Anyone here from Montreal?!

lilja032 · June 2012

I'm a Vancouverite but am thinking of moving to Montreal to do my PhD at Concordia UNiversity. I've never been to Quebec and was just wondering what it's like as a city to live in/how expensive it is!

Hobie625 · June 2012

HI!!! There are like, 5 people on this board that are in/near Montreal. It's been really difficult to get advice. This is why I'm thankful for Google...

I am in Montreal, but I'm actually American, from Southern California. So, yay West Coast! My guy is Canadian, but we met in Houston and both hated living there, so we decided to move back to Montreal, where he's from. So far I like it. For me things are just different because of course I'm used to the US, but it's growing on me. I love the city life no matter which city.

From my experience so far (and most people can tell you this too), Quebec is like it's own country. That's not bad per se, it's just hard if you're not used to it. A lot of the stores they have in other provinces just don't exist here and sometimes I really miss them! Quebec has the highest taxes in the country I believe, and things are not cheap. I'm not sure what things cost in BC, but if you have specific questions I can get you specific answers. One thing that I absolutely hate is the parking situation. Almost everywhere is metered, it's still difficult to find a place, and usually a quarter only gets you about 5 or so minutes.

For me personally, the French is the hardest. I grew up near Mexico, so, we all learned Spanish. French is the predominant language here, and sometimes I find it makes things difficult. It's going to make looking for a job extremely hard. But you can easily get by with English on a day to day basis. But maybe you know French and will be just fine.

Overall, it's a great city. Right now there is SO much to do in the summertime. The Grand Prix just finished, and the comedy and Jazz festivals are coming up, among other things. People are outside, the weather is nice; it's just great. Not to mention all the museums. Just a few weks ago they had Museum Day where most of the museums had free admission and you could get a free ride on the bus/metro to get there. Plus parks, restaurants, shops, music, etc.

Anyway, I could probably go on, but I have two weeks until our wedding and I'm not quite ready. Eeps! If you have any specific questions, about anything, just let me know. Send me a PM or I can give you my email. And I'm just curious, what are you studying?

SRRL18 · July 2012

I'm in Montreal, born and raised. French is important here. But if you are planning on coming to study only, minimal French will be fine. I love the city, it's great, extremly diverse and in the summer there is always something fun going on.

Liane28 · August 2012

Hi!
I live in Montreal as well

I've been living here for the past 4 years and I love it!
Living in montreal can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Rent amounts vary depending on the area you live in - it's much cheaper if you're renting off the island (south shore, etc.) and if you're looking to buy, it's much more expensive than most other cities, but again, that's depending on the area you choose

It's a great city and it's much more bilingual than most people realize. I am 100% bilingual, but I prefer to speak english and I don't really run into any problems where someone is unable to help me out if I want to speak english.

Have you moved here yet?
Are you planning a wedding?

My wedding is next July and I would love other montreal brides to discuss with!!

Anyone??

-L.

pinkdiamond7 · November 2012

Hi Liane 28!

I'm in Montreal and getting married next September!

musicalcanadianbride · November 2012

My wedding is in Montreal in July, too!! Let's talk about vendors etc.

I'm looking for a good place to order DIY flowers... any suggestions?

So far my vendors are:

Alliance Bridal - Moose Creek - LOVE them. They're doing a great job with my dress, they lowered the price to match another store, and they've been helpful and friendly.

McGill Faculty Club - reception - LOVE them, but it's not cheap. I think it will be worth it, because the venue is ours exclusively for the day, and the co-ordinator, Adrian is very helpful. I've heard other excellent reviews, and I'm really looking forward to our menu tasting this spring.

Solstice - dance band - Can't wait! These guys are awesome, and are also colleagues of mine. The play regularly at Hurley's and they're an excellent celtic band.

I don't have a lot of "vendors" because we're doing a lot of it ourselves (bridesmaids dresses, flower girl dress, decor, flowers etc).