THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
17 comments:
Walter,.you show incredible insight,.and I believe you are absolutely right,.the Memories are the biggest draw for most of us,....as it is interesting to recall our upbringing,and reminice about our past ,through great old story's & pictures,.but the old adage "You can't go home again" rings very true,.... Years ago I had thought of renting a place Downtown just for 6 months or so a year,...my thinking then was that I could enjoy going out to all the spots I used to like ,.or thought I used to like,.and sort of get my fill of Montreal,. Although I love the city,.and envy the members that still live there ( at times) I would have to say that in reality I would not leave the life I have grown into out here,.Verdun is a great Part of My Life ,.and I wouldn't change the experience's I learned there...( they've come to help over the years),......but I could not imagine putting myself through the 'new' Verdun/Montreal,.... it is definetly a changed time.( as is everywhere else as well) . If truth be known ,it's far easier to 'think & remember ' the old Verdun/Montreal,.than it would be to actually live there today. for those who left & went back ,.....that's great,.& for those who never left & chose to stay & for the most part tough it out,through all the trials & tribulations,.....Congrats to them as well,..but being young and faced with the writing on the wall ,at the time of Political Instability,& Corporations leaving the Province literally by the truck loads,..& fewer & fewer jobs for us ,it inevitably helped many of us to pack up & Go Explore other places,.and this has been a great thing for many of us ,.as is witnessed through the many different places that our Verdun Connections Members call home,.....We are literally scattered all over this planet,.and for the most part ( from what I see) have done rather well,or at least managed a decent lifestyle ,in the many places we now call home: The Bottom Line is that regardless of where we live now & what we do,& whatever differences we may have,......We all still share that One Common Denominator & that is We are from Verdun and We all seem to Appreciate that fact,..... I think you are wise to now consider selling & keeping all those Memories alive in your mind & your stories that you share with us here,....That's the neat thing now, Having Fun & Rememberring Verdun............................... I cannot imagine a Verdun or Montreal that would prefer a Domino's Pile of Crap ( my opinion ,I've Never seen a good one) or a fast food Pizza Pizza,.............that's not my Montreal,.that's a 'Cookie Cutter Lifestyle' lived just about everywhere nowadays & created by a Globalised Shrinking Planet. ...............after all is said & done ,.I will always appreciate Visiting Verdun / Montreal,.and I will have to be content with the Memory's of the way things used to be........ As they say the show must go on,.......and I hope we can keep those ties to the past ,through great insight & stories ,like yours and all the other participating members here on Verdun Connections.................................................... Good Input Walter,.Thanks for the Memory Prompt............. hf&rv
Walter, You are right, Verdun has changed. I saw a review for a restaurant in the Gazette the other day that was in Verdun. The last time I was back, I saw many more chinese and mexican faces than before. But then Canada is diversifiying. I am thinking of moving back to Verdun and opening a small restaurant. I know part of that is nostalgia. This would be part of getting ready for retirement. I miss streets designed for walking and really knowing your neighbourhood. My french isn't the best, but I get by verbally. I am planning on taking a french course. (I remember in scholl that we mostly hated being forced to take french) Being a romantic, I'd like to buy my grandparents house and put it back in the family. But I know that it is not practicle (Lord, I can't spell). It is too old and the lot is too big. But in looking at housing prices in Montreal compared to Calgary. I see that I can afford a duplex or a triplex complete. That would give me some retirement income for less money than I am spending now. But hey, I am still in the planning stages. It is my hope to spend a couple of months in Verdun or Montreal this spring or fall. Then I'll see if it just a pipe dream for me.
bigfellow ,.you may want to look into permits & business tax's as LaBelle Province is Heavy into Taxing everything you can find..................... Good Luck ,though ,you never know until you try something,.........but do your homework: hf&rv
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Thanks for the advice. Walter, nice website! I went out and bought "Think and Grow Rich". It is now on my ipod. I have owned a few businesses in the past. I would like to live and work in Verdun. But I am happy at just living in Verdun and opening my restaurant somewhere else close. I know that taxes are big in Quebec, especially after living in Alberta. But I had a restaurant in Vancouver for a few years and they aren't light on taxation there. The duplexes that I'm looking at are all in the west end of Verdun. I just saw a a triplex on Riverview go for $650,000, the same price houses go for here. The net income on the properties is $2,300 a month.
Actually Verdun is pretty dynamic these days, on the borderline of being one of the trendiest places on the island. It was at it's worst in the early 90's when the biker wars were in full swing, lots of empty stores on Wellington, no one had any confidance in the place - except that people who knew Verdun knew that is was still a very safe place compared to many parts of the city. It is important to remember that there never was many jobs in Verdun - it was mainly a residential city. The Metro stops on Wellington, there is still a lot of open space on the waterfront, and properties are still relatively cheap here. Wellington is doing very well, except for a few spots east of Hickson. There is a new urban proffesional class moving in but very slowly. These people would have moved to the Plateau twenty years ago. There are still all kinds of working class types around. But Verdun has a ton of people over 50 so it is a good thing to see people coming in who want to raise families here. Most of us who go back lived through a baby boom that isn't likely to happen again. So things like 25 outdoor hockey rinks all packed on a Saturday afternoon just won't happen. Memories are good to share, but the world keeps spinning. Ken M
I've just reread the whole thread... Verdun was a residential city. My dad was one of the few of my classmates fathers who actually worked in Verdun. He did it less than 1/2 a block from the home he grew up in himself. Most of brothers and sisters went to work in the Point or downtown. Uncles working for Bell and Northern Electric and my Aunt Mary at Simpson's as a secretary for decades. My maternal uncle went the other route that many Verdunites went, he joined the armed forces. Now I find that Verdun is being gentrified. Their were never very many for sale signs on homes when I was growing up. I see that it has gone back to being that way again. Ken is right when he says the world keeps spining. But somethings never change. In the news on Sunday, I see that there was a scuffle between english and french people in Montreal. When I was in school most of us complained about having to study french. But most of us learned it from friends and aquantances. Many of our parents couldn't speak french. But todays generation of young naglos are mostly fully bilingual. This is good.
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The triplex sold for $650k for all 3 units. Not bad I thought. My maternal grandparents lived opposite the park on Riverview in '68 -69 or so. Their collie, Lassie (could their be any other name for a collie in the '60's) was hit and killed by a car crossing to the park. Their neighbours were the Bullocks. I tried to look up their exact address on Lovell's, but the site is down. I plan to listen to the cd's on my way to and from work. Thank you for the advice. You're right I think about the real estate market stabilizing itself. It is a wee bit over priced now.
The BNQ site came back online and I saw that my grandparents lived at 1076 Riverview in 66-67.
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I remember the garage well, it had folding doors. There was also a "sunroom" at the back of the flat. Coincidences!
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It is one of my favorite place, great memories there! I look forward to the pictures.
Hey Ken, R U still living in Verdun? Dean
Hi Dean I know two Deans from Verdun so I won't make any assumptions. Yea, living in Verdun though I spend my weekends with my girlfriend on the West Isand. Every time I walk along Wellington these days it is such a rush. I mean there are memories every 10 feet it seems. One of the oddest things I experience is seeing faces that go back decades. I mean people I never actually knew but saw around all the time. It's like, "Well, man, that guy is stil alive!" If you or anyone else wants to do some coffee one morning or early afternoon I could be up to it. Ken McLaughlin
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