It has been a long long time since I’ve walked along boulevard Saint Laurent. I, like almost everyone else, avoided this street during its war-zone construction days. The work was finally finished in December to a big collective sigh of relief. Since then, I’ve been meaning to go back and check out the improvements but was too busy over the holidays to do so.

I recently had the chance to walk up the street in the early evening hours and was quite pleased with the new wider sidewalks. Despite the upgrade, the street doesn’t seem to have returned to its old bustling self just yet. Traffic was moving but there didn’t seem to be as much volume as in the pre-construction days. Sidewalks were not as people-packed either and there was no line-up outside Schwartz. The smell of roasting chicken wafting out from Coco Rico was delightful and it made me sad to think that this street and the businesses were put through the ringer for so long. It will take a while for people to start making their way back to the Main but hopefully they will.

Related posts:

1. The Main - Still Under Construction
2. My New Street
3. Bright Lights Big City
4. Strange coincidence
5. A University Ritual