An environment worthy of your exploration !
The western end of Plateau Mont-Royal, better known as the "Mile -End" district, shows the cosmopolitan character of Montréal at its best. Wave after wave , Irish, Jewish, Greek and Portugese immigrants have successively imprinted this borough with a charming atmosphere unblemished by time or modern fashion.
For a long time the point of convergence of laboring classes settled eastway and the Outremont bourgeoisie, Avenue du Parc became a victim of this social fracture for nearly 20 years. Fortunately, however, this major thoroughfare of Montréal is coming out of its slumber and is undergoing sizeable changes. At the eastern end, near the Carmel convent, a great number of condos have sprung up. Closer to the avenue, many artists are enriching the life of the area, and not far away, on St-Laurent St., the establishment of computer related industries brings much needed new economic blood to the area.
St-Viateur St., on the other hand, harbors new small cafés and fine little shops that contribute to this remarkable renewal.
Restaurant Aux Lilas takes pleasure in acknowledging the tremendous efforts carried out by various organisations from the community, particularly by CDEC # and YMCA du Parc # , which have given and still provide exceptional assistance to the entire community in spurring this new dynamism to this part of the arrondissement. Thanks to them, the ugly and dangerous Pine/ du Parc interchange will shortly be an " engeneering error" of the past to allow easy and safe access to the explorers of beautiful Mount Royal Park.
Avenue du Parc always remains the centre par excellence to sample authentic Greek cuisine. Yet other ethnic presences have replaced those noted above,some of them in a striking manner like Hassidim Jews. Not only are they noticeable from the way they dress, but their activities centered in the the study of the Torah carried out in nearby schools insures a steady flow of men and children alike, dressed in uniforms of an other era dating way back beyond the foundation of Montréal !
Finally avenue du Parc area is worth exploring for some of its landmarks such as the Rialto Theatre ( du Parc and Bernard ), the Convent of Carmelite Nuns and the small industrial centre(northeast of the avenue), the several hassidim schools and synagogues, and the commercial activity of the Avenue itself . And , of course, Avenue du Parc is worth a detour just to discover the cuisine of Restaurant Aux Lilas ! For if one may point out where to find excellent Lebanese food with the use of a single electronic finger, one may sample it only with one's mouth and ten fingers ! So enjoy your exploration and come and tell us about it !
