Montreal’s Saint Laurent Boulevard is affectionately known as The Main by many Montreal locals. Saint Laurent Boulevard runs North-to-South and crosses the entire island of Montreal. It is often seen as the dividing street between Montreal’s English-speaking population, who lived traditionally on the Westside, and the French-speaking population who lived traditionally on the Eastside. Today, St-Laurent is Montreal’s physical division of East and West (Est and Ouest in French). The Main is one of Montreal’s most popular hotspots. Boulevard Saint Laurent features a huge selection of restaurants, stores, galleries and a very vibrant nightlife.
Saint Laurent Boulevard: The Main
St-Larent boulavard is a main street that traverses many of Montreal’s other hotsposts. Some of the hotspots that have Saint Laurent Boulevard as a main street include Chinatown, Downtown, Plateau Mont-Royal, Little Italy, Little Portugaland the Jean-Talon Market. Various Ethnic communities can be found along this street. Some of the more noticable Ethnic communities include Jewish, Chinese and Italian, Portuguese, and Greek Communities.
Festivals and Events on Saint Laurent Boulevard
During the summer months, many festivals and events occur on St Laurent, with several free shows and outdoor activities taking place day and night. During this time, St-Laurent tends to be packed with tourists and locals alike. A few of the festivals that hold special events on boul. St-Laurent include the Canadian Grand Prix, the International Jazz Festival and the Just For Laughs Festivals
Food and Restaurants on Saint Laurent Boulevard
Some of Montreal’s best restaurants can be found on St-Laurent Boulevard. Discover everything from great Asian cuisine of Chinatown to excellent Italian food in Little Italy. There are also excellent restaurants located between Sherbrooke Street and Mont-Royal Avenue. One of these outstanding restaurants is the world-famous Schwartz’s deli , which has been serving Montreal’s best smoked meat since 1928.
Shopping on Boulevard Saint Laurent
Boulevard St-Laurent is a very popular shopping street because of the variety of stores that can be found on the street. It’s the perfect street to get a feel of Montreal’s local style. You will find various boutiques and designer stores all along the Main. The Main offers various types of stores from jewelry to clothing to interior décor. Regardless of whatever style that you might be into, there is definitely a store on St-Laurent to suit your style.
Nightlife on Boulevard Saint Laurent
St-Laurent offers some of the best nightlife and nocturnal activities in all of Montreal. The Main has an abundance of bars and clubs that keep the party going well into the night. Because of the abundance of clubs and bars on St-Laurent, clubbers have a multitude of music choices that range from hip hop, techno, rock, acid, house and jazz. There are also many restaurants that are open into the wee hours of the morning. So after a long night of club-hopping on St-Laurent, partygoers can always find somewhere to eat once the clubs and bars close.
Montreal Culture on Boulevard Saint Laurent
The Main has gained a reputation as one of Montreal’s most trendy and hip streets. So it is no wonder why so much of Montreal’s culture can be found on St-Laurent Boulevard. You will find everything from art galleries to bookstores and theatres.
The red-light District on Boulevard Saint Laurent
A small section of St-Laurent Boulevard between Chinatown and Sherbrooke street used to be known as Montreal’s red-light district. However, this red-light district is slowly on the decline due to the ever-expanding Quartier des Spectacles, whose development is helping clean-up that area of The Main.
