514 equivalent: Atwater Market First, the similarities: both are located in the downtowns of their respective cities, both feature delicious food from local businesses, both have a number of restaurants, both attract large crowds of people, both are “super cute” and smell amazing. The enclosed part of the St Lawrence market feels larger and there… Read More St Lawrence Market

Inasmuch as winter is not the ideal time for a Toronto vs Montreal comparison, there is one tourist destination in which the weather worked to my advantage. Surely not Niagara Falls, as the title of this post suggests, you say? Yes, Niagara Falls. That is, if your intent is to actually see the geologic marvel… Read More Niagara

For those of you who aren’t well-versed in area codes, that’s Stowe, Vermont. Ok, 802 is all of Vermont. But I happened to be in Stowe. There’s is no 514 equivalent, because well, I’m given to understand it’s pretty much been colonized by Montrealers. In addition to their distinctive white and blue license plates, you… Read More 514 in 802

It goes without saying, both Montreal and Toronto make a big deal of St Patrick’s Day, patron saint of the Irish. Both cities have significant populations of Irish heritage dating back to the first colonization of North America by European settlers. As a matter of fact, I’m fairly certain that it’s not possible to be… Read More St Patty’s Day ♣

514 equivalent: the Biodome The impromptu visit of a friend from Montreal resulted in a flurry of research for things to do this weekend. As it turns out, Ripley’s Aquarium hosts a jazz night on the second Friday night of every month: Jazz night at the aquarium The major drawback of the aquarium is that on… Read More Jazz night at the aquarium

In the interest of complete and total objectivity… well… Toronto wins. Hands down. There’s a Nordstrom’s, a Williams-Sonoma, an Apple store, a Windows store, an Express, an Ann Taylor, and countless others… Some stores we don’t even have in Quebec, let alone at the Montreal Eaton Center. The Toronto Eaton Center has everything a self-respecting… Read More Eaton Center – 514 vs 416

514 equivalent: The Plateau To all the Montrealers who say Toronto has no soul, I give you the Kensington market. It’s not a huge area and I can imagine it would be a lot more interesting in the summer but it’s a long way from the crushing, faceless conformity of Bay St. Thankfully, that distance is… Read More Winter and the Kensington Market

514 equivalent: Griffintown This area has clearly been recycled from an industrial past and been gentrified into a trendy hot spot with interesting shops, bars, events and restaurants. My morning Pilates class was canceled on Saturday morning and so I set out to the distillery district in the hopes of getting to know the area… Read More The Distillery District