The Belgo Βuilding Montreal
Gallery nest
A question I ask myself when I moved to Montreal and every time I enter a new city is "where are the galleries hidden? What’s happening here and where do I get my visual art fix?" Galleries are for me the best way to prepare a trip if you travel on a budget; it’s usually free entrance such as the Belgo building, you explore new spaces and works or eventually you discover new artists. Sounds like a good deal to me!
Montreal, like many other locations, is full of street art; there are galleries and shops that are bridges and doors that allow one to communicate between these worlds. I think of galerie COA, the shop and gallery El Sino or the Station 16 Gallery. But if you are like me you will want more; the galaxy of art places is broad and like the milky way there exists a cluster with a higher concentration of galleries.
A few months ago I first pushed the doors of the Belgo building and since then I've been coming back very regularly. It's an iconic old building in downtown Montreal near Place des Arts on Sainte-Catherine -- five floors with zillions of art spaces showing the work of many artists. Places like Galerie Laroche Joncas, La Castiglione, art245 (where the picture illustrating this spot is coming from their exhibition on artist Landon Mackenzie) or the amazing space Catalogue are just a tiny selection of what is available for your eyes to see. Enjoy.
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Old bank turned into art place
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Video Game Heaven
Finish him! Me-style kick! Hadouken! Shoryuken! If you’re familiar with these phrases, odds are that you're a gamer, or at least played a video game or two in your life.
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Tami par Mlle V
Precise, fast, well priced
"Tami nails" Montreal is my favorite nail art studio. The artists are precise, fast and it's well priced. In short, a girl's luxury that feels good!
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Bílý Kůň
Watch out for the ostriches!
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Saint Sushi Bar
Wanna eat some Marvin Gaye sushi?
"Saint Sushi Bar" in Montreal is not a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant - rather, its focus is on playful, hiphop, 'gangsta' reinterpretations.
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Sparrow
Warm atmosphere from another time
"Sparrow" Montreal is a restaurant that's been around since 2009. What a place! The decor enchants me, delights me, everything pleases me greatly.
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La Distributrice
Original and tasty
Everything about "La Distributrice" Montreal is beautiful: from the wooden interior to the branding and packaging, this cubbyhole cafe has style!
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Kahwa Café
Artsy Tunisia
"Kahwa Café" Montreal is one of my favorite places for coffee or tea. There's often a new exhibition and it's a great place to work with the free wi-fi...
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Kouign Amann
Did you say 'butter'?
"Kouign Amann" Montreal Chocolate is a charming little outdated and colorful decor bakery, and we don't want it to change! Try their raspberry Danish.
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The Illuminated Crowd
Kitsch public art piece
"The Illuminated Crowd" in Montreal is a sculpture of 65 people with exaggerated facial expressions. Everyone's passed by, but few people really notice it!
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