Photo cred - jean271972
Living in the city pretty much always places your life in the fast lane. Between work, school, friends, family, and the essential bar/club adventure every weekend, you barely have any time to take a break. A life without any moments to yourself, where you can stop and truly appreciate everything, isn't a good thing, and takes away from what the city has to offer, so we made a list of small breaks any Montrealer can take in their day.
Whether it be to de-stress, to center yourself, or simply to provide some alone time, each idea will help you find a way to take a break, no matter where you are in the city. Read on, relax, then take a break.
- Walk up Mount Royal and take a path you've never taken before
- People watch at Eaton's Centre
- Imagine what it would be like to live in Montreal in the 60s
- Hit up a Friperie
- Do your laundry while sipping on a latte at Blanc De Blanc
- Get a legit pizza in Little Italy
- Have a smoke and coffee on a terrasse
- Pack a picnic and a bottle of wine and enjoy in the park
- Go for a run or bike ride on the Lachine Canal
- Get some fresh veggies at Jean-Talon market
- Listen to some free performances at Cafe Depanneur
- Take a nap somewhere random in the city, we suggest these spots
- Watch a play at the Mainline Theatre
- Cloud gaze on the roof of your building
- Go pet some furry friends in one of Montreal's dog parks
- Walk around a borough you've never explored
- Admire the giant houses in Westmount
- Chill out with some felines at a Montreal cat cafe
- Try and find a new mural or piece of street art
- Giggle a bunch at a comedy night at a Montreal bar/venue
- Take a scenic drive to enjoy the fall foliage
- Pick some fresh pumpkins at a nearby pumpkin patch, the make a pie
- Take a deep breath and remember: you don't live in Toronto, so be happy
- Head to the Museum of Fine Arts and take in some culture for free
- Walk around McGill campus and pretend to be a student
- Take a second to notice the people around you on the bus/metro
- Leave your phone in the office and have lunch alone
- Randomly sing a tune at Trois Minots or any karaoke bar
- Try out a cafe you've never been to, the city has plenty
- Watch a Habs game at a bar, even if you're not a fan, just join in on the fervor
- Find a complicated recipe and do everything from scratch
- Get a filling brunch with a good friend, with drinks, of course
- See a foreign film at Cinema du Parc
- Wake up extra early and walk down St. Laurent street, just to see what it's like
- Try your hand (or is that feet?) at swing dancing at Cat's Corner
- Grab a worn book of poetry at an independent book store, then read it in silence
- Look into the past through the Archives de Montreal
- Think about what you'd check out at Expo 67 if you could
- Say a prayer for the Habs to win the cup this season
- Partake in a Montreal food challenge, though some may not qualify as a real "break" from stress
- Eat a poutine, alone, so you can be as messy as you like
- Walk from one end of the city to the other only using underground passages
- Try a beer you've never had before at one of the city's microbreweries
- Eat the vegan version of a dish that is usually made with meat
- Play a few arcade games at Amusement 2000 Plus on St. Catherine street
- Read some manga and drink some tea at Manga Thé on St. Denis
- Get prepared for the cold and buy yourself some winter accessories
- Stop and try to understand why Montreal apartments have outdoor staircases
- Head to the Mount Royal observatory and gaze upon the city while resisting the urge to snap a selfie
- Eat something Red Velvet-y at a Montreal bakery
