Elin and Emmanuel live in the Saint Léonard suburb of Montreal. It was built largely in the 1950s and 60s: the duplex where they're renting the top floor was built in 1961, and is owned by a couple who came from Italy as young people. They are avid gardeners, with fruit trees and tomatoes in back, and on the front steps, gorgeous geraniums.
Earlier in the summer the bromeliad to the left of the picture was even more spectacular, but I never had my camera when I was visiting and it was in bloom.Down the street a family of Vietnamese origin have installed a water garden. The flowers around the pond bloom in a well-considered order, and the fish swim happily.
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Saint-Léonard, with its attached duplexes (many of these are actually triplexes, as they feature a "granny flat" for the older generation)and some high-rise blocks, is actually denser than many postwar suburbs. It is a pity that the blue line of the métro did not get built out to St-Léonard and Anjou as was originally planned.
Parts of Jean-Talon East are not very welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists though - it is sort of an autoroute.
As your second photo indicates, it is becoming more multi-cultural. Originally the population was essentially Italian immigrants and Francophone Québecois: now there are many Latin Americans - from different countries, Haitians and Maghrebis as well, and some Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians. There is a very good Sino-Cambodian supermarket in nearby St-Michel, Kim Phat on Jarry, with foods from the whole region and good seafood. http://www.kimphat.com/outlets.html
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