July 2, 2006
Hello from Montreal: 360 Degree Views from
the Tower at the Olympic Stadium, Bugs and Nature at the Insectarium
and the Botanical Garden, and a Quick Visit to the Jean Talon Market
in Little Italy
Appropriately rested from my action
packed day yesterday I had a leisurely breakfast and headed
out on the subway
at 9:30 am. I love the subway system in Montreal since it’s
safe, efficient and all the major sights are accessible via underground
transportation. And the interesting thing is the trains run on rubber
wheels - none of that metallic clanking that I am so used to from
places like Toronto, New York City or Chicago...
My first destination for this morning was Montreal’s
Olympic complex, located in the Hochelaga-Maissoneuve area,
originally a city founded in 1883 by local farmers. Hochelaga-Maissoneuve
was integrated into Montreal in 1918 and today is one of Montreal’s
main working class neighbourhoods whose residents are 90% French-speakers.
Montreal’s Olympic Stadium is best accessed from the Pie
IX subway station and upon leaving the station I walked across the
vast concrete expanses surrounding this historic stadium, built
for the 1976 Summer Olympics. One of it’s nicknames is the
“Big O” and it was supposed to be one of the most advanced
structures of its time, holding just over 56,000 people. It featured
a retractable roof that was held in place by cables suspended from
a 556 foot tall tower, incidentally the highest inclined tower in
the world.
Montreal's Olympic Stadium with its inclined tower
The stadium was extremely expensive and its final cost came to
more than C$1 billion, the debt on which was only paid off by the
city in 2006. Interestingly, Jean Drapeau, Montreal’s mayor
at the time, announced that “The Olympics can no more have
a deficit than a man can have a baby”, now a popular quote
among Montreal residents. Due to various strikes, construction delays
and complications, the retractable roof did not open until 1988,
but that option was abandoned in 1992 in favour of a new stationary
roof which continued to have various structural problems and a new
replacement roof is being considered for installation once again.
Despite these issues, Montreal's Olympic Park is a sight to behold
and an interesting place to explore.
View from the funicular and the pyramid-shaped former Olympic Village
Between 1977 and 2004 the Montreal Olympic Stadium was the home
of the Montreal Expos Major League Baseball team which was transferred
to Washington, D.C., in the 2005 season. It also used to be the
home of the Montreal Alouttes, Montreal’s team in the Canadian
Football League. Today the stadium is used for a variety of purposes
including trade fairs, sporting matches, motorized sports, live
shows, exhibitions, film shoots, balls, social activities and more.
Since its opening, Montreal's Olympic Stadium has been one of the
busiest covered stadiums in the world.
Montreal’s Olympic Stadium is a fascinating, unusual yet
aesthetic building and I decided to explore it in more detail by
taking the funicular which in about 5 minutes takes you to an observation
deck that provides a 360 degree of Montreal. Going up you have an
unobstructed view eastwards towards the pyramid-shaped buildings
of the former Olympic Village and at the top I enjoyed a perfect
view of downtown and the skyscrapers, Montreal Royal and the various
bridges spanning the St. Lawrence River.
View from the top of the tower of downtown and the St. Lawrence
River
The former Olympic cycling track, called the Biodome, has been
converted into an artificial habitat that features four different
ecosystems: a Tropical Forest, a Laurentian Forest, a St. Lawrence
Marine Ecosystem and the Polar Worlds of the Arctic and the Antarctic.
For me, my next item on the agenda was the Montreal
Botanical Garden. I left the Olympic Stadium and walked under
the Sherbrooke Street bridge and found myself right next to the
entrance gates of Montreal’s Botanical Garden. The C$12.75
entrance fee gives you access to both the gardens as well as the
Insectarium, so I started off with an indepth introduction to the
world of insects.
Inside the Insectarium
Open since 1990, the Montreal
Insectarium holds hundreds of species of butterflies, moths,
bugs and spiders. Its scientific collections hold 140,000 specimens
and its exhibition collection consists of about 20,000, about 4000
of which are on public display. There is also a live collection
of arthropods with about 100 species. Not only does the Insectarium
focus on the science of insects, but it also explores insects in
an artistic, cultural and even gastronomical context. In 2005 it
even held an insect tasting event!
One of the amazing butterfly specimens
Well, this scientific introduction had warmed me up enough to continue
my explorations outside in the Botanical Garden. Right across from
the Insectarium is a marsh and bog garden garden that features a
variety of gorgeous water lily specimens.
A gorgeous water lily
Moving on from there is a sizeable rose garden with about 10,000
roses from many different varieties. The roses were a bit past their
bloom, but I would imagine that this garden must look just magnificent
when everything is in full bloom.
A beautiful rose
A bit further to the north is the Japanese Garden, designed as a
contemporary garden by renowned Japanese garden designer Ken Nakajima.
All the elements, stones, water features and plants have been chosen
carefully and are imbued with a unique symbolism. The Chinese Garden
next to it is a result of a bond between the Montreal Botanical
Garden and the Parks Department of the City of Shanghai. More than
120 containers were shipped from Shanghai in 1990 and 50 Chinese
craftsmen were needed to assemble the components to build the garden.
The Japanese garden delights the visitors
I then strolled through the First Nations garden which reflects
a natural environment and is the first facility of its kind in Montreal.
After walking through some serene ponds and woodlands I reached
the Shade Garden which hosts a large collection of primroses, astilbes,
hostas and ferns and proves that even shady areas can feature brilliant
colours and a variety of foliage and blossoms. Now it was serious
time for an ice cream and I sat down one of the tables outside the
Fuji Pavilion which is a 66-seat restaurant providing cold beverages,
ice cream and frozen yogurt and light meals.
Totem poles in the aboriginal garden
After my little rest there was another part of the city that I
wanted to explore and that was Little Italy. So I decided to take
the free shuttle bus that connects the Olympic Stadium, the Biodome,
the Insectarium and the Botanical Garden and was comfortably whisked
to the nearby Vieau subway station. From there I took the subway
to the Jean Talon station, along one of the major east-west thoroughfares
of Montreal.
Promotional shouts advertising ripe pineapples
Like many cities in North America, Montreal has a large Italian
community. Actually, Italians represent Montreal’s largest
ethnic group. Many immigrants came over from Italy as early as the
beginning of the 19th century and many of them went into the hotel
and restaurant business. The majority of them arrived after the
Second World War, and most of those immigrants came from the poorer
regions of the Italian south. One of the key ingredients of Italian
culture of course is its cuisine, made from fresh ingredients. The
Marché Jean Talon is an anchor point in this community where
local residents can purchase fresh produce, cheese, meat, pastries
and other products. This market is different from others since its
layout is mostly outdoors. More than 100 producers display their
products here in the summer, and the market has a distinct southern
ambience to it. You almost feel like you are somewhere close to
the Mediterranean or even a Moroccan souk.
That cheese looks delicious...
I wanted to grab a seat in a little local restaurant beside the
market, but most of them were so packed that I decided I was going
to hop on the subway again (easy to do with my convenient 3-day
visitor pass) and check out the St-Denis area a little. Definitely
time for a late lunch!
Useful books about travel to Montreal:
Related articles:
Hello from Montreal 2006 - My 4-day
explorations of Montreal
Hello from Montreal: An interesting
train ride and first impressions
Hello from Montreal: Getting
the lay of the land in a driving tour
Hello from Montreal: Dinner and a
little jazz at Modavie
Hello from Montreal: Reliving
history with the Old Montreal Ghost Tour
Hello from Montreal: Architectural
discoveries in the Old Montreal Walking Tour
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Chateau Ramezay during a torrential downpour
Hello from Montreal:
Mexican delights at La Iguana & a peak at the Jazz Festival
Hello from Montreal: A guided bicycle
tour to explore Montreal's neighbourhoods
Hello from Montreal:
Biking on the Lachine Canal - Industrial history turned into a recreational
opportunity
Hello from Montreal: A chat with
André Giroux about Bicycling in Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Savouring Italian
cuisine at Galiano's and Canada Day Celebrations
Hello from Montreal:
Exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Garden & Insectarium
and outdoor action at the Jean Talon Market
Hello from Montreal: A Peruvian immigrant
success story at Restaurant Mañana
Hello from Montreal: Friendly
neighbourhood encounters on Square St. Louis
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Casino de Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Gourmet
dining at Nuances and amazing fireworks at La Ronde
Hello from Montreal: A final walk
to discover amazing architectural beauties
Helpful links for travel to Montreal:
Tourisme
Montreal - Montreal's official tourism information office
Quebec Tourism
- Official tourism website for Quebec
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