Here is a little bit of Montreal history and tourism to start  your week.

From FT.com:

Walking the streets of Mile End, you get the feeling that here is where Montreal is best represented, away from the downtown high-rises and without the touristy feel of Old Montreal. The century-old architecture has been preserved or (in newer developments) mimicked, the shops are full of character and the streets are full of life. On a cold but sunny winter day the patios of local spots such as Café Olimpico are full of mostly young patrons in oversized sunglasses and scarves. […]

From these patios the full flavour of the neighbourhood is revealed. Portuguese women leaving church, Italian men chatting on a nearby bench, young creative types on break from the Montreal headquarters of software group Ubisoft, which is housed in a converted clothes factory. […]

“If you want to live in Montreal, I’d say you want to live [in Mile End] because you’ll really get the feel of the city,” says Pierre Brunet, an agent with Re/Max Realty. The Plateau area, incorporating Mile End, was the only section of Montreal that saw an increase in the number of sales amid the global recession. According to the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board, sales in the second quarter of last year were up on sales of the same period in 2008 by 2 per cent. Prices in the area also rose over that period. […]

There is live music, new galleries and boutiques, as well as upscale but largely affordable restaurants. Montreal’s independent music scene, which launched the careers of musical acts such as Arcade Fire, Sam Roberts and Stars, finds its heart in Mile End. […]

Read the full article at FT.com…

What do you Ubisoft employees think of Mile End? Enjoying the abundance of restaurants to choose for lunch? Would you prefer being downtown like EA?

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Tags: mile end, montreal, ubisoft