Found this on a montreal metblig: one peson's thoughts on the benefits of Verdun, all the things we took for granted when we lived there,a 'dep' on every corner, everything close by etc etc ,.of course the Metro was only getting started in Verdun & Lasalle by the time I left,.but the transit system was a good one ,as was the downtown original Metro ,anyway here's te story :
Verdun and I (or, Fripperie: Part Un)
I’ve always been budget-concious, even before the current economical clime cast a pall on our collective plastic. A former freelance lifestyle, with the fiscal rollercoaster that often accompanies it, have etched an indeliable restraint on my spending habits. To wit, I’ve nosed out some pretty good bang-for-your-buck eateries and shops over the years. They’ve become a part of me, and I’d like to share them with you.
The “downtown” core of Verdun is, in my humble O, one of our city’s most under-rated shopping destinations. This Sud-Ouest borough isn’t the self-important trend whore that many soi-disant Montréal hotspots are. Despite encroaching gentrification, it has managed to keep some good ol’ fashioned working-class grit intact. There is very little facade, nothing shiny and sleek. And I wouldn’t have the place any other way. The charm of the area - what makes me feel more at home there than any other neighbourhood in Montréal - is its hidden niches. Granted, you have to explore a little to find them, something I had ample opportunity to do when I resided there.
I remember with fondness the large flat I lived in for a mere $325.00 a month. ($325.00!) Naturally I don’t need to outline the fact that was quite a while back. The density of businesses in Verdun is incredible, and makes owning a car almost laughable. I could bank, get my hair cut, rent a flick, pick up some sausage, spices and a bottle of plonk at the SAQ for the evening meal, meet a friend for tea, buy some paperbacks or pair of gloves - all within a few blocks. There was a law passed long ago prohibiting bars in the district, but what you must know is that in Verdun, summer and balconies were made for beer. I was hard-presssed to walk down 3rd Avenue without someone offering me a sweating cold one (why, straight from the handy porch fridge of course!). On residential streets, especially The Avenues north of De Verdun, balconies are the hub of social (and wild) life, particularly livening up at 3 a.m., if memory serves. I also recall a more welcomed feature; a dep on every corner. Also, an amazing waterside bike path and three métro stations to choose from made getting around a breeze. I regret moving from Verdun, and I’m clearly not the only one who recognizes the area’s primeness as a good spot to live, as soaring rents can attest to. I miss that flat. True, the ceiling caved in on me, I was once offered the friendly (discounted!) services of the resident hitman, and the intermittently employed downstairs neighbour couldn’t be arsed to share the weed he was growing, but really, good times overall.
Recent years have brought in waves of new ethnic groceries, tea-houses and specialty boutiques, all glazed with “me-too” hip, without pretentious Plateau prices. Variety abounds. Wellington Street, the bit roughly bounded by Woodland and Regina ( formally branded as “Promenade Wellington“) is an almost perfect shopping strip. Sadly, I’ve noticed some boarded up windows and “For Sale” signs peppering store fronts - no doubt the inevitable victims of the recession. By contrast, thrift-oriented businesses are naturally thriving these days. I will be devoting an entire series to those, and other neat aspects of Verdun in the coming weeks
3 comments:
$325.00 a month. You must have been in the rich section of the city. I remember my mother paying $37.00 a month at 835 3rd Avenue. And she had trouble affording that. Was always behind in her rent, and would send me over to Cote St Paul to pay her "in arrears" rent. Let me take the flak I guess. But I am still around and reflecting on how really wonderful we had it in those days. Walked everywhere, and never thought about how far it was. No amount of money can ever buy memories like that. Thanks verdun, and all those I knew and grew up with.... Doesn't get any better than that!!!!
I agree Winston,.this was obviously long after I left as well, I seem to Remember the most expensive place I had was when my girlfriend & I moved in together,to the Fontain Bleu Aprtments in Ville Lasalle with a view of the River,a furnished apartment $125/mo ...and that was outrageous,....hahahaha
.and I can recall the cheaper rents in Verdun too.... hahahahaha HF&RV
My adoptive parents paid about $40 per month when I lived at 676 Third Ave (late fifties). The landlord was a very nice man, a batchelor farmer who spoke little English and only dropped by for a cup of tea and his rent money about every six months and sometimes a whole year! Thank goodness my Mom kept the money in an envelope hidden away somewhere waiting for it to be collected. Hilda & Bill Roberts actually moved into that flat when it was brand new, when they first got married in the '20's! Hard to believe those buildings were ever new....but I still thought they were palaces and the best place to live! Lots of kids to play with, shops to visit, ice skating rinks, the Nat, the Pav etc.etc. Paradise!....Diane
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