FabulousFrance

Headed to Paris this December and not sure which apt to stay in.
I have stayed in the 7th one other December and loved the feel of the neighborhood, but I am thinking maybe I should expand my experience and stay in a new area.
I am looking at an apt near Rue Montorgueil, but now having second thought after searching the forum and finding comments about the surrounding park and St Denis being a seedy area.

Here are my two top choices.
Rue Montorgueil:
http://adrianleeds.com/parler-paris-...nts/la-greneta
And the apt in the 7th
http://www.parisperfect.com/apartmen...-de-beaune.php

For me, the top concerns are safety walking home late at night, and quite at night-not above a bar like my last apt in the 6th
.
Your thoughts on which one I should choose?
thank you

FrenchMystiqueTours

The comments you've read about the park at Châtelet-les-Halles and the nearby rue Saint-Denis being unsafe/creepy are outdated or were made by uninformed people who don't spend much time in the area. I walk up and down rue Montorgueil just about every day at all times of the day, from before sunrise until well after midnight and there are no safety issues whatsoever. The same is true of rue Saint-Denis and that whole neighborhood in general. The huge park at Châtelet-les-Halles has been fenced off and closed for a couple of years now as there is a several years long renovation occurring there. The reason they are doing so is because the park was poorly designed and not well lit at night and provided a haven for creepy people. Within days of fencing off the park the unsavory element that once had a home there was deprived of a place to hang out and disappeared completely. As for nearby rue Saint-Denis, there are still a few sex shops there but they have been disappearing and probably won't be there much longer. The people that go to these places don't want to be noticed and aren't going to bother anyone. Ninety nine percent of the people walking up and down rue Saint-Denis are normal people completely uninterested in sex shops.

This is one of the liveliest neighborhoods in Paris and is full of people at all times of the day and night who are there to enjoy the quarter. It's a wonderful neighborhood and I would highly recommend whatever location near rue Montorgueil that you might be considering. I'll be frequenting a few of the bars in that neighborhood again tonight as I do on most Saturday nights, including ones on rue Saint-Denis.

kerouac

Rue Montorgueil is perhaps the very best area that anybody can stay in Paris.

FrenchMystiqueTours

I didn't address your noise/quiet question so I will say that rue Montorgueil is a very lively street but the street the apartment is on (rue Mauconseil) is on the lower end of the street and the shops/stores immediately adjacent to the corner of that street are mostly food oriented. The majority of the bars/cafés are north of rue Etienne Marcel so that's where noise would more likely be an issue. But you might ask the management company if you could write to a few of the past tenants to ask questions about any noise problems.

FabulousFrance

FrenchMystiqueTours & Kerouac merci for your replies...exactly what I was hoping to hear.
One last question, the 7th in December was very charming with Christmas lights strung across the main streets-rue Cler & Saint Dominique. Will rue Montorgueil be like that in December?

FrenchMystiqueTours

Many pedestrian streets and primary boulevards are lit with Christmas lights all over Paris so it will be the same as the 7th was.

Judy

I was there last December. Rue Montorgueil had lights strung across the street and the area was decorated.

FabulousFrance

Merci for the info...looking forward to exploring a new area in Paris

kerouac

Here is rue Montorgueil last Christmas.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...202012/021.jpg

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...2012/017-1.jpg

FabulousFrance

Kerouac-fabulous pictures-merci!

basingstoke2

we rented an apartment a few hundred steps from Rue Montorgueil and would do it again in a heartbeat. Every morning I would be at Stohrer's at 7:30 to buy our breakfast and watch Rue Montorgueil come to life...the perfect way to begin a day in Paris.

chutney

We are going back to Paris in September and have reserved an apartment on Rue Tiquetone. This is the first time to stay in this neighborhood. So glad to read the feedback. It looked close to several metros and, obviously, Rue Montorgueil was a big draw.
I'll report back when we return.

basingstoke2

You will love being near Rue Montorgueil. Here are some more pictures in addition to Keroacs wonderful shots. One is of La Grille Montorgueil - we found it to have excellent food at down to earth prices, not cheap but reasonable. The food photos are taken at that restaurant. The plate on the right with meat is duck - delicious. The plate on the left is a dinner salad.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/basings...7605177895196/

chutney

Wow! The street looks fantastic! Can't wait!
I'll have to check out La Grille. Your meal looks great!
Thanks for sending the pictures.

basingstoke2

Thanks chutney - it is my favorite market street in Paris. Check out Stohrer's - you can see it in two different photos. They have been in that location since 1730 and their croissants and pastries are fantastic. For a special treat, try their Baba al Rhum. They invented it and supply it to Buckingham palace. Hint, don't drive after eating it - it's potent. BTW, that duck dish certainly was delicious as was the salad DW ordered.

An impressionist view of Rue Montorgueil by Monet: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.c...873-187815.htm

FrenchMystiqueTours

I'll also recommend the restaurant Stuart Friendly, which is on rue Marie Stuart just off rue Montorgueil. The northern end of rue Montorgueil turns into rue des Petits Carreaux and you can also try the restaurant Les Petits Carreaux. Just 1 block north of here after crossing rue Réaumur I highly recommend the restaurant l'Assiette à Carreaux. And if you are a foodie and can get a reservation then Frenchie is just across the street from here on rue du Nil.

chutney

Thanks for the restaurant recommendations! Can't wait to go to Stoher's too. How were their baguettes?

basingstoke2

I can't say because I bought my baguettes at the Boulangerie just down the street that says Alain Brule on the window. I have a picture of that place too - it is the reddish storefront. They were wonderful there as well. Try the fromage shop too, they will also make a cheese sandwich to go, and that place that has chickens roasting outside is also great - something to take back to the apartment. There is also a small place on the street, I do not recall the name, that is sort of French fast food. It is very good, quick, and cheap.

FrenchMystiqueTours

The entire street is primarily dedicated to food: restaurants, cafés, boulangeries, fromageries, pâtisseries, charcuteries, boucheries, cavistes, supermarkets, places to grab a quick bite etc. Pretty much anything you can think of food related is found on this street.

chutney

Sounds perfect!
We have always stayed on the left bank,. I'm looking forward to trying a new area.