Montrealers have a habit of celebrating their existence in unorthodox places. They throw raves in Chinatown giftshop basements, turn major streets into performance art pieces, and head underground when they’re cold to an entire other city.
In Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood, the space that reigns supreme is the back alleyway. Just like the underground shenanigans and street festivals, it harbours multiple generations of laid-back rebels while being the thankless backbone that holds it all together. Stretching dozens of kilometers around immigrant communities established throughout the last century, the alleyway’s existence in the post-French regime grid is somewhat of a paradox: the utmost care is taken by residents to preserve its appearance, and yet it’s a hotbed for chaos.
Apron-clad kitchen staff smoke up on greasy stoops, couples perform shouting matches in cigarette-burned undershirts and graffiti-covered massage parlours try to whisper you into their back entrance. Like all alleyways, it’s where authenticity is galvanized and pleasantries go to die.
We decided to bike around the Plateau’s alleyway grid for an afternoon and photograph what we saw. Here’s some of what we found.
(All photos taken in Montreal’s Plateau / Mile-end)
Local residents
Pedestrian highways
Graffiti
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