Chris1989

The video went from 200 views at 6pm last night to 4,200 views 21 hours later, incredible! Slowly going viral. Terry DiMonte talked about it on CHOM this morning apparently

Great reaction so far, so glad MTL is being recognized as the amazing place it is.

They are extending the "Sorry, neighbor, we are going to be loud" campaign to NYC next year.

 

Montreal tourism campaign says 'sorry' to Toronto - Toronto - CBC News

 

Torontonians looking up this morning have been met with a confusing sight: a plane with a "Sorry Toronto" banner flying over the city.

 

 

In a bout of wishful thinking, some hoped that it was Toronto's public transit service apologizing for a delay-ridden morning commute.

 

Turns out, it's part of a new campaign from Tourism Montreal called Sorry, apologizing to Toronto in advance for all the noise the city is expected to make during Montreal's 375th birthday celebrations, which run through 2017.

 

Along with the banner, a video was released of Montrealers knocking on doors in Toronto and handing out tickets for free trips to Montreal.

 

 

Montreal's 375th birthday is set to be feted with a wide array of projects and events, such as a new downtown skating rink and a light installation added to the Jacques Cartier Bridge. The city has set aside $329 million for capital works projects for the anniversary.

 

Pope won't visit Montreal for 375th anniversary, sends blessings to all

Will Montreal's 375th celebrations cement Denis Coderre's legacy or be his undoing?

If you thought Toronto was confused, just wait: the "sorry" campaign will visit New York in 2017.

Unbelievable. You'd swear we were a city of lame corny douchebags up here, with no creativity whatsoever. You're gonna go to NYC, arguably the loudest city in the world, and tell them "sorry about the noise up here"? Ridiculous.

*

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Hey everyone,

Last summer I came across some videos on YouTube of tourists filming their experiences in the city - some were really great, and it was nice seeing the city from someone elses perspective, especially people who had never been here before. I started saving the ones I really liked.

A few weeks ago Tourisme Montreal started releasing their ads for the 375th celebrations. Here are the first two:

Une ville qu'on aime, ca se fete. - YouTube

Honestly, what the fuck? Lequipe de hockey le plus titree? Des ruelles pleines de vie? Im so tired of them painting the city with such a shallow brush. Theyve never properly captured the spirit of Montreal. And the Toronto one? Cringe. So, I've been working on this for a little while.

Below is a link to a short film I made and posted to YouTube today. Nearly all of the footage is from Tourists/YouTubers/Vloggers. If Tourisme Montreal can't explain our city to the world, maybe outsiders can. I used the music from Tourisme Montreal's first ad.*

This one features only English-speaking tourists. Ive saved a bunch of French vlogs as well; when I get time Ill make one in French. I have some truly incredible footage for that one. Let me know what you think - share it, send it wherever and to whoever you like. Maybe we can get it to go viral, and get some attention from people who are wondering what city to check out next. Because it is mostly amateur footage, Ive added subtitles in case you can't understand some of the lines.

Installation of the legs have begun in the river

*and the main column has reached road level I think (to the left) while a new set of legs rises on the right:

looks like something is being done

Incredible photos. I walked by it the other evening, its presence is quite something.

I remember watching a few minutes of Game 7 of the Habs-Penguins series in 2010, in that parking lot where they had set up a screen. 6 years later and it's gone, replaced with a sea of towers. Incredible.

People! P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E.

It hasn't even been 48 hours yet. Take a goddamn breath.

something Plan Nord related perhaps?*

Amazing news!

L'effet Libéral, right? lol

Sorry, I don't want to get too political but as crooked as they may be, its hard to argue jobs don't increase under the PLQ. 6.8% unemployment rate now.

Montreal 7.1% is below Toronto 7.3%

The New York Times certainly adores Montreal, doesn't it? Seems like theres 2-3 articles a month detailing another awesome aspect of MTL.

Sorry this is a big post. I don't know how to make the images smaller.

I think Montreal has definitely popped up on the radar for millennials. I don't know if it's more visible than older generations, but the city is seen as this cool hip place that you just have to visit. I've met dozens and dozens of people from around the world who came here for university and have stayed since graduation because of how much they love the city, and they all came here because they heard how awesome it was.

One of my friends from San Francisco decided to move here after one of his teachers in high school kept going on and on about MTL in class. The man was a native Californian who had visited the city in the 90s and couldn't stop talking about it. SIX students from his class now live here. How nuts is that? I also know a woman from a tiny town in France who moved to MTL about 5 years ago and has bumped into THREE childhood friends she hadn't seen in decades, who have all moved here.*

US shows also reference the city more and more.

In the new Tiny Fey show Kimmy Schmidt, a line from one of the characters has caught on on social media:*

Social media has definitely become the way cities get noticed for the younger generations. A meme was started years ago when they first installed the musical swings at Place des Arts, and it went viral all over Twitter and Facebook. I still see it pop up occasionally :

*

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, and I'm horribly biased, but it does feel like Montreal has again found its footing and people around the world are taking notice.*

59 forum pages of people commenting "this tower is going to suck" and "this will easily be one of the ugliest towers in Montreal", and now that they've begun installing the cladding, everyones shocked that it's ugly? Where have you all been! Yes, this tower is despicable and a complete eye-sore. Now, let's move on and discuss the bright spots. Next!

from*Demon Balcon (@DemonBalcon) | Twitter

Maybe Plan Nord?

greenlobster and peekay are such teases, I can't take this! My mind keeps trying to figure it out haha

A positive member , will store you in my data base

If you'd like to give us hints, I'm all ears! haha

greenlobster, you're torturing us!

Sounds great, can't wait to see what's in store for MTL.

I've disliked Jack Todd for years. He was always able to work the Montreal Olympics into any discussion about Montreal, and why it, and the city by extension, was a failure. I'm probably being a little hard on him, considering he ran away to Montreal more than 40 years ago and (even with all his complaints), is still here. There must be a reason for that.

However, I've noticed lately that he isn't as dreary as he once was - he even finishes the above article by saying Montreal is in the middle of a rebirth and there's confidence in the air not seen in decades. I think even the most pessimistic Montrealer, who believes Montreal's best days are behind it, has a hard time ignoring these facts now - Montreal has begun a rebirth that 10-15 years ago none of us would have ever believed was possible. Among Millennials from around the world, Montreal is adored and considered a must-see city. I told a story on here a few years ago from an experience I had while visiting Poland in 2012. On a train ride from Auschwitz back to Krakow, I was sitting next to an Italian man, living in London. He was touring Eastern Europe - he had been to every major city on the planet and wore his opinions on his sleeve; he went through a list of cities he detested or thought were overrated - world-class cities like Moscow and London and Paris. There was an American couple from Chicago on the train next to us: "Chicago is a dump" he said. I thought to myself, he better not ask where I'm from, if he doesn't like cities stereotypically considered to be among the capitals of Earth, how could he like Montreal? He asked, as if ready to shit on my hometown too. I responded. He paused for a moment, his face eased. "Montreal?" He got all excited. "Now THAT'S a city." For the next little while he recounted his experience here, a rant about all the things he loved about Montreal. He specifically mentioned the vibe; he said he had never experienced the vibe Montreal gives out anywhere else on the planet.

"I'm still searching" he said. "I'm not sure I'll ever find it again."

I hope older Montrealers accept that the Montreal they grew up with is mostly gone, but take note that something even better might be currently taking shape.

I came across this lovely video of a young YouTuber from France who visited Montreal for the first time, and how our city brought her a new perspective on life. At one point, recalling the experience of Montreal and Montrealers and what it did for her brings her to tears.

A definite watch for us living here; it's a little long but take a moment and check it out. Too many of us take for granted how special a place this is.

Skip to 2:35 if you want to get right to it.

Interestingly, many of the video's comments are made by other French citizens saying they experienced the same feeling while visiting Montreal.

Didn't they say it would be topped out around the end of August in that marketing poster they released a few months ago? Looks like end of June instead, if that!

I never noticed how the east facade of Avenue is different from the west facade. The black strip is thicker on the east side and seems to dart out before darting back in at the top.

My photo.

Nicely fills that gap!

I haven't gone through all the pages here so I may be repeating something you already know, but I have a source claiming a luxury hotel is going up on the old Maison Hantée site, 22 floors. No details beyond that, I'll keep you posted if I hear something.

What is with that little overhang at the top? It's only on the Eastern side, like an extension of the elevator shaft. My OCD is acting up, it's not even, it'll look lopsided from the North and South.

Maybe temporary?