Advice On Choice Of Apartment Location In Montreal?

[Username9120]

Hi everyone, 

 

I've been home-hunting in Montreal and have tried to map out where classes/labs/clerkship rotations might be to figure out the "ideal" location. But a lot of that has been based on guesswork (i.e. not sure exactly where clerkship rotations might land me). 

 

I am new to Montreal, and so would appreciate any tips/advice based on people who have lived in the area!

 

I'm currently considering several options, some of which include: 

 

Place #1 - on Avenue du Docteur-Penfield (Avenue du Docteur-Penfield & Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges)

 

Place #2 - on Rue Prince Arthur O (Av du Parc & Rue Prince Arthur O) 

 

Place #3 - on Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges (Ave du Docteur-Penfield & Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges)

 

Basically for me the dilemma is to either live on that tremendous hill that McIntyre sits atop of, halfway, or at the base... as well as convenience to other life essentials (groceries, drug store, etc.) On a side note, I prefer walking to places than standing around waiting for a bus. I am used to walking up to 25 minutes or so daily in -25 degrees Celsius winter in Ontario (although I hear our winters are wimpy compared to Montreal's...) 

 

On a related note, does anyone know if bus passes are included in our tuition? I found something about them only being provided to students <26 years old, which seemed odd to me? 

 

Thanks for your help!!

[Bambi]

See https://www.thechildren.com/getting-hospital/weve-moved-may-24-2015

 

The New MUHC Super Hospital is at the Glen, and therefore living near Vendome Metro (or even Villa Marie Metro - a further 10 minute walk to the Super Hospital, but close to Monkland Village and their shopping) is great, BUT this location is not a walk to classes, it is for clerkship. You may wish to live closer to McGill for now, get to know Montreal and consider moving for clerkship.

[tameimpala]

The two locations on/near cote des neiges are very convenient for the MGH, Jewish and St. Mary's and is also on a very convenient and frequent (~5 minutes?) bus route that takes you along CDN and the guy Concordia metro on the green line.

 

The Parc location is further from the hospitals but I think both served by decent bus routes (though the 144 isn't as frequent in the evenings so if you're doing a late soft at the MGH it might be less convenient to find a way home but a few searches on google maps might give you more information). Parc also has many frequent bus routes that run to the place des arts métro.

 

As a side note, living on parc puts you closer to the plateau which has many great restaurants and bars, if that's something you want to consider. I also think you're closer to grocery stores, pharmacy etc. At that Parc location than the CDN one.

 

Both locations are close to classes and the hill really isn't that bad. I trekked up every day for almost two years to go to work and while I can't say is fun, it's manageable. Invest in shoes with good grips for the winter.

 

Finally yes, bus passes only for 26 and under :-/ but I think I read somewhere that they were trying to work something out for older students but that might have been wishful hoping and if it's not, it might only happen in a few years.

[sleeping_sickness]

Living near st mathieu/st marc/guy and ste cathreine/de maisonneuve/sherbrooke is pretty awesome. You're near the 165 which will take you to the jewish, st mary's and the MGH (which is easily walkable from there). it's also about a 20 minute walk to mcintyre from there and maybe 25-30 minutes to strathcona (do classes still even happen in strathcona). you're downtown which is a different vibe from the plateau but still definitely fun. you're also right near a green line metro and if you live near st-marc, you're walking distance to an orange line metro which is convenient for the glen. 

 

that area is also near all the grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, bars etc... that you could hope for. i think it's the most central for easy commuting but some folks would still prefer the plateau with a longer commute. 

[oshaku]

I live in the Guy Concordia region and as sleeping_sickness said, it's pretty sweet.  It's a 15-20 min walk to McIntyre even with the hill and I've been doing it daily for almost 2 years.  Your body gets used to it after a while (I consider it good exercise). I'm not a very athletic person and there was one time this winter when I had difficulty breathing due to the exertion and the cold, but I found multiple tunnels and elevators to help me along and have had no problems since.

 

My area is super convenient for life essentials (there are 3 grocers on my block, loads of restaurants and bars just down the street, drugstore is only a couple more blocks etc.). The most convenient thing I found was if ever late at night I have a craving or find that I need something from the drug store, it's a very short walk to just go and get it.  I think if you're worried about going up a hill, you should definitely not be living it (or even half way up) because in the you'll be going uphill while carrying all your groceries and those midnight trips are not going to be pleasant. 

 

For clerkships, I think it'll be mostly at the Jewish General, Montreal General, St. Mary's and the Glen.  MGH is within walking distance to from the guy-concordia area (about 10-15 mins) but JGH and St. Mary's are not.  The 165 bus takes you directly to MGH, JGH as well as St Mary's and it comes very frequently during the day (every 6 min), though evening bus times drop to 20 min or more.  There are several ways of getting to the Glen from my place.  I can either walk 10 mins south to hop on to Georges-Vanier metro and ride the orange line for 3 stops to Vendome, or take the 24 bus on sherbrooke (every 6-10 mins) which takes me close enough to the Glen to walk for another 5 mins.  

 

For me, it's the most central places to live with respect to all the places I'd like to get to.  

 

Bus passes are not included in tuition.  You'll have to get your own from the STM.  There are student discounts if you purchase the monthly or 4 month or 1 year pass using your OPUS card, which is means it's $48-50/month for unlimited use of buses and the metro within the island of montreal, but you only get the discount if you're a full time student and 25 or under.  If you're 26 or over, you'd have to pay regular fare which is about 80-90/month.

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[Username9120]

Thanks everyone! Super helpful tips. You guys are always awesome for quick responses and great advice  

[FB07]

I agree with sleeping_sickness and oshaku. I've lived around the guy concordia area for the past 5 years and it's the absolute best. The convenience is off the charts. I don't believe there is one thing missing in this area. I'd like to add that he 144 route begins on Tupper and Atwater. That bus stops in front of stewart bio, which is linked in multiple ways to McMed. Having had every morning class in the last 2 years of my undergrad atop that crappy hill, I find this the best way to get to McIntyre. The 144 also stops right in front of the Molson Stadium/McGill fitness centre. I live on Fort & St Catherines and I need ~3 minutes to get to the 144 bus stop. 

 

Also, I CANNOT stress the advantage of also being about 5 minutes away from George Vanier metro. Saves a lot of time by not having to switch from green to orange lines. To sweeten the whole deal, apartments tend to be cheaper in this area. And there are bixi stations everywhere. 

 

Oh and one more thing. If you ever choose to get a car, this area is VERY close to the Fort highway entrance. I can get to the Glen from my place in about 5 minutes. 

[thethirdlaw]

Do most students live alone, or with roommates etc.? I've been looking for 3 1/2's for a living alone situation but...

 

I've lived with roommates my whole university life, I think I'd go stir crazy alone...

[oshaku]

Lots of students live with roommates, lot of students live alone. And there are lots of students who spend first year alone and end up being roommates with classmates in second year. The thing to remember is that your class will consist of people with diverse backgrounds. Pre-meds tend to live with parents still. Older students typically have a partner or family they live with.

 

Base your living situation on what you need, not what other people are doing.

[thethirdlaw]

Lots of students live with roommates, lot of students live alone. And there are lots of students who spend first year alone and end up being roommates with classmates in second year. The thing to remember is that your class will consist of people with diverse backgrounds. Pre-meds tend to live with parents still. Older students typically have a partner or family they live with.

 

Base your living situation on what you need, not what other people are doing.

 

Yeah, I guess I'm just trying to gauge the feasibility of 1-2 roommates going into year 1, but I can see most already living in Montreal w/ family or s/o's...

[RedLily]

I live in the Guy Concordia region and as sleeping_sickness said, it's pretty sweet.  It's a 15-20 min walk to McIntyre even with the hill and I've been doing it daily for almost 2 years.  Your body gets used to it after a while (I consider it good exercise). I'm not a very athletic person and there was one time this winter when I had difficulty breathing due to the exertion and the cold, but I found multiple tunnels and elevators to help me along and have had no problems since.

 

My area is super convenient for life essentials (there are 3 grocers on my block, loads of restaurants and bars just down the street, drugstore is only a couple more blocks etc.). The most convenient thing I found was if ever late at night I have a craving or find that I need something from the drug store, it's a very short walk to just go and get it.  I think if you're worried about going up a hill, you should definitely not be living it (or even half way up) because in the you'll be going uphill while carrying all your groceries and those midnight trips are not going to be pleasant. 

 

For clerkships, I think it'll be mostly at the Jewish General, Montreal General, St. Mary's and the Glen.  MGH is within walking distance to from the guy-concordia area (about 10-15 mins) but JGH and St. Mary's are not.  The 165 bus takes you directly to MGH, JGH as well as St Mary's and it comes very frequently during the day (every 6 min), though even bus times drop to 20 min or more.  There are several ways of getting to the Glen from my place.  I can either walk 10 mins south to hop on to Georges-Vanier metro and ride the orange line for 3 stops to Vendome, or take the 24 bus on sherbrooke (every 6-10 mins) which takes me close enough to the Glen to walk for another 5 mins.  

 

For me, it's the most central places to live with respect to all the places I'd like to get to.  

 

Bus passes are not included in tuition.  You'll have to get your own from the STM.  There are student discounts if you purchase the monthly or 4 month or 1 year pass using your OPUS card, which is means it's $48-50/month for unlimited use of buses and the metro within the island of montreal, but you only get the discount if you're a full time student and 25 or under.  If you're 26 or over, you'd have to pay regular fare which is about 80-90/month.

 

 

Any building recommendations for the Guy Concordia region anyone might be willing to share?