Montreal Gay Village -

A street with three names: Montreal Gay Village, The Village and Le Village Gai.

Getting off at Beaudry Metro Station, the village is a vibrant neighborhood of everything fabulous along St. Catherines Street. In summer, the village is closed to cars to promote the local businesses that serve in the area. Restaurants, bars and shops extend their patios up to the street level to better accomodate customers in a spacious and strategic ambience for boy-watching, especially in the afternoon.

I was lucky to be there four days before those dangling pink balls were taken out of sight. Human traffic from late afternoon to late evening was unbelievable. People from all walks of life and gender orientation come and go—and you can literally hear conversations and hearty laughs from one patio to another, from one side of the street to the bar across the street.