NDG: Monkland Village and the green streets
The leafy west-end village — Monkland Avenue's cafés, the green streets, and Girouard Park. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Villa-Maria station
Start at the metro on the edge of NDG, beside the old Villa-Maria convent grounds. Walk south and west into the residential grid; the through-traffic falls away and the streets go quiet within a couple of blocks.

2. Girouard Park
A green block of mature trees and a small pool, the kind of neighbourhood park where the whole street seems to know each other. Cut through it rather than around; it sets the register for the whole walk.

3. The green streets — Marcil, Melrose, Old Orchard
The residential heart of NDG: rows of duplexes and triplexes with the city's signature outdoor staircases, deep front gardens, and a canopy that closes overhead in summer. Wander any of these south towards Monkland; you can't go wrong.

4. Monkland Avenue — the village
The high street the neighbourhood is built around: cafés, a bookshop, restaurants, the shops people actually use. This is Monkland Village. Walk it slowly with a coffee; the terraces fill up in the afternoon and the pace is the point.

5. Décarie end of Monkland
The avenue runs west to the bridge over the Décarie trench. You don't have to go all the way; turn back when the shops thin out. The village has a clear edge, and this is it.

6. Vendôme station
Head north-east out of the village to the metro and commuter-rail hub at Vendôme. It's the practical way out, and one stop on the Orange line puts you back towards downtown.

NDG: Monkland Village and the green streets