{"id":7451,"date":"2025-12-22T16:32:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T23:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rnasociety.org\/conferences\/?page_id=7451"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:21:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T19:21:33","slug":"your-montreal-experience","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rnasociety.org\/conferences\/rna-2026\/your-montreal-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to “Montreal” Like a Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to “Montreal” Like a Local : Recommendations from Local Colleagues<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malik Chaker-Margot:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Affiliation:<\/strong> Institut Courtois d’innovation biom\u00e9dicale (CI\u00b2B), Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Recommendation:<\/strong> Montreal is a city of many cultures and languages, with a vibrant culinary scene and nightlife. After a lovely walk through the Mont-Royal, or perhaps a bike ride along the canal Lachine, you will no doubt find yourself famished and looking for a meal and some refreshments. As a lover of my city, it’s hard to pick just a few places but for once I will try to be succinct and share a few of my favorite spots. Near the congress center is chock full of great restaurants in part due to the proximity to the downtown area and Chinatown. Perhaps you’ll be interested in checking out the Poincar\u00e9, a hip joint on St-Laurent which features fermented foods of all kind. If this doesn’t strike your fancy, across the street is the legendary Nouilles de Lan Zhou, a classic eatery of Chinatown. To wash it all down, you can get one of the fancy cocktails over at Le Mal N\u00e9cessaire or go listen to DJs spin vinyl records at the very stylish Sans Soleil. Across the city, Verdun is a wonderful little island of fun situated near the Lachine Canal and the Saint-Laurent river. There I can recommend the wonderful Archway Verdun, a vegetarian restaurant – and one of the best breweries and beer gardens in a city brimming with them: Messorem. Closer to my neck of the woods, La Petite Patrie and Villeray are two juxtaposed neighbourhoods in the North East of the city. The Jean-Talon Market is one of their beating heart, full of restaurants and caf\u00e9s within and around. The nearby Mellon brewery provides a wonderful source of refreshments in the summer. However, if you are up for some dancing, Le Syst\u00e8me boasts one of Montreal’s finest sound system, DJ nights from Thursdays to Saturdays and a great cocktail list. Be on the lookout for a place that’s opened late for a night poutine to replenish yourselves after all this going around. Enjoy Montreal and for more on Montreal’s rave scene, get in touch!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Maureen McKeague<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Affiliation: <\/strong>Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Department of Chemistry, McGill University<\/p>\n

Recommendation:<\/strong> I\u2019ve lived in Montreal for seven years, and what I love most is how the city hides small surprises in plain sight. You can explore the city\u2019s murals on a self-guided walking route. From the top of Mount Royal, if you look at the skyline, you can spot the KPMG Tower, which looks exactly like a giant glass cat (or batman) watching over downtown. And near McGill, there is L\u2019Anneau (The Ring), a huge suspended ring that many people pose with as if they are holding it up. My favourite way to see it is from the sidewalk along Ren\u00e9-L\u00e9vesque on the Fairmont side, a hotel famous for John Lennon and Yoko Ono\u2019s bed-in for peace in 1969. From this view, L\u2019Anneau perfectly frames the old Royal Victoria Hospital against Mount Royal.<\/p>\n