Tourisme Montréal, Stéphan Poulin
T
he phrase “Autumn in Montreal” may not roll off your tongue as smoothly as, say, “April in Paris,” but in my experience, fall is a divine time to visit Canada’s capital of decadence and delights. Don’t get me wrong—Montreal provides an excellent travel experience in any season (I’ve had plenty of fun there in a blizzard). But to my eyes, the time of year when the colour-changing leaves of Mount Royal flutter in like a crown over the city is best of all. If you’ve never visited Montreal, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Residents of this city have come to truly exhibit what a gay-friendly destination should be: a place where being gay is not ignored but generally welcomed and celebrated as a normal part of everyday life. Here are seven reasons you should head to Montreal this fall. 1. LE VILLAGE RETURNS TO NORMAL. I must admit, there is something very special about Montreal’s gay village when it is a pedestrian-only zone during the summer months. But I’m a bigger fan of seeing cities the way they normally are, and I like Le Village in its normal state. I particularly enjoy meeting Montréalais (as residents are called). Visiting after the throngs of summer tourists have left makes it easier to chat up the locals, whether it’s the sales clerks in Priape’s flagship location or the after-work crowd at Sky Pub—still among my favourite watering holes for the friendly, mixed “type” crowd I’ve found there (complexesky.com). 2. EXPLORE THE NEW GAY NEIGHBOURHOOD. Many of us Canadian gays don’t just want villages anymore—we choose to live anyplace in any city. However, there are notable clusters of gays living in non-traditional villages, and this is certainly true of
20 OUTLOOKS SEPTEMBER 2012
Signs of autumn in Mount Royal Park grace the dramatic Montreal skyline (opposite). Visitors get a taste of hometown life amid the sounds and stalls of Little Italy’s Jean Talon Market.
Montreal, where the Mile End neighbourhood has become the new “it” place. And it’s not just gay guys—the lesbians are there, too. Since a sizable number of homos have joined the Hasids and hipsters in this ’hood (although I didn’t meet a homo who fit all three categories), it was only a matter of time until someone realized that we all love a physical place to meet and hang out. Thus was born the very, very fun Royal Phoenix Bar, where “queer” is the word as the guys and the gals mingle in a more sociable way than I’ve generally seen in other cities—and generally in English. The bar hosts a variety of clever events throughout the week, and on a recent visit I found myself watching zany early ’90s TV during the bar’s Twin Peaks Tuesdays. After the show, bar staff organized games. If you’re hungry, its Royal Poutine should fill the void—topped with pulled pork, coleslaw and apples (royalphoenixbar.com). 3. THE PERFORMING ARTS SCENE OFFERS EXCELLENT CHOICES. The remarkable performance space known as La TOHU often offers various circus/cirque acts. This month, it is featuring James Thiérrée, who’s called a “living master” and “accomplished magician, musician and director” in RAOUL, and in late October/early November, it will feature Séquence 8, which is described as “human-scale circus” (tohu.com). The Place des Arts complex offers performances of classical music by the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, a series featuring various singers called Les Week-ends de la chanson Québecor and even famed singer-songwriter Ben Harper (laplacedesarts.com). At the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, fall theatrical productions