Montreal exploded when Expo 67 came to town. It brought the world to Montreal and contemporary architecture too. Above, Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 heralded a new era for Montreal and most of the newer buildings in the city today date from that period. Above, the site glows from the setting sun's reflected light.
The 1976 Summer Olympics brought more lasting architecture to Montreal and a beautiful Olympic Park which today welcomes visitors to the Biodome (above left), an observation tower (right) and many beautiful gardens, including Japanese and Classical Chinese.
Montreal's classical Chinese Garden has many of the classical forms we recognize in our Portland garden only they are much larger and more spread out. It was a thrill to see it after visiting very similar, much older gardens in Suzhou, China last year.
Bixi Bikes! The zip cars of Montreal. Slide your credit card, get 40 free minutes, then pay by the hour. These line ups are all over the city, often with few bikes - everyone's riding!
Montreal's newest design excitement is the "Quartier des Spectacles" in the center of the city. Created by closing streets to vehicular traffic, a large event plaza is still in construction. The most significant design feature, however, is illumination that changes nightly to spotlight the cultural activities within the quarter. Venues are illuminated only when something's happening. Above, an LED light display changes colors on the facade of the art museum.
Montreal exploded when Expo 67 came to town. It brought the world to Montreal and contemporary architecture too. Above, Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 heralded a new era for Montreal and most of the newer buildings in the city today date from that period. Above, the site glows from the setting sun's reflected light.
The 1976 Summer Olympics brought more lasting architecture to Montreal and a beautiful Olympic Park which today welcomes visitors to the Biodome (above left), an observation tower (right) and many beautiful gardens, including Japanese and Classical Chinese.
Montreal's classical Chinese Garden has many of the classical forms we recognize in our Portland garden only they are much larger and more spread out. It was a thrill to see it after visiting very similar, much older gardens in Suzhou, China last year.
Bixi Bikes! The zip cars of Montreal. Slide your credit card, get 40 free minutes, then pay by the hour. These line ups are all over the city, often with few bikes - everyone's riding!
Montreal's newest design excitement is the "Quartier des Spectacles" in the center of the city. Created by closing streets to vehicular traffic, a large event plaza is still in construction. The most significant design feature, however, is illumination that changes nightly to spotlight the cultural activities within the quarter. Venues are illuminated only when something's happening. Above, an LED light display changes colors on the facade of the art museum.
