● Tokyo (Plateau) - The perfect crossection of played Vice aesthetic and lower St-Laurent douche baggery. Weekends are filled with dudes from Boston who heard that this was "the spot", but making an appearance on the massive terrace for Wednesday Rock night is a must for those who know, i.e. us.
● Casa Del Popolo (Mile End) When Spin magazine pegged Montreal as the "next big thing" in 2005 (much to the dismay of scene purists), this quaint indie music hub was its unofficial headquarters. The buzz train has since left town, but the cute girl with the pixie cut and flower print dress reading a dog-eared copy of Moby Dick in the corner, hasn't.
● Bar Korova (Plateau) - Classic table-top video games, tawdry PBR signs, religious icons, a giant stuffed caribou head, neon sunglasses hovering over a DJ that spins dream pop, krautrock, no-wave, and post/proto-nu rave (of course). This place is what hipster diarrhea looks like.

Montreal is a city where fashion, food, and culture are on equal display, not to mention the Dionysian after-dusk pursuits. Although female-retail-centric, both BFFs and BFs won't mind on this tour de ville.

Stay: Casa Bianca . Technically a B&B , this boutique hotel was converted from a turn-of-the-century mansion into a luxe-yet-quirky place to rest your head. Within walking of famous bagel shops, and around the corner from cultural hot-bed St. Laurent Boulevard, Casa Bianca is an ultra-chic standout within the trendy Plateau area. The Plateau neighborhood has transformed in the last decade from a predominantly Jewish enclave (think Mordecai Richler) to one inhabited by university students, aspiring artists, musicians, perpetual layabouts, and newlyweds with Smart cars.

Montreal is Canada's Sin City. Last call is later than most other major Canadian cities (get with it, Toronto), and the rents are so cheap that a lot of the residents don't seem to have jobs. They call themselves artists, I believe. The city is big enough and has enough culture to pass the cosmopolitan test, but small enough that a cab ride to any given spot is no more than ten dollars. Meeting up with friends has never been easier. Fin-de-sciecle architecture and French speaking denizens will make you feel like you're partying in Europe, and the legal age here is 18. Interpret that as you will. When in town, focus your energies on one of Montreal's main arteries -- St. Laurent Boulevard. Known as "the Main" to locals, this street divides the city between English and French, and it has enough bars and eat-spots to fulfill any debaucherous desire. The Main cuts right through Montreal's two best neighborhoods, the Plateau (which has the highest concentration of artists in North America), and the Mile-End. Here are a few of the best spots to hit on St. Laurent if you're in town for a weekend. You'll have no trouble discovering the rest on your own.