This house stood just across the street from the hotel. Gorgeous. But not unusual in Montreal!
These row houses are every bit as charming as the famed ones in San Francisco, and people were not shy about using colorful paints. Just that these are all made of stone rather than wood and stucco.
As on older homes in san francisco and berkeley, most homes' main entries were not at ground level. This made for many interesting stairways and balconies.
I love the contrast of the old beautiful gothic structures next to the sleek modern buildings and signs.
This huge statue (taller than me) cowered at the foot of a many-storied office building. We all felt the need to look up for falling objects every time we walked by. (I might have written the artist's name somewhere-- will have to go look.)
Looking up at the crouching statue.
Montreal tucks small parks and lots of artwork into nooks and crannies of the city in every direction.
I enjoyed the interesting ways in which french and english combine. Oddly enough, this sign is all in french--"le hamburger", "le hot-dog"-- And notice the stop sign.
From my hotel window, I could see this dome and I came down to find out what it was. I did, too. I'm starting to think that the notebook in which I wrote all this down was in one of the bags stolen from my car this spring, because I'm not finding it.
The front of the domed building that I saw from my hotel window. Just a government building, nothing fancy. We just don't have many stone buildings in California. Too shaky.
Stonework gets so dirty over the decades. Workmen were in the process of renovating the place; you can see the cleaned or replacement stone to the left.
The chimney atop the building also needed work. Don't remember now whether this was scaffolding for workers or a framework built to keep the stonework from tumbling down.
Almost autumn in montreal.
Montreal overflows with gorgeous churches and cathedrals. Any city would be lucky to have one of these architectural beauties; here, every neighborhood has one! (Paroisse Saint-Louis-De France Bureau et Salle Paroissiale)
This sign simply identifies the preceding church front. "Paroisse Saint-Louis-De France Bureau et Salle Paroissiale" (Parish Saint-Louis- of France Office and Church hall).
The blue-shirted painter on the beautifully blue balcony caught my eye.
Just a lovely doorway on a home I strolled past.
The stylin' red and black stairs and doorways upstairs and down made an impression on me. Just someone's home.
You can find hostas in California, too, but they were everywhere in Montreal. Climate must be perfect for them. And they're gorgeous.
In the evening, we went to the "Upstairs" jazz bar and grill, had dinner, listened to some amateur and not-so-amateur jazz groups. (You'll notice that it's upstairs only if you're standing on your head--otherwise, you walk down to get inside.)
Inside "Upstairs" jazz bar and grill.
One of several jazz groups we listened to at the "Upstairs" jazz bar and grill.
