7 Montreal Spots To Shamelessly Cry In Public
Despite the societal stigma attached to shedding tears passed infancy, crying can actually be quite healthy for you. A good cry is a way to relieve mental or emotional stress and physical tension.
A public display of emotion such as weeping can turn out to be as embarrassing as it is cathartic. But often, figuring out exactly where to go when the tears start flowing can make the situation even more stressful.
So, prompted by a Curbed Boston article and map called "Where to cry in public in the Boston area," we've compiled our very own list of the ideal places to publicly cry your heart out in our beloved 514.
Whether you are ready to admit it or not, the urge to shed a tear once in a while applies to everyone, so here are the places to do it, matching each location to a particular kind of crying.
Enjoy, and wear your tears proudly! Crying is an often necessary part of an emotionally balanced life.
Heartbreak Tears In Parc Jean-Drapeau
With its gorgeous scenery and its various quiet spots, Parc Jean-Drapeau makes a great place for a post-breakup cry. Spread between two islands in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, it's pretty out of the way, so the likelihood of an embarrassing encounter with a friend or, worse, your ex's friends is pretty low.
With dozens of attractions, it's a good place to stroll and let yourself be distracted by the surrounding landscape and features. You might even make friends with confused wildlife while you cry your heart out.
Stress Freak On McGill campus
If you're afraid stress might kill you prematurely and you need to let it out before you explode, you'll fit right in among over-stressed students at a university with woefully underfunded mental health services.
You might even end up stumbling upon another crying person and offer to swap stories and be mutually supportive.
Now, this may be a good place to find mutual support among fellow stressed out peeps, but this is certainly not the place to go if you don't want to be seen.
Existential Panic on Mount Royal
Feeling dismayed about life and all of its mysteries? Deliberating about the meaning of your own existence? Terrified of the prospects of your self-actualization?
Head to Mount Royal for some perspective!
The sweeping views will match your big thoughts and distract you from the scary ones filling up your cranium.
Take a breath, look down upon the city and realize how small some of its problems truly are. Mount Royal is as close as any Montreal resident can come to sublime views.
You may also want to take a solemn stroll through the Mount Royal Cemetery during the hours when it is open to the public. Such a quiet forever resting place might bring you down to Earth and remind you that you are just a future corpse afterall.
Lonely Weep in Parc Maisonneuve
Sometimes, in a moment of loneliness, one needs to really feel and dwell in that emotion in order to go through it. Bottling up your feelings is the best way to crack the vessel that contains them, so removing the cork once in a while will keep your sanity intact – well, at least for a moment.
Parc Maisonneuve and the adjacent Olympic Park may be the idealt places to, as Elsa said, "Let it gooo!"
Maisonneuve features wide open areas among towering trees that block the view of the surrounding city. You'll feel totally isolated in what seems like the countryside.
Sob for Humanity in the Village
Upset about the current state of global affairs? Calm your nerves while taking a stroll through the Village, a Montreal neighbourhood forged in struggle and resistance. The area oozes hope for the future, as its communities were founded on principles of free expression and living.
This is also a place to confront your own privilege and realize that you have power to make change in the world. Wipe those tears away and check out some of the amazing grassroots organizations involved in everything from community health to social justice.
See how you can volunteer and help out, because the world needs all the good that you can do.
Angry Howl at Cap St-Jacques
If you're able to hold your fury until you get there, Cap St-Jacques is the place to go for a fiery howl. At the westernmost point of the city of Montreal, the nature park is actually the largest in the city, so you can escape down its trails and let out a scream without disturbing too many people.
...You might scare the squirrels though.
Happy Cry in the Old Port
Want to mark a major life achievement with a nice celebratory cry? Head to the Montreal Old Port, where bright lights and endless activity will magnify your feeling of elation.
You can stroll along the water and feel the gushes of wind shake your bones, then head to Place Jacques-Cartier to people-watch with a giant grin hung on your face.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
This article has been updated since its original publication on January 8, 2019.
