It’s time for spontaneous hangouts, drinking sangria on terraces, late night bike rides – what’s there not to love about summer? Definitely the best season of the year for cheap dates.
Here are some ideas for making the most of the warm weather. Grab your sweetheart, put on a comfortable pair of shoes and get ready to watch the sparks fly:
Such Great Heights:
This one is definitely not for the faint of heart! This month marks the grand opening of Exalto, a brand new urban acrobatic park near the Olympic Stadium.
Featuring three high-altitude acrobatic attractions including one as tall as a two-storey building, this unique new venture is unlike anything else the city has to offer. Strap on a safety harness, grab your sweetheart’s hand and get ready to test your dexterity and agility.
While you’re in the area, you could gaze up at the stars and contemplate the heaves above from the new Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. Together with the Botanical Garden, Insectarium and Biodome, this newly constructed Planetarium forms the largest natural sciences museum complex in Canada. Its unique design includes two theaters: one expresses the poetic view of the universe for your inner romantic and the other a more scientific approach for the nerd within us all.
Take Me To The River:
You’d think that living on an island would mean access to unlimited beaches galore… not that I’d really want to swim in polluted waters of the St. Laurence harbor. I’m not much of a fan of the man-made beach near Parc Jean Drapeau where the water is murky and I’m always stuck scrambling for a spot on the sand with the multitudes of Montrealers seeking a reprieve from the humidity.
Needless to say, last summer I was overjoyed when my boyfriend clued me in to one of the city’s best secret swimming spots in Verdun. Along the river waterfront there are a number of floating docks where you can slip into the St. Laurence after it’s passed through the Lachine Canal so the water is clear and refreshing as can be.
Get off the metro at De L’Eglise or Verdun, head for the waterfront and continue south along the path while looking for the docks. My favorite one is nestled in a little group of trees slightly off the path.
Baby You’re a Firework:
Since 2008, the city has closed Ste. Catherine street between St. Hubert and Papineau to traffic during the summer. With strand upon strand of pink spheres swaying overhead, it’s the perfect place for people watching while walking hand in hand with your sweetheart.
If you get thirsty, you can always stop for a martini or mojito at one of the terraces spilling out onto the sidewalk. Additionally, there’s the Aires Libres public contemporary art festival taking place throughout the area, including a graphic fresco and five sculptures around the Beaudry metro station.
Plus you’re really close to the Jacques Cartier bridge, the perfect place to watch the International Fireworks Festival which takes place from June 28-August 2. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the festival features competitors from Germany, Italy, France, Australia and more, with a closing night spectacular playing homage to Pink Floyd.
