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Post by annettecinca on Oct 20, 2007 13:35:32 GMT -5
What's your favorite area to walk at night--pleasant neighborhoods to wander after dinner, people watch, maybe have a late-night snack? I'm not so much interested in specific establishments to drink/dance, but more the name of metro stops to begin exploring from!
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Oct 21, 2007 0:34:23 GMT -5
Ile St Louis, and the areas along the Seine (and on Ile de la Cite) in the nearby vicinity.
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Post by GitteK on Oct 21, 2007 0:56:05 GMT -5
I am not a night owl myself, but everyone is talking about the Bastille area (south end of the 11th arr.): Rue de Lappe, Rue de la Roquette, Rue de Charonne.
Try and send a personal message to LuckyLuc - he is the expert in this area. If we had had IrishRovr with us still - boy, he could have given you a long list of the hotspots in the 11th. !
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Post by Shoesy on Oct 21, 2007 1:16:25 GMT -5
I wonder if Irish is aware of just how much we'd like to see him on this forum.
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Post by annettecinca on Oct 21, 2007 11:13:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestions! We're not really night owls either, and after a late dinner we're usually nodding off...but we've promised ourselves we will check out the "scene" a few nights this trip!
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Post by trechic on Oct 21, 2007 11:23:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the question, Annette! More to add to my endless list of things to do on my trip!!!
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Post by annettecinca on Oct 21, 2007 11:24:56 GMT -5
What about areas in the 5th & 6th? Would the Rue Mouffetard area be busy at night? Or stretches of Bl. St. Germain? Or rue du Cherche-Midi? Or where??? I know it's more touristy than "local", but we have never explored much in those arr. and I'd like to figure out what all the fuss is about so I can judge for myself!
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Post by geordy on Oct 21, 2007 11:33:09 GMT -5
Mouffetard was not Busy at night , except for the Pl. Contrescarpe area when I was there but that was February, maybe more so in high tourist season.
The St. Michel area of the 5th is generally lively, and around the Blvd St. Germain in the 5th and 6th.
Montparnasse around the movie theatres, big brasseries, ditto the Gran Blvds. area. And of course the Champs Elysees.
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Post by Anne on Oct 21, 2007 12:28:49 GMT -5
I already stayed in the Montparnasse area and we had dinner a few times in restaurants on the boulevard : it is very busy at night indeed, but I don't think that it's the pleasant wandering area that you are thinking about, if only for the loud noise due to heavy road traffic .
I guess that you can bet on any pedestrian street being a nice place to stroll, but as Geordy pointed out, the time of the year and weather are very much to be taken into account : since you are going end of November, you will be very much alone with no people to watch if this time happens to be the first onslaught of winter ...
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Post by GitteK on Oct 21, 2007 12:52:46 GMT -5
I have not been there myself at night and seen it, BUT it is generally recommended to stay away from Little Athens - i.e. the area between Rue St. Jaques/ Blvd St. Michel/ Blvd St. Germain, because it is said to attract a lot of drunken, shouting, hooligan-like tourists at nighttime (think Costa del Sol at its worst).
But as I said, I have not seen it myself, so it may be an exaggeration (sp?).
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Post by susanb on Oct 22, 2007 23:55:34 GMT -5
How do you phonetically pronounce Mouffetard and Montparnasse? They are words I see and say (thru reading) everyday and I'm sure that I'm not even close to saying them correctly. Its so hard to repair the mistake when you've done it wrong over and over. Thanks S
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Post by Jody on Oct 23, 2007 4:17:42 GMT -5
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Post by annettecinca on Oct 24, 2007 1:37:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the additional info on these areas. See...it's good to ask, because I wouldn't have known I might want to avoid some areas (other than the obvious!)
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Oct 24, 2007 9:54:08 GMT -5
Annette - I would agree with Gitte not to go to that area, but I would not think it would be unsafe, just unattractive and un-fun at night.
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Post by annettecinca on Oct 24, 2007 10:52:08 GMT -5
Right, I understood Gitte. We wouldn't enjoy that kind of atmosphere, so it's good to know.
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Post by sistereurope on Oct 24, 2007 12:00:45 GMT -5
I've walked through the area that Gitte described - and her description was accurate. Not dangerous, but definitely not the nice pleasant evening stroll you're looking for! (We'll be staying not too far from there so I'm hoping to be able to avoid it) Of course, away from that little triangle the area is beautiful, with Notre Dame glowing in the night...
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