Montréal trip report (and first post)

[Luv2play]

Montreal has just announced that more police are going to be patrolling the Village in a new program that if successful will be used elsewhere in the city.
The Village is considered the worst for homelessness and street drug taking. So this will be an experiment to see if having more visible police will help. 

I’m somewhat perplexed because whenever I have been there in the last few years I see lots of police walking around there. More would be something and maybe oppressive?

[SirBillybob]

1 hour ago, Luv2play said:

Montreal has just announced that more police are going to be patrolling the Village in a new program that if successful will be used elsewhere in the city.
The Village is considered the worst for homelessness and street drug taking. So this will be an experiment to see if having more visible police will help. 

I’m somewhat perplexed because whenever I have been there in the last few years I see lots of police walking around there. More would be something and maybe oppressive?

It will be sub-specialized, some non-uniformed, and I understand a few dozen spread across multiple boroughs as well as integrated with other social services, so it’s hardly SWAT grade and is distributed rather thinly. I don’t think the average resident or visitor will perceive much difference in law enforcement presence. I tend to see mainly young “cadets” (trainees?) on foot or bicycles in The Village. 

Of course the usual squabbling about how the funds should have been allocated and who is best trained to handle where social vulnerability intersects with criminal activity.

Edited June 30 by SirBillybob

[Poppie]

I was in Montreal last weekend. Much more of a presence of police and cadets both on foot and bicycles than my last visit last fall. Did not see nearly as many homeless. Didn't see anyone panhandling. The area around the Beaudry metro station looked really nice. Very inviting compared other parts of the village. Great lunch on the deck at Notre Boeuf De Grace across from Pripae. Sexy waiter Carl was a delight. 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

14 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Montreal has just announced that more police are going to be patrolling the Village in a new program that if successful will be used elsewhere in the city.
The Village is considered the worst for homelessness and street drug taking. So this will be an experiment to see if having more visible police will help. 

I’m somewhat perplexed because whenever I have been there in the last few years I see lots of police walking around there. More would be something and maybe oppressive?

I compare Montreal's Gay Village with downtown Portland, Oregon.  Both are places I visit solely for sex and strippers with full nudity.   About a decade ago, downtown Portland had dozens of homeless on each street downtown.  Things got even worse after 2018 with BLM and defund the police initiatives so I stopped going there.  Then, the voters of Portland had enough and ramped up the Police presence and today I only notice a homeless person when I first see a half dozen police officers around him or her as they work together to get the homeless person to the hospital or shelter he or she needs. 

Downtown Portland has transformed from a place I stopped visiting in 2018 to one that I would now visit every year, just because of the increased police presence and the tools the police have to remove the mentally ill from the streets.

It sounds like Montreal's Gay Village is experiencing much of the same improvement that downtown Portland has, and it doesn't feel oppressive to the law abiding citizens and visitors.

 

 

Edited June 30 by Vegas_Millennial
To restrict my comments to Montreal's Gay Village

[SirBillybob]

Sure, a visitor comes here and stays within a few block radius with the aim of capitalizing on the unique offerings of hassle-fee eroticized fun.

Renders a fact-deficient opinion related to the complexities of poverty; mental health; and the confluence of street-based social services, on-the-spot non-police roving team minor dispute resolution, health care worker street-based triage, shelter outreach, and police presence assessing the wellness of the majority of innocuous unhoused citizens. 

The city’s aim is not to clear out the unhoused; there are no permanent housing options. There are more overnight homeless than there are shelter beds. That The Village is considered by some as a representative microcosm of the unfortunate reality of homelessness in Montreal is laughable. There are far greater clusters in the broader downtown area where co-existence is quite as manageable as it is for the relatively tame Village environment. 

Where I reside it’s not possible to walk to food markets without dozens of unhoused adults hanging out on walkways and stoops. They don’t bother me. For the most part they share survival tips among themselves, and they are far more exemplars of sub-community banding and bonding together within commonly unfortunate circumstances than they are nuisances. Sure, they have disagreements similar to any family system. Most importantly, they are far above snobbery and not bitter towards those to whom a rotten life deal was not dispensed. 

[NipLuvr212]

I am sitting outside on Ste. Catherine right now and the streets are being looked over by a group of police cadets on bicycles... the nicest and most handsome guys I have encountered here!

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

5 hours ago, SirBillybob said:

That The Village is considered by some as a representative microcosm of the unfortunate reality of homelessness in Montreal is laughable.

The Gay Village is the only part of Montreal that is discussed in the "Male Strip Clubs" forum so far.  To venture to say increased police presence in the Gay Village will affect societal change throughout the metropolitan area was never a hypothesis nor conclusion presented.  Nothing of Montreal beyond the Gay Village is of interest to be discussed in this forum of Male Strip Clubs so far, unless there is knowledge of Male Strip Clubs outside the Gay Village that should be shared.  In which case, please tell.  My comments of downtown Portland are for comparison since both downtown Portland and Montreal's Gay Village have a few Male Strip Clubs.

Edited June 30 by Vegas_Millennial

[SirBillybob]

33 minutes ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

Nothing of Montreal beyond the Gay Village is of interest to be discussed in this forum …

Oh, pardon me. I didn’t realize that Portland is an enclave within The Village in Montreal. Perhaps that comes with oregon so much front of mind when the maine affluenza-dictated agenda is tourism unencumbered by minor inconveniences yet frivolous grousing about them. 

Edited June 30 by SirBillybob

[SirBillybob]

55 minutes ago, NipLuvr212 said:

I am sitting outside on Ste. Catherine right now and the streets are being looked over by a group of police cadets on bicycles... the nicest and most handsome guys I have encountered here!

It’s a holiday weekend, gorgeous weather, tomorrow being Canada Day, and you will see more of every representation of persons in that area. The ratios don’t alter much according to density of gathering. In the past few weeks since pedestrian zone allocation and terraces I don’t recall seeing any police presence.

Following fireworks evenings within the regular summer schedule there are thousands on Ste Catherine walking along the Village section but the police resources are allocated towards the bridge due to people and traffic congestion.

You will notice that those cadets exude a live-let-live vibe and are not there to scatter the unfortunate. This is in keeping with police walk-throughs at Campus and Stock where a blind eye is turned regarding what a few feet away is essentially criminal under Canadian law.

A little gratitude along with a judicious degree of forbearance on the part of visiting punters is welcome. At the very least, less whining when what is on tap is so good. 

Edited June 30 by SirBillybob

[SirBillybob]

7 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

I compare Montreal's Gay Village with downtown Portland, Oregon.  Both are places I visit solely for sex and strippers with full nudity.   About a decade ago, downtown Portland had dozens of homeless on each street downtown.  Things got even worse after 2018 with BLM and defund the police initiatives so I stopped going there.  Then, the voters of Portland had enough and ramped up the Police presence and today I only notice a homeless person when I first see a half dozen police officers around him or her as they work together to get the homeless person to the hospital or shelter he or she needs. 

Downtown Portland has transformed from a place I stopped visiting in 2018 to one that I would now visit every year, just because of the increased police presence and the tools the police have to remove the mentally ill from the streets.

It sounds like Montreal's Gay Village is experiencing much of the same improvement that downtown Portland has, and it doesn't feel oppressive to the law abiding citizens and visitors. 

Ah, well, you’d already evidently answered your own question about strip club locations beyond the perimeter you subsequently dictated as open for discussion. Glad to be spared the research. 

——
Addendum: Well if I had known you were to subsequently add a codicil to your above earlier post in which you confer to yourself the privilege of comparator city expertise in terms of the minuscule slice of urban life that a handful of stripper venues represents, I’d have thought twice about referencing The Village as subsumed within Montreal’s overall revisionist agenda regarding order and social infrastructure supports. I had posed no objection to broader downtown urban comparisons. In contrast, you posed an objection to my elaboration of social dynamics beyond The Village as if I were colouring outside the lines of topic chat. Let’s be clear here. The nuances of the Montreal narrative and gay district history are better understood by longtime residents. But you are right about you yourself having a constricted perspective based on focused interest; that’s fine and all that’s required is to view commentary in that context. I will decompress later today having a laugh at Campus inclusive of the neat female Québecois women that help to keep local businesses running. 

Edited June 30 by SirBillybob

[Luv2play]

I grew up in Montreal, knew the Village in the 70’s when it was a rundown neighborhood which the gays moved into when Mayor Drapeau kicked them out of the downtown, and moved there in 1998 after retiring. 
The turn of the century was the golden era for the Gay Village, as it was called. It got gentrified by well healed gays such as myself. We frequented the gay owned establishments and the neighborhood was  very friendly and this was before drugs became a scourge. 

I sold out and moved in 2010 which in hindsight was a propitious time. From my visits over the last decade, the Village, which had the Gay dropped, has become a Petrie dish of human misery and others trying to co exist. As for living there, I’m glad I moved on. Having tourists drop in to  spend a few days doesn’t make for a congenial ambience of neighbours living in harmony. 

[SirBillybob]

1 hour ago, Luv2play said:

From my visits over the last decade, the Village, which had the Gay dropped, has become a Petrie dish of human misery and others trying to co exist.

What exaggeration, and speaking of things dropped.😱🫢

Edited July 1 by SirBillybob

[SammyS]

New poster here, I am headed to Montreal in a few weeks and thinking about checking out the village. I have been to Johnsons before in TAMPA. What are the differences between Johnsons and the Montreal bars? The Montreal bars better or worse? 

[SirBillybob]

35 minutes ago, SammyS said:

New poster here, I am headed to Montreal in a few weeks and thinking about checking out the village. I have been to Johnsons before in TAMPA. What are the differences between Johnsons and the Montreal bars? The Montreal bars better or worse? 

Small club entry cash fee. Pay drinks as you go, cash or server’s card reader. No entry fee to take a dancer to private area. Don’t be wary about dancers approaching you for small talk. A tip is not expected or asked for; the principle is nothing ventured nothing gained. Dancers earnings are predominantly from private dances. Once in a while a dancer may get a cash tip while doing his stage show but they don’t circulate off stage as part of the performance. ATM on site for cash if needed. A few bucks charge for each transaction. If you see a dancer taken up chatting on the main bar floor and you aren’t sure it’s culminating in earnings for him, yet you don’t want to interrupt, ask a server to tell him you would like to say hi but it’s implicit you will likely want to go to the private area with him. Polite give and take. Bar Stock, not Campus, has real time video streaming for a subscription fee if you want to get a preview. Watch out for auto renewal charge on that platform as you may need to specify setting expiry. Enjoy. 

Edited July 1 by SirBillybob

[SammyS]

5 minutes ago, SirBillybob said:

Small club entry cash fee. Pay drinks as you go, cash or server’s card reader. No entry fee to take a dancer to private area. Don’t be wary about dancers approaching you for small talk. A tip is not expected or asked for; the principle is nothing ventured nothing gained. Dancers earnings are predominantly from private dances. Once in a while a dancer may get a cash tip while doing his stage show but they don’t circulate off stage as part of the performance. ATM on site for cash if needed. A few bucks charge for each transaction. If you see a dancer taken up chatting on the main bar floor and you aren’t sure it’s culminating in earnings for him, yet you don’t want to interrupt, ask a server to tell him you would like to say hi but it’s implicit you will likely want to go to the private area with him. Polite give and take. Bar Stock, not Campus, has real time video streaming for a subscription fee if you want to get a preview. Enjoy. 

Thank you for the response. Which bar has more/better guys Campus or Stock? It seem like the majority on this thread prefer campus? I assume they are close enough to go between the two? 

[SirBillybob]

17 minutes ago, SammyS said:

Thank you for the response. Which bar has more/better guys Campus or Stock? It seem like the majority on this thread prefer campus? I assume they are close enough to go between the two? 

Almost neighbours. Campus has much more selection.

There are sometimes a few at Stock worth exploring, but my interest over past few years has been merely two fellows. I do suggest subscribing and watching their weekend live streaming to pick out ahead what you might like. Your visit time may be limited. It’s on a loop for the closed hours between operating days. 

The Stock dancers in summer are also more likely to stand outside the entrance; Campus dancers not so much. 

My personal truth is that Spain and South America put the Montreal options to shame but I have the freedom to capitalize on that preference. If I were even to consider Florida I simply keep talking myself into flying over it by a substantial additional distance.

Edited July 1 by SirBillybob

[SammyS]

10 minutes ago, SirBillybob said:

Almost neighbours. Campus has much more selection.

There are sometimes a few at Stock worth exploring, but my interest over past few years has been merely two fellows. I do suggest subscribing and watching their weekend live streaming to pick out ahead what you might like. It’s on a loop for the closed hours between operating days.

The Stock dancers in summer are also more likely to stand outside the entrance; Campus dancers not so much. 

Got it. I am not used to the guys working the room without expecting tips of not expecting tips on stage. What is the touching policy? Is it acceptable to pat them on the ass as you chat? Or no touching until the lap dance? 

[SirBillybob]

14 minutes ago, SammyS said:

Got it. I am not used to the guys working the room without expecting tips of not expecting tips on stage. What is the touching policy? Is it acceptable to pat them on the ass as you chat? Or no touching until the lap dance? 

Wow that’s a good question. Personally I don’t and wouldn’t cop a feel even if he cozies up with his arm over my shoulders. I wouldn’t say there’s a standard policy but my sense is the unspoken rule of thumb is to keep it really light unless the $clock$ is running. 

Edited July 1 by SirBillybob

[+ newatthis]

On 6/30/2025 at 10:38 PM, SirBillybob said:

Wow that’s a good question. Personally I don’t and wouldn’t cop a feel even if he cozies up with his arm over my shoulders. I wouldn’t say there’s a standard policy but my sense is the unspoken rule of thumb is to keep it really light unless the $clock$ is running. 

Arm over your shoulder?  What about those who start massaging your shoulders?  Or even better, the ones who sidle up to you at the bar, strike up conversation, and begin tweaking your nipples or groping you?  (In my experience, the latter fall into 2 groups: the ones trying to con you into lap dances who deliver practically nothing once you agree; and the ones -- often the younger twinkier types -- who enjoy flirting and foreplay.  The latter are almost always good value in the booths.)

[SirBillybob]

4 hours ago, newatthis said:

Arm over your shoulder?  What about those who start massaging your shoulders?  Or even better, the ones who sidle up to you at the bar, strike up conversation, and begin tweaking your nipples or groping you?  (In my experience, the latter fall into 2 groups: the ones trying to con you into lap dances who deliver practically nothing once you agree; and the ones -- often the younger twinkier types -- who enjoy flirting and foreplay.  The latter are almost always good value in the booths.)

What about them, you ask? You have briefly referenced a range of physical types, age, hustling nuances, and what you perceive as value for money. I was merely responding to an etiquette question about whether to initiate light groping in the common venue floor area.

Other than that, in spite of going on three decades of interaction with countless dancers in my home town, I frankly don’t find your post relatable as I haven’t experienced being short-changed, “played” in any way, or noticed a relationship between somatotype appearance and private dance outcum. This includes earlier timeframes when private simply meant paying per song for table dances out in the open, no sequestered option, an era when intimate erotic groping would have been accurately seen as extremely evident due to that particular setup. 

In contrast, perhaps you have minimally grazed the scene yet comparatively obtained piercing insight into the postmodern dynamics of standard Montreal strip club fun. In which case … ya got me, and a little reward representing our version of a dumb label applied to adult men, one that ridiculously insinuated its way into the gay vernacular, is on its way via rush delivery. 

YMMV. WYSIATI.

Edited July 3 by SirBillybob

[+ newatthis]

20 hours ago, SirBillybob said:

minimally grazed the scene

Hardly minimal over the past 22 years...though I will readily admit that the scenarios I described are much less common nowadays

[londonfunlad]

On 7/1/2025 at 5:15 AM, SirBillybob said:

Almost neighbours. Campus has much more selection.

There are sometimes a few at Stock worth exploring, but my interest over past few years has been merely two fellows. I do suggest subscribing and watching their weekend live streaming to pick out ahead what you might like. Your visit time may be limited. It’s on a loop for the closed hours between operating days. 

The Stock dancers in summer are also more likely to stand outside the entrance; Campus dancers not so much. 

My personal truth is that Spain and South America put the Montreal options to shame but I have the freedom to capitalize on that preference. If I were even to consider Florida I simply keep talking myself into flying over it by a substantial additional distance.

They have strip clubs in Spain? Or are you talking about the saunas in Barcelona?

[Colton]

On 6/30/2025 at 12:07 PM, NipLuvr212 said:

I am sitting outside on Ste. Catherine right now and the streets are being looked over by a group of police cadets on bicycles... the nicest and most handsome guys I have encountered here!

If the cadets are the nicest guys you’ve met, you clearly haven’t wandered into the clubs yet—where the vibes are très spicy and the handsome? C’est magnifique.

[Colton]

On 6/30/2025 at 11:15 PM, SirBillybob said:

I do suggest subscribing and watching their weekend live streaming

Is this really more cost effective than just going in and paying the cover?  I think visiting Stock is something you should during your first visit to the Village, despite the almost 100% guarantee that you will leave in 15 minutes and go back to Campus.

 

On 6/30/2025 at 11:01 PM, SirBillybob said:

Once in a while a dancer may get a cash tip while doing his stage show but they don’t circulate off stage as part of the performance.

I think most dancers get some tips during their stage show -- unless its really quiet, I wouldn't say they get nothing. Tips are probably also proportional to the number of hen parties.  Also, some guys do circulate, but don't go person-by-person in the audience as they did at the Nob Hill Theater.