Montreal in August 2013 - The City

[Karl-G]

Montreal during the summer time is always fun, but this year was even better than usual. In

addition to Ste Catherine's and the pink balls, there was also the "Dale Chihuly Exhibit" and

the "International Mosaiculture Exhibition and Competition."

 

Dale Chihuly is the most famous glass artist in the world today, and eight galleries at the

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts have been given over to his work. They are filled with his

marvelous pieces called "Mille Fiori," "Reeds," "Persians," "Boats," "Chandeliers," "Macchia

Bowls" and others. If you want a preview, you can see some pictures at these sites on Flickr

(and lots of other sites, too). It's a wonderful show and an incredible high for visual senses.

The museum has a very fine restaurant and a cafeteria to have lunch.

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/chihuly,montreal/Recent

 

Then there is a great international horticultural exhibition and competition out at the Botanic

Gardens, called Mosaiculture International. It is a triennial event, and was last held three

years ago in Shanghai. They invite 200 of the greatest horticulturalists in the world, from 20

different countries, to design and construct sculptures made entirely of living plants. They do so with steel armatures and steel mesh filled with earth and growing media and tubes for watering, and then 3 million plants which were grown in greenhouses all over Quebec and brought to Montreal in early June for the construction of the sculptures were planted. The sculptures are amazing and delightful. Again, if you would like to preview, you can go to one of the Flickr sites, which have lots of great pictures. Then there are the 30 thematic gardens which make up the Montreal Botanic Gardens and millions of flowers. It is worth a full day visit. Take the Green Line metro to Station Pie IX and walk one block north.

 

Another day can enjoyably be spent down at the Old Harbor, wandering the 18th century streets and enjoying the architecture, the art galleries, the antique shops, and the many outdoor restaurants. Street entertainers perform every day outside the cafes along Place Jacques Cartier, and it is a pedestrian mall, so no car traffic. At the outdoor restaurants, the local specialty is "moules aux frites" - mussels with fries. They are marvelous and you get four dozen usually in a large steamer. Have an ice cold Kronenbourg with them, and you will know the good life. To work off the calories, rent a bicycle at one of the stands or shops along the harbor and you can cycle all along the St. Lawrence riverfront in town, and then head out across bridges to the islands (where the Montreal Expo was held), go from island to island, and then back to the St. Lawrence and back to the Old Port. It is very enjoyable on a nice day. A nice circular route at an easy pace takes about an hour and a half.

 

The late afternoons and evenings, of course, can be spent along Rue Ste. Catherine, indoors and out. The pink balls create a very nice "enclosed" atmosphere, and there are more restaurants and bars with outdoor terraces than ever before. Ste Catherine's Street appears in better shape than ever. It is thoroughly cleaned every morning, so physically it is attractive. Almost all the stores are occupied, which is a pleasant improvement. The only major exception is that large building across from Stock which is still covered in insulation but not completed and a couple of other storefronts. In general there are no Gothic kids or homeless along the street, except in front of the Beaudry Station, and there are always several police on bikes nearby.

 

"La Piazetta" Restaurant was particularly good. A number of new and interesting items on their menu, and their terrace is the best along the street for people watching. Their waiters are the cutest/handsomest you will find in Montreal. Raphael is the most beautiful and charming waiter I have ever met. Gregory, Simon, and Mario were right behind. One night a bluegrass trio peformed on the street across from the restaurant. It was very delightful.

 

After dinner, you can stroll to Campus and/or Stock and/or Taboo for late entertainment. (More later.)

[Karl-G]

Montreal in August 2013 - The Stripper Bars

 

If you have not been to Montreal before: There are currently three male stripper bars in Montreal; all are along St. Catherine Street and within easy and safe walking distance of each other. St. Catherine is a pedestrian mall during the summer, lined with dozens of cafes, shops, and bars and a very pleasant area. Each of the stripper bars (Campus, Stock, and Taboo) will usually have 15-20 dancers each night. The general pattern is that dancers perform in sets of three; first each one does a "fast dance" wearing his pants, and then a "slow dance," completely nude. Dancing is continuous all night. When they are not dancing, the performers wander the room in their underwear and chat with customers, and you can ask for a "private dance" in back in a booth. Each song costs $20 at Campus and Stock (usually a discount if you stay for more songs) and $10 at Taboo, and your dancer will strip completely and stand naked on a small platform right in front of you and dance, and some interaction is usually possible and fun. Be sure and specify to the dancer before you go in back that you want two dances and you want him completely naked and then ask him to wait until a new song begins before you start. If you are having a lot of fun and want to stay for more dances, you can then say so. If you do not specify, problems can arise with counting songs, etc.

 

Campus opens at 3:00 every day and has a few dancers at that time, but there are long "music breaks" between dancers until about 5:00 (now 7:00) when entertainment becomes continuous. Dancers from 3:00 - 9:00 are generally "twinks" or "swimmer's build," but not weight lifters. After 9:00 there is a shift change and generally heavily muscular, bigger dancers perform. I was at Campus each afternoon from 5-7. Thursday and Friday were disappointments. There were only two dancers who were good looking and appealing - Brendan and Miguel. And they were the only two dancers who actually danced the second dance totally nude. All the others kept their underwear on and occasionally pulled them down to their thighs for a brief glimpse and then pulled them up again. The others were fleshy/pudgy and not attractive. So on Saturday, I was prepared for more of the same. I was astounded and delighted to find eight really good looking dancers with personality and most of whom danced the second dance totally nude. There were Brendan and Davey at the muscular end, then gorgeous Vinnie, Taylor, Tucker, Robin (a striking young Egyptian), Ian, and Max. There are no young, thin twinks at Campus at all. They are all swimmers build at least with some muscle. On Thursday and Friday they played a full song of music and no dancer between every dance all the way until 7:00 and I left; it was very slow going. I do not know why these things have happened.

 

Taboo traditionally was the home of the twink dancer, but there have been difficulties the last few years. I went, not expecting much. On Wednesday night there were six dancers and twelve customers. I thought "This is not going to be good." And three of the dancers were duds. But amazingly, the other three were among the best that Taboo has ever had. And I spent the evening in delightful lap dances while the duds performed. There are no small twinks at Taboo any more. All three guys had nice bodies with a little development, but all were young looking, smooth skinned, nice bubble butts, and had personality. I recommend Charlie, Anthony ("Mr. Taboo 2013"), and Denny as highly as possible. All gave wonderful lapdances and made the rest of the dancers insignificant. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, there were about 15 dancers each night, and frankly, IMO, most were not worth watching. But Spencer appeared also and so there were always those four who were eager, available, and willing. I spent a lot of delightful time in back, and dances are $10 each and there was no quibbling or holding back. They were happy with it, and so was I. So Taboo is trying and having some success, but there is still a ways to go. Some very attractive and good dancers are performing there, but a lot of not very good dancers. One twink, Joey, showed up the last two nights and was cute and personable and thin and smooth, but the Big Four were definitely my style.

 

Stock is the largest and most "professional" of the stripper bars; it will remind you of a

Vegas showroom. It gets going about 8:00 p.m. The dancers tend to be gym bunnies, very well muscled and shaped and perhaps in their late 20s. There will usually be a few swimmer types and maybe even a twink now and then, but mostly bigger guys. Dances are $20 per song. There is no admission or cover charge at Campus and Taboo; there is a small cover charge at Stock. Drinks are moderately priced at all three bars, IMO. I do not mind paying $4 or $5 for a beer or a coke, when there is no admission fee to the bar, and I can watch 15 guys dance nude and closeup for hours.

 

I could name and describe each of the dancers I saw and enjoyed, but it would be of little value. The line-up of dancers is different every night, and you might never see any of the dancers I saw and enjoyed. If you do not speak "dancerese" yet, be aware that if you like a particular dancer and would like to see him again the next night and ask him if he will be there, he will almost certainly say "yes." The guys are polite and want to please. But this has no particular relationship to fact. He is not lying, but dancers have a completely different view of calendars. Most dancers do not dance two nights in a row (although Taboo was an exception); dancing is a part-time activity for almost all of them, and they will dance two or three times a week, but for some, only one night a week. So if you like a dancer, be sure and enjoy yourself as much as possible that night; there probably will not be another chance.

 

Having said that, all three stripper bars offered a number of attractive, handsome, cute totally nude guys dancing every afternoon and evening last week. And you could have any one of them for a private lap dance in back if you were interested.

 

[Air fares. When I first looked for airfares to Montreal several months ago, they were high beyond my ability to pay. But I work with Kayak.com to begin with, and I check every other day or so. I knew which dates I would like and how much I would be willing to pay. Several weeks after I started looking, suddenly one afternoon, the price dropped 50% and right into the range I wanted, with good flight times, non-stop, and so I grabbed a seat. Shortly thereafter they went back up again, although I did not continue to watch so I don't know how often they dropped after that. Same thing for Chicago; I just booked an excellent round-trip with good times at a lower price than any over the past four years. Again, I knew what I wanted to pay, when I wanted to fly, and I kept checking until that afternoon when the fares dropped substantially, and then I acted quickly. Until then, the fares had been very high. I will not fly Spirit, and I got American. ]

[twinkboylover28]

In general there are no Gothic kids or homeless along the street, except in front of the Beaudry Station, and there are always several police on bikes nearby.

 

Looks like I'll be hanging around Beaudry

[twinkboylover28]

 

"La Piazetta" Restaurant was particularly good.

 

"La Piazetta" is the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at in Montreal's village. I much prefer the pizza at "Les 3 Brasseurs" in the Old Port.

[twinkboylover28]

Thank you for your detailed report. I also use KAYAK and FareCompare to notify me of airfare prices, as well as TripAdvisor. Glad to hear about your experience at Taboo. Out of all those dancers you only found a couple that were to your liking. Imagine is you had found none, as I had on my last visit?

 

Anyways, excellent report. I enjoyed reading it in preparation for my Labor Day twinkfest

[EZEtoGRU]

Dale Chihuly is the most famous glass artist in the world today, and eight galleries at the

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts have been given over to his work. They are filled with his

marvelous pieces called "Mille Fiori," "Reeds," "Persians," "Boats," "Chandeliers," "Macchia

Bowls" and others. If you want a preview, you can see some pictures at these sites on Flickr

(and lots of other sites, too). It's a wonderful show and an incredible high for visual senses.

Agreed that the Chihuly exhibit is fabulous. We visited the exhibit during our visit 3 weeks ago and found it thoroughly enjoyable.

[zzed]

I was in Montreal last weekend too and agree with Karl-G's assessment of the clubs. I also noticed that St. Catherine Street was very clean and the panhandlers were gone (except as noted at the Metro station). Raphael was our waiter at La Piazetta and I fell in love hahaha... he's blonde, nice tight body with a bit of a bubble butt and would make a great dancer but was a very good waiter and catered to all of our needs, well almost all of them I always enjoy Montreal !!!

[johnf]

I just got back after five days in Montreal and the Eastern Townships. There's little I can add to Karl's rundown of the clubs. I enjoyed the Taboo (seek out Spencer, avoid Lorenzo). I went to Campus in the afternoon and the dancers seemed to be aloof, sitting together at one table, drinking and chatting instead of working the room. I was going to the Stock later that evening but a half-dozen dancers were outside smoking flirting with their girlfriends. To me, blatant "gay for pay" is disrespectful and doesn't bode well for dancers who do much except look pretty, so I didn't go in.

 

I had two meals that motivated me to write reviews on Yelp. The first was the Rebel Brasserie Urbaine which I gave five stars:

 

The Rebel Brasserie Urbaine is part of the gay Sky entertainment comlex, but the restaurant clientele seemed to be mixed when I was there for lunch recently. For those with long memories, this place used to be called "Food." It's been completely redone and the menu has been upgraded, although I miss Food's sushi bar. The new room is sleek and modern. There's copious outdoor dining as well. For lunch I had a delicious salmon tartare, a filling burger de poulet et canard, and an excellent cup of coffee. As befitting a gay venue, the wait staff ranges from pretty to gorgeous. But, unlike their New York and Los Angeles counterparts, the boys are without snotty attitudes. My waiter Laurence was not only fetching, but attentive and courteous. Perfectly bilingual and a student at McGill, he was intelligent and friendly. Laurence added to the ambiance of the whole experience.

 

http://s3-media1.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/nrx620AoMYLQxMlAmIS-4A/l.jpg

 

The second, Steak Frites, got four stars.

 

Steak Frites is a small, reliable chain that has an outpost in Montreal's gay Village. I don't know much about their other restaurants, but this one has a pleasant gay vibe that is in keeping with the ambiance of the area. Outdoor dining was enjoyable and scenic. The service was friendly, although a bit erratic. The waiter had a beatific smile which made up for a multitude of sins. My companion and I had escargots gratine for appetizers and it was quite tasty. He had a filet mignon and I had the rack of lamb for entrees. I love lamb and this was well prepared and seasoned. The unlimited "frites" are a nice gimmick although they were hardly necessary in terms of the generous cuts of meat. We both declined dessert, had coffee, and then went off dancing to seek the next cut of meat.

 

I know many will disagree, but I regret the demise of the street hustlers around le Parc Champlain. They were of good quality and inexpensive.

[twinkboylover28]

I know many will disagree, but I regret the demise of the street hustlers around le Parc Champlain. They were of good quality and inexpensive.

 

I agree with you 100% about the lack of hustlers. The first time I visited Montreal, way back on May 7, 2005, I was approached by some of the most beautiful hustlers and all they wanted was $20. It's a shame they are gone. The parc is filled with mostly knife-wielding thugs and gang bangers who hang out there now.

 

That picture of your waiter is adorable

I know what I want for dessert

 

On another note, if you travel the 747 Airport bus to-and-from the airport to downtown Montreal, make sure to keep an eye out for buses numbered 31-001 to 31-008 if you need air conditioning.

 

Last time I made the unfortunate mistake of traveling on a 747 Airport bus that had no A/C when it was 90 degrees outside in mid-afternoon. Not to mention it took 90 minutes to get to the airport due to construction on the freeway. Talk about a sauna.

[Karl-G]

Happy to see that someone else noticed Raphael's derriere. It appeared to be a perfect bubble butt - high, full, round, and firm. His black pants were stretched to the utmost.

 

Steaks Frites' terrace is a wonderful place to eat and watch. But beware of eating inside; it is extremely noisy. All hard surfaces make the sound bounce all over, and you have to shout to carry on a conversation. Inside is not the place for an intimate, quiet dinner. Better to ask for and wait for a table outside. They are usually easy to get before 6:30 and after 8:30, but for prime hours you will need to wait, but it is worth it.

[Karl-G]

The 747 Bus

 

The above advice about the 747 bus service is good. The basic service is excellent, only $9 for a pass and it is good for 24 hours. I used it twice the next day and saved even more. If you buy a second pass at the same time and be ready for your return, you can start using it 24 hours before you will return to the airport and save again. A bus leaves every 10 minutes all day.

 

And the non-airconditioning can certainly be a problem. I did not know the numbers of the buses indicating AC on board; I will remember from now on. The windows are all open on the others, but when it is very hot outside, it does not do much good. For timing, it depends on many things. There is an enormous amount of construction going on around the airport for access roads. Currently it is very bad and the bus has to circle here and there to get out or in and it takes time. Nevetheless, I flew in to Montreal on a weekday last week at the height of rush hour, and I was at the end of the route (Hotel Gouverneurs) in exactly 50 minutes. That is not bad at all. Part of the issue is how many people get on and off along the route. We scarcely ever stopped along the route, and that saves time. In times past, the stops at Atwater and Lionel Groulx were very long with masses of people getting on and off.

[twinkboylover28]

US Airways is having a sale right now from my homebase airport of Detroit to Montreal. More than 50% off!!

[zzed]

another bubble butt to look for in the village is Steven at Cora. He's been there quite a few years and seems to be a manager now BUT he seated us on Saturday morning and he's still got it going in the back... it's the real Cora special !!!

[+ newatthis]

Karl,

 

Thanks for your usual thorough and delightful report. It's always interesting to compare experiences. During my most recent visit, which preceded yours by about 2 weeks, Taboo was sizzling ... there was no weeknight with fewer than 15 dancers and on Thursday there were 23 (one of the dancers checked the DJ's list for me). Two of the weeknights it was almost impossible to get a table. A number of gems from further up the river had probably stopped dancing by the time you got there -- they told me they were returning home to school in mid-August. Campus was really good some afternoons and as you described on others.

 

johnf -- I ate twice at Rebel (I was taken there by a dancer friend the first time). I agree about the decor and the waiters, but was disappointed in the food. NUVU, which had a similar style and cuisine and much better food, has unfortunately gone out of business.