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Two absolute heavy weights based on your criteria and overall culture.
1. Though I think Boston is probably top 5/top10 in the US for park size, quality, and accessibility, I don’t think anyone could vote against Montreal here. Incredible variety all over the city.
2. I would go Boston, which really only trails Chicago and NYC in the states (excluding DC for obvious reasons). Pointe-a-Calliere was pretty special, as was the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. But the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is certainly a step up, and the Museum of Science and the Contemporary Art Museum are amazing. Add to that the freedom trail, the boats, the well preserved historical sites , and the political/poetry pull and influence of the broader Boston area, and I think it’s clear. FYI if folks have never been to the JFK museum, I’d highly reccomend it. It was really cool. Also, the libraries in Boston are crazy cool.. The Athenaeum, Public Library, Kennedy Library, Harvard Library, etc.
3. This is preference. You can’t go wrong, can you? I’m partial to brick and siding- brownstones, row houses, Victorians, colonials, tree lines streets, gas lit lamps, granite steps, etc. The Old Montreal Gothic Revival look, and the pervasive use of stone around the city is cool.. But I don’t find it as beautiful through and through and on a daily basis. It gets a bit.. dreary? Grey? Cold? I mean, I feel the same way about Paris, though I know I’m in the minority on that one. Anyways, I’ll go Boston. “The Athens of America” is probably the most beautiful city other than Chicago based on my taste.
4. Boston. Probably best in the country outside of NYC. There’s the Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the hatshell on the Charles, the Boston Ballet, and the Lyric Opera to keep you entertained, or you can head to the Theater District to venues like the Majestic Cutler, The Colonial or The Orpheum.
5. Montreal in a landslide. Grab Prix? The weekly summer festivals? The Christmas celebrations?
6. Boston based on my limited experience between the two. Certainly more in your face, more saturated, more diverse in its history.
Edit: Big miss not including food scene and food culture. That’s an easy win for Montreal, who wouldn’t lose in that department to many cities in North America.
I like Boston better. I never got a good feel for Montreal. Being from Sweden I did not like that French Canadian culture that much but most people like it. If I wanted to visit Paris or France I would go. Montreal it has it's positives as well, very safe and clean city for the most part
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Originally Posted by Vanderbiltgrad
I like Boston better. I never got a good feel for Montreal. Being from Sweden I did not like that French Canadian culture that much but most people like it. If I wanted to visit Paris or France I would go. Montreal it has it's positives as well, very safe and clean city for the most part
Granted, not being from a francophone culture I don’t really know for sure. However, if your from Sweden then you’re about as immersed in francophone culture as I am.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 07-31-2018 at 12:13 PM..
I like both, but I think to get a better appreciation of Montreal, you have to at least know some French. It's possible to go around speaking English only, but even just knowing how to read French goes a long way in appreciating it, which honestly isn't that hard especially if you know another Romance language.
That being said, I vote Montreal because its more unique than Boston at least in the context of North America. It's really the only major Francophone city in the Western Hemisphere.
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