I left Montreal 55 years ago yet I cannot get Queen Mary, the corner of Decarie, out of mind. And I am very grateful for that.

On the North West corner of this junction stood the kiosk where Nana Sadie used to buy her American “papers”, which included the Daily Mirror. I never asked my petite elderly Montreal-born grandma, her hands gnarled by arthritis, why she only read newspapers from NYC. It remains a mystery to me.

On that same corner was Miss Snowden, the diner where Nana took me for lunch. My favorite dish was liver and mashed potatoes. I would order in French and Nana, whose language skills were zilch, told me she was so proud of me. “I’m very ashamed that I cannot speak French”, she often told me. “But I couldn’t learn even if I tried”.

Around the corner was the chocolate store, Laura Secord. My Dad had told me a thousand times that Laura was “a rabid anti-Semite”. Nana agreed and told me that Laura Secord is, nevertheless, the  “VERY best chocolate in town”. She would order a few small bags of goodies, including pecans covered with chocolate.

On the South West Corner of Decarie and Queen Marie was a jeweler (bijouterie) named Houle. It was a small store with expensive merchandise. My grandmother used to go window shopping there. Not only window shopping, apparently because one time, Monsieur Houle greeted Nana with, “bonjour Madame Schwartz, comment ca va?”

Moleen’s dress shop was on the South East corner of Decarie and Queen Mary. Moleen’s was owed by Fay Zack Foreman Liverman, my dear other grandmother, the British one. Moleen’s was robbed and Nana Fay lost everything; her insurance had expired one week before the theft. After that, she became financially dependent on her daughters, which did not interfere with her living to almost 100, bless her soul. To this day, I can imitate a British accent perfectly.

On the North East corner of Decarie, Papa Harry and Nana Fay lived, ie, lived in the same apartment. To say that they lived together is a stretch of the imagination, a big stretch to be honest. Papa Harry died when I was 6 but I remember their apartment pretty well. I also remember Mrs Foster, who lived opposite Nana Fay and Papa Harry. She must have been over one hundred. Nana Fay always called her “old Mrs Foster”.

In the vicinity of the Reign Marie et Decarie junction were The House of Wong, Morrie Hefts, Reitman and Woolworths.

The MTC (now called STM) had many buses passing thru this junction. The 48 to St Jacques (St James); the 17 to Cartierville; the 65 to downtown Montreal and the 19 serving Hampstead. And the 66. And others.

My dentist, Dr Vosberg also had his office in this area, right next to Miss Snowden. From the age of 8, I used to go there on my own, taking the 116 and 17, with a change at Garland station. There were two Vosberg dentists: Clarence and Fred. Fred was my dentist. He died only recently.

Yes, Fred was my dentist; Fay and Sadie were my grandmothers, and until 1970, Montreal was my beautiful city, which I hold to this day in a special place in my memories.