That's what Emma, born-and-raised Montrealer, told me when we were talking about such matters. My limited experience suggests that those two are indeed very strong contenders for the worst things about Montréal, unless you're a separatist of course.
These, then, are images of things Montréal that suck far less.
Mile End parking lot graffiti
Miche Campagne from Automne Boulangerie in La Petite-Patrie
Parc Jeanne-Mance in Mile End
Ville-Marie
Magret Duck at Au Pied de Cochon
Downtown Montréal from Parc du Mont-Royal. I spent a couple of my mornings here, running up here one of the times, in nature.
Respect for Leonard Cohen isn't the exclusive domicile of Canada, but the correlation is strong: we are, after all, in Montréal
There's a lot of foie gras in restaurants in Montréal. Here, foie gras, walnuts, endive at Toque!
Beef, Fiddleheads, Black Garlic at Toque!
La Finca, an unassuming café in downtown Montréal makes incredible croissants and excellent coffee using beans from Toronto's De Mello Palheta Coffee Roasters.
I have not seen so many phone booths in my life. I even saw people using it!
If you are looking for New York's bodega equivalent in Montréal, a dépanneur is what you want in francophone Canada
A cortado and canelé at Dispatch Coffee in the Mile X neighborhood
Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette in Milton Park, Montréal