On the use of place names in fiction

I’m one of those rare creatures that experiences ecstasies while walking down the street, usually provoked by a sudden glimpse of graffiti or an unexpected shade of red pushing through the foliage. Last night, as I walked to yoga, I headed west along Duluth towards Park Ave. and let loose a sigh when I cleared the convent wall.

To my right, Mont Royal was shrouded in apocalyptic clouds of grey, shot through with ashy streaks of mustard yellow. To my left, downtown Montreal lit up, the lines of the skyscrapers clearly cutting metal from sky and distant traffic lights like flickering birds of red and green.

The kind of moment that doesn’t make you regret the arrival of winter.

But it brought back a memory of my days in the Concordia Creative Writing program, when a debate broke over the use of specific place names in fiction. After one of the more outspoken students treated us to a five-minute explanation of why he hated such hackneyed touristy writing, the general consensus was 'if it's written well, it's ok'.

Lately, I’ve read a few stories and one novel set in Montreal, and their depictions (both published and non-published) of this beloved city have been uneven. In the best case, the city becomes another character, unfolding with beautiful slowness like a lotus in the palm. In the best-best case, the city and the hero evolve together towards their future.

But in the worst case, the writing comes off as forced and reminiscent of the kind of amateurish writing you sometimes do encounter in creative writing classes.

Made-up example: "I walked towards home, and hesitated before Schwartz's, Montreal's most famous deli."

This speech pattern is unrealistic for a native Montrealer. Do you think, "Montreal's most famous deli" every time you cross Schwartz's? Neither do I. So if it doesn't fall within the plausible realm of that character, that moment, then the writer should know better than to tack on such a qualifier.

In this case, the (double) mention makes the sentence less crackling because it has nothing to say about the character speaking those words or the current mood he/she in experiencing.

It does not contribute to the story. Period.

So am I totally off the mark here? What do my fellow scribes and readers think? Am I being all snobby again?