Strolling along Rue St-Jean is a great way to feel the pulse of this bohemian district. The first thing that strikes you, once you've recovered from crossing busy Ave Honoré Mercier, is the area's down-to-earth ambience. Good restaurants, interesting shops and hip cafes and bars, many catering to a gay clientele, line the thoroughfare as far as Ave Turnbull. Take any side street and walk downhill (north) to the narrow residential streets like Rue d'Aiguillon, Rue Richelieu and Rue St-Olivier.
On these narrow streets, the miniature, scrunched-together wooden houses, some with lovely entrances, are typical of Québec City's residential landscape. The fanciful protruding oriel windows are distinctive too.
To the southwest of Rue St-Jean, the colorful strip of storefronts along Ave Cartier in the Montcalm neighborhood has exploded in recent years with mostly chichi eateries, cafes and boutiques. It's most buzzing on hot days when the dozen or so terraces open up for business. The epicenter of this little restaurant district is located at the intersection of Ave Cartier and Blvd René-Lévesque Ouest.