Montréal In April
Sony Xperia // IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
I work in a very small office of a very large company. Things were going slowly in my corner of the corporation, so I leapt at an opportunity for a temporary assignment in Canada's premier Métropolis, Montréal. I quickly found myself on a plane, headed off on a new adventure.
I was in town for under a week before I made a pilgrimage to the Olympic Stadium. I had wanted to see it since my childhood, and I was not disappointed. It's an architectural feat straight out of the space age, yet with the detailing of a cathedral. Outside a nearby planetarium there's a statue of Copernicus gazing toward the stadium; he's got an excellent view to contemplate!
Olympus E-PL1: f11, 1/320 sec, ISO 200
Olympus E-PL1: f9, 1/500 sec, ISO 200
The Impact game was my first time attending an MLS match. I've since gone back, and both times the Impact have scored a 1-0 win. I'm not saying that I'm a good luck charm; the data speaks for itself!
I did have a practical consideration for my trip to the Olympic Park: I was on my way with one of my coworkers to a Montréal Impact game at Saputo Stadium. It is located directly aft of the Big O. We we both impressed with the fervour of the fans, not to mention their numbers. It's quite the experience to share such a spirit of excitement with nearly 16,000 other people!
Sony Xperia
In these posts I always aim to tell a story. How, though, do I tell the story of four million residents without having any characters? I am not brave enough for street photography that captures people. Instead, I present a typical scene in the Hochelaga neighbourhood. There are rows upon rows of top-and-bottom duplexes like these.
On another end of the spectral plane is Habitat 67. It is one of Canada's foremost architectural gems, and yet another pilgrimage-spot for a building fiend like me. Moshe Safdie designed it over fifty years ago, yet it's blocky, piled forms still call out a vision of the future.
Olympus E-PL1: f7.1, 1/60 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Olympus E-PL1: f8, 1/250 sec, ISO 200 // IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Montréal is located on an island, and as such is quite densely populated. Bicycles are a handy way to get around, but the city is also plagued by icy Winters and scorching Summers. Enter the Métro: the third-busiest subway system in North America. The Montréal Métro fascinates me with its quiet, smooth-riding rubber tires, entirely underground routing, and unique stations. Each one was designed by a different architect, and contains bespoke art installations.
The first station to really capture my heart was Préfontaine. It is located on the Green Line. It has skylights and brightly-coloured panels with circular grilles that conceal utility rooms.
Olympus E-PL1: f4.3, 1/60 sec, ISO 1000
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Olympus E-PL1: f4.1, 1/30 sec, ISO 1600
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Just one stop away from Namur on the Orange Line is De La Savane Station. It is among the least-busy stations, but to my sensibilities is one of the most engaging. Visiting it may be as close as I will ever get to being inside a Borg Cube from Star Trek.
This shot is of Namur Station, on the Orange Line. Hanging from its ceiling is a huge installation of polyhedral truncated cubes. In addition to looking really nifty, they also contain lighting.
Olympus E-PL1: f4.1, 1/13 sec, ISO 1600
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Olympus E-PL1: f5.5, 1/60 sec, ISO 320
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
For the most part, being in the Underground City is no different than being in a shopping mall. This short segment, however, is devoid of shops and has a distinctly subterranean wavy form. It's like a canyon leading to Petra. It probably would have been easier to build straight, but Montréalers embrace art in public spaces to a serious degree.
Having a subway is half the battle when it comes to avoiding Winter chill on one's commute. The other half is the RÉSO, also known as the Underground City. It is the world's largest network between buildings, and connects over thirty kilometers, block after block, primarily in underground tunnels. On rainy days, I can walk just about the whole way from my office to my apartment without getting wet. What's really wild is being outside on a crowded street and knowing there's a second street, just as crowded, somewhere underfoot. Once again, Montréal's compact area has lead to a clever engineering solution.
Olympus E-PL1: f4.1, 1/25 sec, ISO 1600
IrfanView: Colour Balance
Olympus E-PL1: f4.1, 1/60 sec, ISO 1250 // IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
That undulating corridor leads to this astounding indoor fountain plaza, in the atrium of the Centre De Commerce Mondial. Even though it's inside a building, it somehow seems to have a sidewalk café.
Olympus E-PL1: f8, ISO 200
PhotoMatix: HDR Toning
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
No surprise, the Cirque is in town!
Victoria Square is not far from my apartment building. It is the site of something fascinating, a sign from the Paris Métro. The sign was a gift to the city of Montréal from Paris, and marks one of the entrances to Victoria-OACI Station.
Olympus E-PL1: f11, 1/400 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
The Canadian Olympic offices have some very nifty lighting. In the lower-left of the photo you can also see the illuminated "Olympic Flame" statue, with it's coruscating tubes of light.
Olympus E-PL1: f6.3, 1/160 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Above is a statue of Charity, located in front of the Mary, Queen Of The World Basilica. Below are exterior and interior shots of the beautiful Basilica.
Olympus E-PL1: f8, ISO 200
PhotoMatix: HDR Toning
IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
Olympus E-PL1: f7.1, 1/200 sec, ISO 200
Olympus E-PL1: f4, 1/15 sec, ISO 1600
Montréal is a city where old and new are both beautiful, and both coexist. Here, the dome of the Basilica stands in harmonic counterpoint to Le 1000, the tallest office tower in the city.
Olympus E-PL1: f5.6, ISO 200
PhotoMatix: HDR Toning // IrfanView: Crop, Colour Balance
I will end off with a bit of a bridge between the Basilica and Le 1000, the stately Sun Life Building. On Wikipedia there's an unreferenced note that American President Harry Truman considered it his favourite building in the world. That may be just an urban legend, but I can imagine it being true!
