The Plateau in decline?

The November/December issue of the Utne Reader, a sort of Reader's Digest of the alternative press (though recently it's been transformed into a self-help mag for aging lefties who feel guilty about making money), rates the 15 hippest neighbourhoods in North America. And lo and behold: the Plateau rates fourth on the continent, behind New Orleans' Lower Garden District, San Francisco's Inner Mission and Brooklyn's Williamsburg area. >> But before you celebrate, consider the fact that, by the Utne's own standards, the Plateau is already past its hipness prime. As signs of decline for any hip neighbourhood, the article cites the following: the opening of a Gap store (St-Denis near Duluth); the availability of 10-dollar cigars (Wax lounge, Allegra); valet parking for restos (take your pick of the mob hangouts on the Main between Milton & Prince Arthur); restaurants that spend more on interior design than food (see above); and the proliferation of Starbucks coffee outlets (read: Second Cup). >> Utne says Little Italy is Montreal's up-and-coming neighbourhood, which means that, after 10 years of being Montreal's "next cool 'hood," St-Henri may finally be an also-ran. --Philip Preville