Hello from warm and sunny Florida! We’ve made our way south for (hopefully) the entire winter. But before settling into the sunshine, I slipped away for five chilly, snow-filled days in Montréal. Last week, I shared a bit about Hochelaga and the Tower/Archeological Site of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel—and today, I’m taking you to one of my favorite creative corners of the city: Mile End, before heading downtown to the Musée d’art contemporain.

Mile End is a hip neighborhood in Montréal. It’s full of cafés, small boutiques, artist-made goods, and all kinds of Montréal finds.

A (Very) Short History of Mile End

Between 1804 and 1810, John Clark—an English-born butcher—purchased and leased the land that would become Mile End. The name likely came from the fact that the center of his property sat about a mile north of Montréal’s downtown at the time. He may also have been inspired by London’s own Mile End, located one mile east of the city center.

Clark’s farmland slowly grew into a village, beginning with the Mile End Tavern on the northwest corner of Mont-Royal Avenue and Saint-Laurent Boulevard. By 1878, it was officially known as the village of Saint-Louis-du-Mile-End.

An electric tramway arrived in 1893, transforming the area into a streetcar suburb. Tanneries and other industries followed, sparking rapid growth until Mile End was incorporated into the city of Montréal in 1910.

Throughout the early 1900s, Mile End became home to waves of immigrants—first Jews fleeing Eastern Europe, then Greek, Portuguese, and other communities. (Fun fact: William Shatner grew up here before moving to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce during his high school years!)

By the 1980s, the neighborhood had become a bit run-down, which made it affordable for artists and students. They defined much of the creative identity you still feel in Mile End today.

Exploring Mile End

When I first arrived in Montréal, we headed to La Galerie ESPACE for the vernissage of street photographer Nenad “Ned” Bojic’s exhibition. His work is incredible—he was even featured in the December 12, 2019 issue of Street Photography Magazine for his Miami Is Beautiful series.

La Galerie ESPACE rotates exhibitions frequently, so there’s always something fresh to see.

A few days later, we returned to Mile End and started the morning with breakfast at Sandwicherie chez ta mère. We had originally planned to go to Larry’s, but the waitlist was a bit long. As often happens with spontaneous travel finds, this café ended up being such a pleasant surprise. Cozy, full of plants, beautifully furnished, with giant pastries and a solid latte lineup—it was the perfect, easy start to the day.

From there, we wandered along Saint-Laurent Boulevard to explore the shops. I was impressed by how fairly priced everything was. I picked up a knit hat for $15 CAD (~$11.30 USD) and a pair of warm, cute socks for $12 CAD. I found plenty of other tempting things, too!

One favorite stop was Surplus Trends, a very cool boutique with a curated mix of well-known brands and artisan-made clothing. If you’re trying to hone a specific fashion vibe, definitely put this shop on your list. I got so absorbed in browsing that I forgot to take good photos—so I’ve shared Surplus Trends Instagram profile so you can peek at their collections.

Bagels in Mile End? Yes please!

Did you know Montréal is also famous for its bagels? The iconic Fairmount Bagel is open 24 hours and always packed. They accept cash (U.S. and Canadian) and Canadian debit cards only. The line moves quickly, and trust me: the wait is absolutely worth it.

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After exploring the artisan shops, we headed downtown to see some contemporary art in the temporary home of the Musée d’art contemporain—inside the Place Ville Marie shopping mall. You can get there entirely through Montréal’s underground walkways, which feels like magic on snowy days.

The main museum building is undergoing renovations, so the MAC has several installations set up in this space. And the best part? It’s extremely affordable, especially if you’re new to art museums—just $10 CAD (about $7.25 USD).

My favorite exhibition was the collaboration between Lee Shulman and Omar Victor Diop for The Anonymous Project. Shulman uses retro photographs and seamlessly inserts Diop—known for his powerful self-portraits embodying historical figures—into each scene. If you didn’t know he wasn’t originally in the images, you’d swear he belonged there. It’s mesmerizing and beautifully done.

In Praise of the Missing Image, which includes The Anonymous Project, is on view until March 8th, 2026.

It was wonderful to pack in so much art, snow, and shopping in Montréal before heading south. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing stories from a brand-new U.S. region I’ve been exploring: Northern Georgia! We discovered fascinating history, neat towns, and even a touristy spot that’s absolutely worth a long weekend.

‘til next week, happy exploring!
Kathleen

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