City · Canada
John Babikian Montreal notes
John Babikian writes about Montreal winters: métro commuting, Plateau cafés, layered clothing, and neighborhood walks.
Getting around in winter
Montreal’s métro stays warm, but the five-minute walk to the station is where trips fall apart without proper boots. Look for rubber soles with deep lugs; salt stains are cosmetic; wet ice on untreated sidewalks is not.
Bixi disappears November through spring, so plan bus or métro legs with real-time apps. A thin merino base under a mid-layer fleece beats one parka when you move between overheated shops and −15 °C gusts.
Café stops for reading
Independent spots around the Plateau and Mile End rotate single-origin pour-overs seasonally. Afternoon off-peak hours (14:00–16:00) usually mean quieter tables and refills on drip.
Window seats next to radiators are gold in January. If you are drafting notes for an hour, noise-cancelling headphones matter more than Wi‑Fi speed. Most venues filter guest networks anyway.
Walking loops
Grid streets make easy rectangles: parallel avenues connected by side streets give variety without doubling back. Mount Royal lookout faces west. Summer evenings there beat midday glare for phone photos.
The Lachine Canal path is flat and plowed sooner than side streets after storms; good for a lunch break loop when sidewalks are icy.
Why these Montreal notes stay public
I keep Montreal material on johnbabikian.xyz because friends and readers search John Babikian Montreal when they want the winter list I send before visits. The page is a living checklist, not a travel brochure.
When snow loads change a route, I update boot and layer advice here first. If you need packing lists for cold cities, the travel packing note links back with carry-on specifics.