Montreal is often compared to Boston, in the kind of good twin/evil twin way, but it’s rare to find any sort of American colonial architecture here. This corner in NDG is the exception.
July 2, 2008
Photo du jour: Colonial
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8 comments
The comparison has more to do with the abundance of (early-to-mid 20th century?) brick apartment buildings in both cities than with any colonial architecture. Colonial remnants are where they diverge.
And which is the evil twin?
Also similar: our love of one-way streets. Though Boston wins on the “almost wholly unnavigable” tip.
Montréal is more of a grid (though a complex grid due to geographical features); Boston like a larger Québec City.
Actually, Boston is more like a miniaturized London.
Tell us more about this good twin evil twin idea. I’ve compared the cities before but was unaware this was common, or that there was a good/evil twist.
And there’s no “almost” about Boston– and really, most of MA’s– unnavigability. I’ve been to the intersection of Pond and Pond. I’ve had my direction switched from Northbound to Southbound without ever leaving the center lane of the highway. I’m ready to declare it official.
It’s one of those silly generalizations that I’ve heard a lot from people I know in Boston. They’re both old, culturally distinct cities, both have lots of students, both are similar in scale and population. The evil/good aspect comes into play when you consider that Montreal is as permissive and hedonistic as Boston is conservative and reserved.
That’s a new construction from mid-2000’s.