I stole this picture from http://bilodeau.blogs.com/photos/mcgill_university/20030604arts.html and modified it to suit my own ends... --Tux

The Arts BuildingTwo hundred years ago, McGill was the name of a successful Montreal merchant with a vision. Today, it's a name that sparks recognition around the world and opens doors for graduates like no other Canadian university. Great thinkers have passed through the gates of McGill and its students have a reputation for being bright, ambitious and likely to succeed. It's an exciting place to study, with a rich history and a wealth of diversity. The downtown campus is nestled at the foot of Mount Royal Park, facing the commercial district in the heart of the city. The campus consists of 70 buildings, both heritage and modern, that span 32 hectares (80 acres) of prime real estate.
(excerpted from the McGill Website)

It's certainly true that McGill has a good reputation as a school. McGill stands out as one of the largest unbroken pieces of property in the downtown area. The age and complexity of the place drew UEM like a siren's call. Our first explorations were tentative. Basements, public areas, a few rooftops, but with time, our confidence grew, and we were soon spelunking the depths of the steam tunnels and utility rooms as if we'd explored there our whole lives.

These expeditions uncovered the somewhat disparate system of steamThe downtown campus from the roof of the MacDonald Building tunnels, a multitude of machine and utility rooms, and a whole bunch of rooftops offering us beautiful views of the campus and Montreal's downtown core.

Additionally, we were lucky enough to get into the McTavish reservoir and the steam tunnels connected to it, and while we were downtown, a few buildings we might not otherwise have been too. We spent literally months exploring as much of the campus as we could, and we didn't even see everything. Much awaits the explorer who follows in our footsteps and takes in a few of McGill nooks and crannies.

The road to hell... a cramped, hot as hell, really long, steam tunnel. Our favourite part of McGill was probably the underground. Steam tunnels (some barely human-passable) link up most of the buildings on campus, carrying steam, electricity, fiber optic cables, and water. Doubtless other materials, of which we are unaware, flow through the pipes too. There's also a few utility rooms and interesting (otherwise inaccessible) basements connected to the steam tunnel system.

A few things to watch out for while you're exploring McGill
(or looking through our galleries):

Elvis Grafitti

The King of Rock'n'Roll seems to have explored almost as much of the McGill campus as we did. You can find his tags, and his thanks, all over the forbidden areas of McGill.

Lonesome Chairs

Almost every building we visited on the McGill campus had chairs in improbable places. Too filthy and out of the way to sit on, we can't help but think that the chairs are up to something.

Scary Warning Signs

Radiation, Biohazards, High Pressure Steam, Asbestos, Mechanical rooms with high speed equipment... there are a thousand ways to die at McGill... better bring your protective equipment!

In conclusion, McGill is one massive, complicated, rewarding place to explore. We hope you enjoy our report on the subject as much as we enjoyed compiling it.