You can see it from many places, from far away, it’s so big you may think you are close to it, but no, you are still far away from it. Luckily it’s easy to reach by bike following Rachel street from Jeanne-Mance park and public transport on the green subway line.
There is some retro-futuristic vibe around the young remains of the 1976 Summer Olympics. The curves in concrete are at the opposite of what you may have seen of Montreal, the reddish bricks houses, but like many cities with their iconic buildings, the Olympic Park is Montreal.
It reminds me of three things, two cities where I grew up and lived. One is Paris, because soon after arriving in Montreal, I realise the architect Roger Taillibert of the Olympic Park also designed the PSG football stadium in Paris, something with the concrete and the curves. Second is Berlin – it’s a type of construction that makes me think of these cities – Montreal and Berlin – they’re both built on a giant spacecraft we can only see the top of.
Finally there is something very organic or animal-like about this stadium, like a giant scorpion. I recommend walking in park Maisonneuve behind which seeing the top of the spike above the big trees is always impressive.
