MONTREAL IV

Spent this past Halloween weekend in Montreal with Andrea and James. We did some "window shopping", explored the city, and went out for some spooky fun with friends. 

Andrea was in the city checking out open houses for university, so I took the train in to meet up with her for the weekend. 

DAY i

I arrived in Montreal on Friday afternoon. Andrea was already set up at the Airbnb (which wasn't anything special which is why there's no pictures of it), so she came to meet me at the train. I was so excited to see her again since I didn't anticipate being able to see her again so soon since July. After dropping off my luggage at the Airbnb, we headed to Rue St. Catherine for some shopping. We were going to walk through Old Montreal and Old Port after this, but we ultimately shopped for longer than planned. So instead we went back to get ready for our night on the town. 

We were recommended to go to Ecole Privee, a club on Rue St. Laurent. It had a great Halloween vibe, and it was super easy to get into. We enjoyed some dancing there and then headed back to Fuunzo where we initialed kicked off the night with a couple of drinks.

DAY ii

Slightly hung over from Friday night's fun, Andrea and I took it easy the next morning. While Andrea attended Concordia's open house, I got ready for the day ahead of me. At this point we still hadn't made it past Rue St. Catherine to stroll through Old Montreal. Usually when Andrea and I travel together we have places that we want to go in mind, but we don't make an exact schedule. I've found that this often makes it super easy to feel no pressure to see the sights, but also allows for flexibility for spontaneous plans. For whatever reason this trip our plans were real loose, and we nearly didn't accomplish everything on our list. This honestly didn't disappoint though, I was more than happy to just simply be in Montreal with my girl. In addition to exploring Old Montreal we also wanted to hit up La Ronde in the evening before going out for drinks. I think this time around we had so many things we wanted to do, but just not enough time.

Once she was done we meet up for a sushi lunch at Zooshi Sushi. While we picked it simply because of it's all you can eat and nearby location, it actually ended up being a yummy spot (despite the long wait, it was worth it tho). Of course we did some more "window shopping" as well. Then we met up with James for our hike up Mont Royal (a tradition I at least do every time I go to Montreal).

Mont Royal was in all it's glory this beautiful fall day. Naturally we had a photo shoot among the fall leaves.

After Mont Royal, we finally made our way to Old Montreal. A friend had recommended a super cool coffee shop to hit up. Tommy is a cozy and hipster coffee joint. Definitely stop here for an aesthetic Instagram shot. The bevvies are on point too.

Then we made our way to La Ronde. The park was spooky and it was exciting to see everyone in costume. Unfortunately we arrived quite late in the evening and it was very busy since it was one of the last days in the season so we waited in line for ONE ride for TWO hours. HOWEVER, it was totally worth the rush and the quality time I got to spend with Andrea and James. I'll definitely have to hit up this park again in the future.

We hustled back to the Airbnb after our one ride (LOL). A quick outfit change later, we were ready for Halloween. Being the basic and unprepared Andrea and I threw on our cat ears and we were ready to party. We hit up a spot downtown called Mad Haters. I absolutely loved how the bar was decorated for the season so it was good vibes all around. 

DAY iii

Halloween was wild, and Andrea and James even stuck it out and stayed out even longer than I did. I headed home by 2am in order to get my stuffed packed up for my trip home Sunday morning. We had to be up ridiculously early for a breakfast date with a friend of mine in Le Plateau. For breakfast we hit up L'avenue by Mont Royal. I remember passing by this place during past visits so I was excited to finally try it out myself. This place was super groovy from the graffiti walls, and glow and the dark bathrooms. My eggs benny was delicious as well.

This trip was certainly a speedy one, but I was so happy to find some new favourite spots and return to some old favourites as well. I was extremely grateful to see Andrea in a city which we both love. Every time I visit Montreal I get to experience more and more parts of it and I fall in love with it a little more every time. I was even more thankful to get to meet up with some newer friends as well. It's a great feeling to know you have people to visit when you go to different cities, who are also excited to see you and make time for you.

I'm so excited to see where our travels take Andrea and I. Fingers crossed and the best of luck to Andrea seeking out Concordia. Without a doubt I know that I'll be back in Montreal next fall, visiting her new apartment for another wild night out on the town.

Til next time Montreal.