Well jameskai2 you seem pretty enthusiastic about it. Autumn you say hmmmmm. Are you staying for winter too???
I lived in Montreal most of my natural life ( now I'm living a very unnatural life in SZ... that's another story ).
Early Autumn; beautiful city, majestic and nothing to do but head out of the city and start enjoying the fall colors, picking apples and visiting farm lands during the harvest season... you might enjoy Halloween.
Late Autumn; getting darker real early, lots of rain and getting cold like January and February in HK. Not a hell of a lot to do except work all day and drink like a sailor all night. Depression sinks into everyone. The French call November "Le mois des morts." Month of the dead.
Early Winter; Rain stops in lieu of wet snow and more humidity (yes imagine cold humidity, it sinks into your bones and no matter what you do, you can never get warm... like 2013 Chinese New Year in Wuhan City. Even less to do... rent movies, get high and watch the tube. It's so miserable outside you just want to stay home. Except that every bar in the city is having a Christmas party and a New Years Party! It's party after party after party and no matter how crappy it is outside... you can't stop a Montrealer from going out in his best suit and shoes and her finest party dress and highheels even when there's a meter of snow! Nothing stops that city... I mean nothing!
Late Winter; Clear skies at last! Ok it lasted a day and the snow clouds have returned! Snow, snow, snow wtf! But now the city is a winter wonderland! It's beautiful on the sunny days, lots to do, skiing, skating, drinking, partying, screwing bare assed in the park (sorry my bad) and whatever else that gets your freak on!
Early Spring! Woohoo! The sun is out! It's starting to warm up... or is it? Mother nature luvs to take a dump on this city as late as April even early may and she'll shite a load of snow just to set back the city into the stone age for another week! But there again, the sun comes out and garbage bags left on curbsides lost in snow storms re-appear like frozen mummies. The city comes back to life! Bars and restaurants with Terraces start to dig themselves out. Glimpses of sunlight and warmth have Montrealers abandoning their jobs to sit on a terrace and have a coffee or a local favorite Sangria. People shed their winter furs and bare themselves to the Sun God. Suddenly all of Christmas' debts are forgotten, money fills their pockets and god we luv to spend again!
Late Spring and hints of Summer on the horizon. Oh how we love Montreal women and life is grand again! High heels, short skirts, braless tops wiggle and jiggle by as every Montrealer excercises his and her greatest joy... People Watching! Montrealers love to sit, stand, squat any place sunny and just watch people go by. It don't matter how old, ugly or stupid you are Montrealers will idly watch with not a thought in their brains except for summertime fun and festival season.
To hell with early summer. Summertime! The city goes into high gear and kicks off with the Jazz Festival, followed by the Blues Festival, The Reggae Festival, The Gay Pride Parade, Film Festival, Comedy Festival, Food festival, Beer Festival, festival festival festival festival festival and festival of any and every kind! There's Canada Day and St Jean Baptiste Day... oh the French luv Johnny the Baptist day!
But politics aside... Well politics play a huge role in every day life in Montreal. More than the weather but less than HOCKEY! The supreme sport of the city! Led by the one and only bestest professional team in the world Les Canadiens! Les Tri-Colours!, Les Habs de Montreal and in English; The Canadians! Yes all of these names are for the one and only almighty team of the NHL... about 40 years ago they broke every record known to man kind and to this day no other hockey or professional team has come close to The Canadians (Les Candiennes, Les Habs, The Habs, Les Tri-couleurs).
Other than the above is a mountain of things to do in the city of Montreal.
Montreal is as close as getting to old Europe without actually having to go to Europe. Le Vieux Porte de Montreal is a classic 17th century European city. Designed by the English, made better by the French and all built on the backs of the Irish it is a splendidly well kept part of the world. Montreal in itself is a beautiful cosmopolitan city with an air of Europe from every corner of the world. There is even a small Guangdong/HK style Chinatown and way north of there is Little Italy, Park Avenue used to be all Greek, now mostly Jewish... oh my god! I almost forgot the local delicassies! Freshly oven baked bagels, smoked meat (not that fake shit pastrami on rye), hotdogs (steamie in French), real Montreal style pizza that beats the shit out of New York style (and I'm from New York!). Feast, drink and party to your heart's content and nail anything and everything that moves... you ain't never gonna meet all of the world's nations in one harmunous friendly place other than in Montreal! Even Gays, Lesbians, Transgendered people have Montreal a home and the city embraces them with their very own Gay Village and Parade. Just when St Patrick thought he had the summer parade route all to himself The gay Parade came in right behind him lol! Santa has got everyone beat with the only winter parade but who gives a crap about santa when your frozen to a mailbox.
Go in the summer! F@ck winter!
If you noticed... I didn't write about having to speak French... it's because English is just as widely spoken if not more so in some areas than French. Besides just like HK everyone speaks enough English.
If you have questions about Montreal... ask someone else... I'm done! lol! Kidding post here or PM me!
Kris de tabarnak! (pardon Julien)
Accommodation in Montreal
Working in Montreal
Universities in Montreal
Student life in Montreal
How to buy a property in Montreal
Montreal do's and don'ts
Montreal neighborhoods
Montreals Musical Summer Sizzler
