For all of its charm, it is an inescapable fact that Montreal is located in a cold winter climate. It wouldn’t be a stretch to label the winters that hit the region as harsh, nasty and unpredictable. The misery of the cold weather is compounded by the mixture of slush, salt and ice that affects almost every downtown core that sees an accumulation of snow. Walking on the sidewalks in downtown Montreal between December and March can sometimes feel like taking your life into you own hands – and at the very least, you will ruin a pair of boots.
Fortunately, exposure to decades of this kind of weather has turned Montrealers into a crafty breed. In the 1960’s, tired of the howling wind and snow, a man named Vincent Ponte seized upon to opportunity presented by the recent construction of several downtown skyscrapers and the new metro system. He began to implement his plan to connect several of the important buildings in the area with underground pedestrian tunnels. The metro system figured greatly into this idea: whenever possible, metro entrances were incorporated into existing buildings or designed into upcoming architecture. By the end of the decade ten buildings in total could be accessed without setting foot outside. In 1974 five more buildings joined the system, including the Complexe Desjardins, Palais des Congres and two more metro stations. Expansion continued until by 2003 there were 32 kilometers of tunnels connecting over 60 buildings and 80% of all office space in downtown Montreal.
A life underground
So what exactly can be found in this modern underground labyrinth of commerce? The answer is really a little bit of everything. There are three major shopping complexes attached to the underground network – Complex Les Ailes, Place Desjardins, and les Cours Mont Royal, not to mention a host of smaller commercial areas. Together these malls offer hundreds of stores all within walking distance, as well as large food courts that offer the standard variety fare. Entertainment options are also quite abundant. The Scotia Bank megaplex can be accessed through the tunnels, as can a smaller theatre located in Complex Les Ailes. For more highbrow pursuits, Place des Arts, across from Place Desjardins is the cultural center of downtown, which such offerings as opera, ballet, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and many special events. Concerts are also held at the Bell Centre, which during the winter is home to the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, the most successful sports franchise in history. The arena is directly connected to the underground city. The Palais des Congres exhibition center frequently plays host to international conventions of all kinds, and finally, an overwhelming number of businesses and government services are available in the substantial number of office towers connected to the network.
Taken for granted
If you were to ask most Montrealers how they felt about having such a vast underground pedestrian walkway available to them, they would probably not know how to reply. The network is so integrated into Montreal’s public transit system via the metro that almost everyone who works downtown takes advantage of this marvel of urban planning on a daily basis and truly thinks nothing of it. In fact, it would probably seem unusual to citizens of Montreal that there are no other cities in North America who have decided to combat the fierce winter weather in a similar fashion. The underground city is truly integrated into the life of anyone who lives, works, or shops in downtown Montreal, and has become one of the many facets that makes life in the city both unique and fascinating.
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