Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing it, between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time), by using the blue link-up button below.
A Stroll Around Montréal’s Chinatown
You’ll find Montréal’s Quartier Chinois – Chinatown district wedged into a roughly six block by two block area between the southern part of downtown and Old Montréal.
Last weekend we were down there with a few family members for our traditional spring Dim Sum outing.
Compared to some of the larger Chinese communities in North America such as New York or San Francisco, Montréal’s is not nearly as big.
And it could certainly use some tidying up and maybe a fresh coat of paint.
But it is full of interesting sights, sounds, and flavors.
Which is why I try to explore the area at least a few times a year.
I had forgotten that most of Chinatownn is just small shops and restaurants with plain steel and glass entrances.
So I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by the overall the shortage of interesting doors.
All the same, the afternoon stroll did net me a few nice discoveries.
And some interesting street art as well.
Do you have a favorite neighborhood you like to explore in your home town?
As always I thank you for stopping by.
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I love street art. It seems like an interesting of doors and architecture as well. I like those colored awnings and the Luwan bar has a cool entry. 🙂 I need to get out and explore my own city more often!
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Hope your annual dim sum outing was tasty! Many Chinatowns are undergoing gentrification, San Francisco’s included but there are areas that still retain the old culture and character. The snow is a different look to our San Francisco and you captured some good doors but you’re there for the food so I hope that was an enjoyable doorscurion. 😛
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Gotta love those pink awnings!
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Indeed – thank you 🙂
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That’s a neat doorway at that bar. I like that street art too.
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Thank you!
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I’m not disappointed by your wonderful post this week… it’s lovely to see the area and there are some very cool street shots in the post, it all looks so vibrant and really interesting!
Nothing from me this week, I was in the air, but I have feet on the ground in Amsterdam…hmm, I’m already in door heaven!
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Thanks Vicky, glad you liked them.
I’m sure you’ll come away from this trip with dozens of share-worthy doors. Looking forward to seeing what you find 🙂
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I remember discovering Montreal’s Chinatown and being surprised how small it was too. I enjoyed wondering around, though, and I’m glad to revisit it through your photos. I don’t remember the keyhole door or the chicken, but I do remember the mural.
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Yes it is rather small compared to other cities. My guess is that the rooster has only been up for a little over a month, since the beginning of the Chinese New Year. 2017 is the year of the rooster 🙂
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Is the big rooster a special ornament for a holiday or always there? I think your doors are very interesting. No apologies needed.
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Thanks Judy. I assume the ornament changes with each Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese Calendar 2017 is the year of the rooster…
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These doors of Chinatown look nicer than in China (more taken care of). In the buildings one can see that China is in some sense a third world country.
In big cities (2 million and up) they have whole streets where they have stores in their garages! The hygienic standards are much below that of the West. One time, on our way to McDonalds in Zhen-zhen (the most modern city, across from Hong Kong) we saw a street market. I was sorry telling hubby “let’s see what they have there.” They were “cleaning” the shrimp on the concrete floor on the path of where people also walked. We saw beef cut in half in the open air (it was high 80-90 degr. F) with flies around, etc. I had no breakfast that day ….
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I have many friends and business contacts who travel there often and tell similar stories. It’s too far for me to travel there so I’ll just enjoy the local variation of the cuisine here 😉
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Concerning food you won’t miss anything:):)
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Can’t remember if I answered your reply or not. Am glad I’m not the only one who is choosy about hygiene. My surprise was about the role this country wants to play on a global level, versus how they live daily. Guess it’s my western view that those two don’t match up:)
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Such as unusual assortment of doors! Love the purple awnings!
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Thanks Jan. I wondered whether or not to include those awnings because they looked so out of place with everything else. They are kinda cute though 🙂
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I absolutely love China Towns everywhere. Lots of quaint and quirky small shops and restaurants. And as your photos show…so much more!
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Thanks for the kind words Donna 🙂
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Interesting set of doors, really like the last but one. :>)
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Thank you!
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I’ve been away for awhile (and a tad rusty). Nonetheless, here’s my shot at today’s challenge!
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Welcome back – thanks for joining us this week. For future reference there’s no need to put your link in the comments, just click on the blue button to add it to our link-up list 🙂
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Ah!
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A really interesting collection of doors. I love the ‘scribble’ one. 😀
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Thanks. I think that scribble one was what happens to a graffiti artist on a lazy day 😉
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Haha You could well be right. 🙂
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I do like the Luwan Bar door photo, and the place with the big rooster out front! 🙂
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Thanks – glad you liked them 🙂
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Well you managed to find some interesting doors in the end, Norm, with a nice bit of street art, too. You must have been starving by the time you ate, after passing so many restaurants 😉
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Thanks Jean. Au contraire on the hunger though – we fueled up BEFORE the doorscursion. And then we snacked again before heading home too 😉
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Hi Norm, here is my entry this week.
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Thanks Cee 😀
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These are all great doors — I appreciate that you suffered through a lot of standard glass to bring us these. I really love the keyhole and the one with the otter red frame and the inner closed gate. Also, I now want dumplings more than anything in the whole world! Oh Dumplings, indeed!
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Thanks Joey. For a doorscursion that started out looking a little bleak I’d say it turned out to be a productive day.
I get the dumpling craving a few times a year and when I do, I gotta go into town for the authentic stuff.
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gosh I haven’t been to Chinatown in Montreal for years, it was always “colourful” every space was utilized. The smells from the shops were always a draw for me. In Ottawa, we had one street, Montreal seemed so big time. I’ve since traveled to SanFran, Vancouver and NY and been to the Chinatown’s there. Even Toronto is bigger.. it is spread out tho’ to Richmond and other areas too. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Is it still a tourist destination? are the good restaurants there, or in the bigger Chinatown malls?
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I only realized how small our Chinatown was after my first visits to NYC and San Fran.
Yes, the good authentic restaurants are still there.
Not many tourists. From what I saw it seemed like mostly locals. We walked over to old Montreal afterwards and there were boatloads of tourists there.
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You spoil us! Those are ALL interesting doors!
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Thanks Marian. I guess when I was writing this post I was thinking of all the ones I didn’t photograph 🙂
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I finally posted a Thursday Doors! I’m so happy! Only took me forever. 🙂
Love these pics. It looks like Chinatown color scheme was chosen by toddlers. So many bright, primary colors!
I can’t wait to visit Montreal!
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Welcome – so glad you were able to join us this week.
Yes the colors in Chinatown are hard to miss and the food is amazing too.
Lots to see and discover in this city. I hope you enjoy your visit. Feel free to email me if you’re looking for suggestions or tips 🙂
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Thank you. That’s very kind. I will do that when it’s time to head to Montreal! (probably next year)
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Great doors! Thanks for taking us along in your stroll. Love the street art!!
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Thanks Janet. I’m glad I was able to find enough to get a decent post from this outing. The pickings were a little slim at first 🙂
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Hi Norm. They get better as they go on. Luwan looks like a cool place to hangout. The pink pelmets over the windows in the next photo are arresting. And I like the outrageous “rhubarb and custard” on the last housefront. I am afraid my photos this week are a bit of a let down after last week’s mammoth blue doors. I am still struggling to post without opening my site to everyone. Here’s the url in case I fail miserably again. https://wordpress.com/post/ianbcross.wordpress.com/12953
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This link doesn’t work. Did you copy it while the post was still a draft? I think you have to save or schedule the post for it to give you an active usable link…I don’t know what else it could be.
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I also love the Luwan door, so interesting. The whole post is a treat, since I love Montreal. Such a great city to wander.
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Thanks for the kind words 🙂
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it’s interesting that chinatown in montreal isn’t as vivid as the ones in NYC or san francisco, but i love the rooster standing on a big pile of…well, i can’t figure out exactly what. feed sacks? i’d love one of those roosters for my back yard!
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Thanks. I’m not sure what that rooster is supposed to be standing on but it is an attention-getter. It would make a great conversation starter for the yard though 🙂
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Hi Norm, trying to add my link, but the URL section is giving me Maximum Characters : 50 – error and I’m not able to add my link.
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There is no max character limit for the url/link field, only for the name field (50 characters) – is it possible you’re inverting the two?
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Honestly I’m not sure. I am adding the URL of my post in the box with URL heading.
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1st field is for the url, 2nd for the name of your blog or post, 3rd is for your email. If it doesn’t work for you just post the link in the comments here and I’ll fix it later 🙂
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I added finally 🙂 Thanks for the help.
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My vote is for the *Luwan* door too. The keyhole design is really interesting in spite of the plain functional door.
Although the doors are ordinary in themselves, the neighbourhood is not, and it’s the sum of the whole that really shines here 🙂
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Thanks Joanne. I almost skipped the Luwan door because of how plain the doors were but my gut told me it would make an interesting image.
I’m glad I listened to my gut 🙂
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Me too. Good gut 🙂
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Luwan’s and #76 are my favorites, but I’d try Oh Dumplings! while there. You know one has to keep up their strength when out on a doorscurion. 🙂
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Dumplings as doorscursion fuel? Yep, I like the way you think 😀
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🙂
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I do like the Mission style doors at 76, Norm. The others are interesting, as is the street art. I always enjoy walking through these areas. The past few times I’ve been in Washington, DC, I’ve stayed at a hotel on the edge of their Chinatown. Similar sights. It’s good to have things you can depend on 🙂
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Thanks Dan. I HAD to take those Mission style doors, they were just about the only all-wooden doors around. It is fun exploring places that seem so different, yet still so close to home.
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I understand.
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These may not be ‘your’ usual historic doors, BUT I bet they lead to some culinary delights. 🙂 Love the wall mural.
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Thanks Judy. Yes it was a delicious outing 😉
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Norm, I enjoyed my walking tour of Chinatown in Montreal! My favorite door was #43, with its distinctive look. Those beautiful arches were so nice to see. The cherry wooden look to the burgundy arch (pergola) with turquoise rectangle added a nice contrast.
We don’t have a Chinese section in Columbus, Ohio so I liked the variety displayed, including that crazy rooster atop the straw/hay stack (looks like French fries?!) I must be hungry! Happy nearly weekend to you! 🙂
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Thanks Robin. Yes I really don’t know what that rooster is supposed to be standing. Straw/hay is far better than what I thought it might be 😉
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superb photos – I love the colours. I vaguely remember visiting Chinatown when I lived in Montreal many, many years ago (I don’t remember exactly where as I was a child at the time).
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Thank you for the kinds words 🙂
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Oh yes, no door can hide where Norman rides. 😀 I love that slick Luwan one, and the one below, and the one more below!
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Thanks Manja. Funny I was tempted to not do anything with the Luwan one because the door itself is so plain but I figured that keyhole design was worth a spot in the post 🙂
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