This is the 4th of a series of posts dealing with my 2025 trip to Quebec Canada. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification. These are indicated by “NOW”.
This morning I left ZUM Auberge and walked to Station Édouard-Montpetit where I took a Blue Line train (all métro trains today STM/Société de transport de Montréal) to Station Snowdon and from there switched to an Orange Line train to Station Lucien-L'Allier. Heading up the escalators I slipped on the last of the three. Nothing serious but a little bleeding on elbow and leg. I grabbed breakfast at a nearby McDonald's and in the washroom cleaned up a bit with toilet paper. I walked along rue Ste-Catherine and at Complexe Desjardins got some photos of art displays and cleaned the wounds a little more.
[NOW: ZUM Residences are at the University of Montreal / Université de Montréal. The Blue Line is Line/Ligne 5 and the Orange Line is Line/Ligne 2.]
I did a brief visit to Gare d'autocars de Montréal and noticed that one of the entrances, the one I used the most in past years, was blocked by construction. I walked past the hostel I stayed at on my first visit, Hotel de Paris. I briefly visited Place Émilie-Gamelin and then walked north along rue Saint-Denis to Av du Mont-Royal. Unlike in past years a large segment is pedestrian/bikes only. Judging from the signage it might be a temporary thing. I got a water at Jean Coutu and then headed east along the area to the end and then did the same west, briefly visiting Mega Mags.
[NOW: The latter was actually Multimags.]
I took an Orange Line train from Station Mont-Royal to Station Montmorency in Laval; while Montreal is mainly a large part of Île de Montréal, LavaI is all on Île de Laval. I'm pretty sure just before the last Zone A stop, Station Henri-Bourassa, they reminded passengers in French about the Zone boundary. I walked to Centre Laval; outside was a temporary fairgrounds. I visited Renaud-Bray. Since I had 40 minutes before the next place opened, I walked rather than bussed to my next destination, crossing over a highway overpass. Each time I did so, since the railings aren't very high, I shot to the side but kept my eyes forward. During that walk it rained a little.
[NOW: Laval is actually on Île Jésus.]
I got a couple trades at Heros (sic) Comics. I took a 60 bus (both buses today STL/Société de transport de Laval) to CF Carrefour. That particular mall has an amazing art display, with giant frogs, birds, flowers etc and a fountain. It's worth a visit to the mall for that alone. I visited Renaud-Bray, then after a brief stop across the street at Terminus Carrefour, decided to walk to my destination even though it was another two highway overpasses: Lire et Relire. Okay, but not worth the challenges of getting there. I crossed the last of the overpasses one last time and then took a 76 bus south a ways, Luckily it was a short ride because the young man beside me was coughing. I had lunch at a McDonald's I'd been to before, visited BD Cosmos, and then visited an Archambault at Galeries d'Anjou. I had forgotten to put the two Laval Archambaults on my itinerary but one was on my way back to the metro anyway. It rained a bit harder after that visit than earlier on. I couldn't cross where I wanted to due to fencing, then construction blocked my next route. After crossing through a sports field and dealing with another fence I finally made it back to Station Montmorency.
I (mis)remembered the walk along rue Jean-Talon as being fun so I did it again. It wasn't as fun as I recalled and I was thrown off by the fact that 20e cross street didn't mean near the 2000 block (actually 3868). I did get a drink from a Jean-Coutu along the way. I visited 1000000 Comix. Heading west, at a convenience store the dealer tried asking me something in French so I replied "Je ne peux pas parler français tres bien". At Station Mitchel I took a Blue Line train to Station Côte-Des-Neiges. I visited a Renaud-Bray I hadn't known was there and got a drink from Dollarthèque before realizing I was walking the wrong direction from the metro; I was thrown off by construction.
Just before I reached my destination a street person shouted something in French about me taking photos. He was on the ground and not getting up so I ignored him. I found the new location of Komico. It's on the fifth floor of an office building and you have to buzz to get in. If I hadn't known it was there I wouldn't have found it randomly. I walked to Station Plamondon and decided to skip Parc Angrignon for now and head straight to Station Place-d'Armes via the Orange line. The soda fountain at the Couche-Tard wasn't working but I found a Burger King that's part of the same complex (Palais des Congress) and decided to have an early (4:50) dinner. The Coke machine was out of Coke but after a cup of Fruitopia that wasn't very good, I used the Coke machine a couple times anyway as makeshift club soda. I walked to Place Jacques Cartier. I didn't like the rain clouds other than as a photo opportunity so I soon walked to rue Ste-Catherine.
[NOW; The Couche-Card and Burger King are at Palais des congrès de Montréal.]
As with past days, there's a pedestrian area where a festival is happening. Then further west is more construction. At about 6:30 I decided to call it an early day since I need to prepare to travel tomorrow anyway. I did the usual Orange Line train Station Lucien-L'Allier to Station Snowdon, Blue Line same to Station Édouard-Montpetit. It was raining pretty hard so I was glad I called it quits. The rain/wind turned my umbrella inside out a few times but it was a short walk albeit up flights of stairs on a mountain.
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