The Plateau is the neighbourhood that best embodies Montréal's creative, bilingual, slightly bohemian character. The main arteries — boulevard Saint-Laurent (the Main) and rue Saint-Denis — are lined with independent cafés, record shops, secondhand bookstores and restaurants of every kind. The residential streets between them are quiet and charming, full of the spiral exterior staircases that are a Montréal architectural trademark. This is a great area for an aimless walk that turns into a long lunch. Rue Bernard and avenue du Mont-Royal are the local high streets for smaller shops and everyday cafés.