5 Fun Facts about Montréal:
• Its official language is French, but most inhabitants are bilingual.
• The prohibition movement in the United States turned Montréal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol.
• Montréal is home to an underground city with shopping malls, hotels, banks, offices, museums, universities, seven Métro stations, two commuter train stations, a bus terminal, and the Bell Centre hockey arena. Not all of it is actually underground, though.
• Montréal has the highest concentration of post-secondary students of all major cities in North America.
• Montréal is a popular filming location. Major motion pictures that have filmed partly or entirely in Montréal include The Aviator, The Bone Collector, Catch Me If You Can, Cellular, The Day after Tomorrow, Heist, John Q., The Notebook, Rollerball, Secret Window, The Sum of All Fears, and The Terminal. The Jackal, The Whole Nine Yards, and Taking Lives had scenes set in the city.
Famous People from Montréal:
Pierre Bouvier, frontman of Simple Plan and songwriter
Leonard Cohen, poet and singer
Celine Dion, singer
Corey Hart, singer
John Molson, brewing tycoon, railway and steamship line builder
Sam Roberts, musician
William Shatner, Hollywood actor, best known for playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek
Rufus Wainwright, singer/songwriter
Local Slang:
Anglophone – Used to describe English-speaking residents/establishments
Dépanneur (Dep) – Small convenience stores found on nearly every block of the city, best places to buy cheap beer
Eh? – To be put at the end of a statement to turn it into a question. “It’s cold outside, eh?” Mastering the “eh?” is an art form. First Nations people – The politically correct term for the native peoples of Canada
Francophone – Commonly used as a noun to refer to the French-speaking residents or establishments
Keener – Nerd or teacher’s pet
Ma blond – My girlfriend
Mon chum – My boyfriend
SAQ – The official, government-regulated liquor stores of Québec; only place to find name brand liquor and fine wines
Toque – A winter hat (rhymes with puke)
Trainers – Sneakers