy weather, and very anti-english. The men are sluts because sex is all they have to in their run down shit hole town. Hard to believe it was once the most important city in Canada. Today, most Canadians have forgotten the place exists.

À Montréal tout semble respirer la liberté et la paix, et faire oublier le monde et ses tristes troubles.

^^zzzzzzzzz

[quote] . Today, most Canadians have forgotten the place exists.

Toronto, forever exaggerating it's own importance in the world.