Project 365 – Day 135: Outside Staircases and Balconies of Le Plateau

May 14 2012

Balconies and outside staircases are a feature of various districts across Montreal, but the high concentration of multi-plex residencies in Le Plateau makes them ubiquitous and can be found on pretty much any street you visit in this highly populated sector of Montreal.

Today I took a quick stroll up Saint Hubert and some adjoining streets specifically looking to shoot these iconic features.

I start my mini tour with a picture of a typical balcony. These days you will also see red squares in; windows, doors and, as in this image, tied to balconies, indicating support for the current student fight against tuition fee hikes.

A resident showing support for the students

A resident showing support for the students

A staircase on Le Plateau

A staircase on Le Plateau

Staircases and balconies on rue Saint Hubert

Staircases and balconies on rue Saint Hubert

An outside staircase on rue Saint Hubert

An outside staircase on rue Saint Hubert

A typical street view on Le Plateau

A typical street view on Le Plateau

A colorful outside plateau staircase

A colorful outside plateau staircase

A typical Plateau street

A typical Plateau street

Protected outside staircase

Protected outside staircase

Rear view of homes on Le Plateau

Rear view of homes on Le Plateau

Rear view of homes on Le Plateau

Rear view of homes on Le Plateau

If you are interested in knowing a little about the history of the staircases, check out the post from Feb 5. There are still many unique staircases I want to capture, so no doubt I will be posting more on the staircase phenomenon in the future.

While walking down one street, I came across an old Dodge Dart and couldn’t resist grabbing a shot. Even though I only took one exposure I put it through Photomatix to give it some HDR treatment and was quite happy with the result.

HDR of an old Dodge Dart

HDR of an old Dodge Dart

To view images in gallery format, simply click on one of the images below.

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Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

– Martin

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11 Comments

  1. Lisa at fLVE May 15, 2012 at 12:48 am #

    I saw some of the staircases last time I visited, but I didn’t nearly see enough of them. I think I went to the wrong place and I didn’t want to wander out alone too late into the eve. These are beautiful..thanks for sharing.

    • Montreal in Pictures May 15, 2012 at 7:10 am #

      Thanks Lisa. Montreal is generally a pretty safe City at night, but hope you are able to visit again and tour the Plateau during the day…it has a vibe that is quite special.

  2. Ellis PIctures May 15, 2012 at 4:08 am #

    Great set of shots of the balconies & stairs Martin, nice result of the old Dart, I do love this effect on the classic cars!

    • Montreal in Pictures May 15, 2012 at 7:02 am #

      Thanks Steve…old cars are one of my favorite subjects for HDR even with only 1 raw exposure to play with I liked how this one came out 🙂

  3. Lucie the Happy Quilter May 15, 2012 at 5:53 am #

    Your making me homesick! I’ve been living in the UK for nineteen years. Outdoor staircases like you find in Montreal are very rare here.

    • Montreal in Pictures May 15, 2012 at 7:00 am #

      Sorry for the homesickness Lucie. I come from the UK and have been in Montreal since 99, so have times of homesickness myself…but I know I would miss the sights of Montreal just as much 😉

  4. workinacheeseshop May 15, 2012 at 11:56 am #

    I feel like you should take some pictures in January for comparison… I’m always surprised that “stairways of snow covered ice” isn’t one of the major causes of death in Montreal. 😉

    • Montreal in Pictures May 15, 2012 at 11:11 pm #

      Good point Sarah….I will be sure to shoot some snowy shots of stairs at the first big dump…hopefully not too soon though 😉

      • workinacheeseshop May 16, 2012 at 1:07 pm #

        Bien sûr… don’t say the ‘s’ word or it might blizzard this weekend. 😉

  5. Mrs. Sasu May 20, 2012 at 4:11 pm #

    OMG… this just did my day! I have been browsing through your site and saw all the nice pictures from home! Great work, but I must say that this post really made me a little nostalgic, cannot wait to go home in August! Happy Sunday and thanks for sharing! 😉

    • Montreal in Pictures May 20, 2012 at 9:08 pm #

      Thanks Mrs Sasu. I too love the staircases and can imagine anyone who lived and moved away from Montreal would miss this feature ofMontreal. Hope you have a great trip home in August!