The House of Jazz – A feast for all your senses

As the name might give it away, the House of Jazz is all about the sophisticated side of jazz, down to the last detail. From the moment you walk in, you will notice the meticulous New Orleans’ interior decoration covering every square inch of the room.

The tables are placed in an auditorium-style arrangement, converging towards the stage as the focal point of the restaurant. I highly suggest you grab a seat facing towards the stage, because as beautiful as the music sounds, half the excitement is watching some of the most talented artists play this intricate music with such ease.

With daily performances, it’s no wonder their clients stick around for many hours at a time. The Taurrey Butle Trio, a band I had the pleasure of watching, blew my mind. As a musician, I’ve always had the utmost admiration for jazz performers for it is the hardest style of music to play.  I couldn’t take my eyes off the pianist’s fingers, which seemed to be moving at a speed of a thousand miles an hour.

These men share a chemistry that is reflected in their music; they play as if they’re the only ones in the room. The pianist raced his fingers up and down the keys with agility, the bassist held up some of the best tempo I’ve ever head, and the drummer jammed away like only someone with ADHD can.

Aside from the music, The House of Jazz serves an array of dishes you can easily enjoy while watching the show. I highly suggest ordering the plate of ribs if you don’t mind getting your fingers dirty.

Montreal’s lucky to be home of such an authentic jazz establishment, with amazing toe-taping beats and a service reflecting the New Orleans hospitality.

Exploring, Partying, Shopping… Montrealing

Montrealing is a verb (even though my spell-check thinks otherwise). Just like jumping or swimming, Montrealing implies action – the act of exploring and discovering the city of Montreal. It’s anything that we can do in this urban metropolis to spend our time right.

Like Jacques Cartier, we are all explorers (minus the fancy outfit) out looking for adventure, and Montreal is full of thrills. Whether it’s going clubbing, going to bars and pubs, eating out, watching sports (the Canadiens, of course), going shopping, enjoying nature, or sightseeing, there is always something that keeps our hearts pumping hard! Knowing all these hot spots, including the ones that you won’t find in a traveler’s guide, is what Montrealing is all about. Mr. Cartier wouldn’t even have recognized this place…

Montreal is a multicultural European city in North America. It reminds tourists of Europe because of its magnificent architecture and of course the small and narrow streets – especially the stone-paved streets in the Old Port. Although, it’s the largest French-speaking capital after Paris, almost everyone here speaks English. Besides English and French, Montreal speaks many languages depending on which part of town you happen to find yourself. With the arrival of different immigrants throughout the last century, many communities were formed. This diversity gives Montreal the ever changing look, and brings new tastes and flavours to its dishes!

Montreal is best known for its entertainment, whether it’s going to bars and clubs or attending one of the many festivals that are going around during the year. It’s during the summer that Montreal hosts many of its most popular festivals, notably, The Jazz Festival, The Just For Laughs Festival, and the Francofolies which bring tourists from all over the world.

Whether you are in the city for a short stay or have lived here all your life, you can be sure to discover something new each and every time you go out. The city of Montreal should welcome tourists by guaranteeing a “for pleasure” trip. Keep on partying, sightseeing, eating, shopping, exploring…and have fun Montrealing!

McDonalds on St-Hubert Street: An amazing freakshow

There are places known for having alot of freaks as clients;  One that immediately comes to mind is Spot Bowling in Cartierville with that 65 year old prostitute that is in her bikini even if its -40 outside. Another known one is the Guy Metro station, known for it’s stylish hobos.  But my friends, I have found THE spot to see a wide selection of freaks, one more interesting than the other: the St-Hubert street McDonalds.

Since montrealing.com moved to the St-Hubert Plaza, I have been walking around the streets and noticing very ”interesting” people, to a point where I can proudly describe myself as an expert hobo-ologist.  My unofficial research has led me to the following conclusions:

Looking for hobos is actually very tricky; the best place to find them in public areas where there is some type  natural or man made protection; the best time to find them is actually during the day between 11am and 3pm.  If you are a beginner in hobo-explorations, a simpler way to find them is to just look for pigeons, they are usually close by.

Saint Hubert Street creates the perfect environment for the hobo population, mainly due to the fact that the Plaza sidewalks have a protective roof and that there is a lot of foot traffic.   Now where it gets interesting is when hobos are mixed with groups of older people, Squeegees, wierdos and hippies.   That is where the McDonalds on the corner of St-Hubert and Beaubien comes in. The “Mcdo du coin” creates the ideal circumstances in Montreal in terms of  Freak watching.  Just sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

I will be updating this blog on a regular basis, with my discoveries; hopefully including some pics, maybe even some interviews.  Please feel free to do some explorations of your own and share your insights your freak discoveries and hot spots.

The Montrealing.com Loft

We are pleased to announce that the montrealing.com headquarters is under construction and will be ready shortly! The loft is a 2500 sq/ft  location in the St. Hubert Plaza and will be the place to be for all types of events. The place will be most known for its pre-parties, where Montreal’s finest will meet and greet right before taking the limos to a night out in town. I already have some “before” pictures but will wait for the “after” pictures to post them all at the same time, because quite honestly, the place looked like shit when we first got it. Stay tuned…

Welcome to Montrealing

Montrealing is all about Montreal city: restaurants, nightlife, clubs, lounges, bars, places to go, secrets, sports and more.