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PARIS ... best area to stay w 16 y.o. daughter??

PARIS ... best area to stay w 16 y.o. daughter??

Old Aug 14th, 2013, 05:05 AM
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PARIS ... best area to stay w 16 y.o. daughter??

hi all! as a special 16th birthday gift, i'm taking my daughter to paris for 1 week this october .. .. YAY!!!! we're renting an apartment via airbnb, but i'm not sure what area to stay in. i've narrowed down to a handful of options within our budget (approx $70usd/night). i've traveled to paris previously & was lucky enough to stay in saint-germain! unfortunately, our budget doesn't seem to allow for that area, which i think my daughter would have enjoyed.

any advice on which of these streets (i realize some may be ambiguous-- but airbnb will only give st name, not exact address!) might be the best option for a mother & daughter? i love the charm & "parisian feel" (cobblestones, old buildings) of the latin quarter. but we also don't mind quirky, more modern areas, but in a "charming - artistic - not too ruckus" sort of way (if you know what a mean).

any advice or insight you can give me into these areas will be so greatly appreciated. (some are at the top top end of our budget, but if it's worth it, i might have to bite the bullet.) THANKS -- LINDA

1. Rue des Pyrénées
2. Rue Arthur Rozier
3. Rue Dugommier
4. Rue Richer
5. Rue du Marché Popincourt
6. Rue de Clignancourt
7. Avenue de Clichy
8. Rue Championnet
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 05:50 AM
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Had to google virtually all of these to find the area of each

1. I've heard this area is nice (Belleville; 20th) but have no actual experience of it.

2. No experience or opinion I'm afraid (19th)

3. Mmm...near Bercy...could get a bit rough at night. Wouldn't be my first choice.

4. Nice area (near rue de Provence/blvd Haussmann). A bit touristy but fine. Just watch your bags when you're out (as pickpockets will naturally be more prevalent in touristic areas) and all will be well My parents have stayed in this area before and I would do it myself - very convenient and central.

5. Not that far from the Marais. No experience of this particular area (as it borders the 11th rather than being central Marais) but should be fine.

6. and 8. Not really familiar with the area (18th).

7. Not that familiar with it but it should be OK if you want to go with it. I've heard that Batignolles and the surrounding area is nice


Hope that helps a tiny bit!
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 05:59 AM
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Hi LC,

If you enter the names you've given us "Get Directions" at www.google.com you will see that they are all on the Right Bank: some pretty far out.

I think that the one on Rue du Marché Popincourt might be the best for you based solely on the location.

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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 06:52 AM
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thanks for all the info! also have another possibility on Rue Richard Lenoir, which i am told is in the Bastille area.

.. . ..thoughts on that as well??
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 06:55 AM
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That's very close to the rue Popincourt, so same comments apply.
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 07:14 AM
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An apartment for $70/night? Sounds iffy to me. I'd stay fewer nights to be in better lodging and walkable distances. Especially for a 16 year old's intro to Paris.
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 08:33 AM
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Don't confuse Rue Richard Lenoir with Boulevard Richard Lenoir. Or Rue du Marché Popincourt with Rue Popincourt. Quite different locations.

Have you tried using Google Street View to look at these streets?
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 09:13 AM
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I'd suggest the Popincourt as the top choice, most of these I wouldn't remotely consider at all. DIdn't you even look at a map to see where they are? Many are very inconvenient locations, someone who has never been there shouldn't consider them.

The one on rue Richer might be second choice, I stay in the 9th some, it's okay but that may not be that close to a metro stop. It depends where it is, actually. I wouldn't call the area too touristy myself, it is farther south, although I note that is the street the FOlies Bergere is on. It can be seedy around there.

The one on Avenue de Clichy might be okay, but it wouldn't be my first choice location compared to the 11th.
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 10:51 AM
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if it helps, here are the links to the specific apartments i am considering. i truly appreciate any insight into these areas more so than feedback on the specific accommodations, per se). my daughter & i don't require much. we are down to earth people, and sharing a bed is not unheard of! (neither is contending with killer stairs if it means keeping within budget!) thanks so much!!

1. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1363726
2. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/807542
3. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1505716
4. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1425408
5. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1405158
6. https://www.airbnb.com/z/q/21481459
7. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/636575
8. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1066888

oops! and a couple more...
9. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1395063
10. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1362861
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 01:49 PM
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1. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1363726 NO
2. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/807542 NO
3. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1505716 NO
4. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1425408 - MAYBE
5. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1405158 - NO tiny
6. https://www.airbnb.com/z/q/21481459 - nonfunctional link
7. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/636575 - maybe. small but OK
8. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1066888 - NO Tiny, 6th floor walkup

oops! and a couple more...
9. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1395063 - No
10. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1362861 - Maybe
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 04:38 PM
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seamus. . thank you for your feedback. do i assume the "NO's" are because of the area/neighborhood??
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 06:21 PM
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sorry. . the correct link to #6 is https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/469169
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 06:26 PM
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Well, they'd certainly be NOs because of the neighborhood in my case IF I were taking a 16-year-old on a first trip to Paris (not otherwise - I'm fine with at least many of the neighborhoods). You really don't have much of a selection that would work all that well for a first-time visit for a 16-year-old, unless she is used to multi-ethnic lower- to middle-class neighborhoods and isn't expecting to be residing in some "magical" place in Paris (and if she is, more power to her). It totally depends on expectations. And I in no way mean to be racist or disparaging. I love the Belleville and Ménilmontant and Quartier Africain parts of Paris because they are so much a part of Paris and its culture and have such immeasurable offerings in terms of culture and food and art. Just wondering if, at 16, my mom introduced me to Paris (which I'd probably have had some preconceived ideas about), I'd not be thinking this isn't exactly what I had in mind.

You say you are very low-key and adaptable, and I get that, because so are we. I guess the slight disconnect comes because the last (only other) time you were in Paris you were in St-Germain. None of the areas you are targeting is anything like that. They are wonderful, they are vibrant, but what is it, exactly, that you want your child to come home to every night after seeing the Tour Eiffel or the Arc de Triomphe, or being on a Seine Cruise? What is she expecting?

I admire and respect your willingness to go outside the box and select some neighborhoods most tourists to Paris would avoid. It's just that it's only, as I understand it, your second trip to Paris, and your daughter's first. I would be a bit apprehensive that she would come away thinking Paris was the French equivalent of Detroit...which again, isn't a bad thing, but not what most people have first and foremost in their minds when they plan a trip to....PARIS!!!

Not sure I'm being too good at expressing what I want to say...just would hope that you can plan a trip that will leave your daughter with lasting impressions of the city that will be positive and make her want to go back.

Is she helping you with the planning? She's plenty old enough to do it.
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Old Aug 14th, 2013, 08:55 PM
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Those "No" responses are because of location as well as the properties themselves. I strongly advise you to not book a studio unless it is large enough (no less than 25 sq meters and that's a minimum) to each have some semblance of your own space. No matter how close and loving you and your daughter's relationship, at some point in the trip you will each need to have a space to tuck away by yourself.
A rule of thumb to translate the size of the apartment in square meters into square feet is to multiply by 10. (Not mathematically exact but close enough.) So a 20 sq meter studio is about the size of a budget hotel room in the US. Do you really think you would still have a good relationship after spending a week in a foreign country in that cramped a space?

Just noticed that #10 is a 5th floor walk u - puts it in the No category.
#6 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/469169 - not an area that would be my first choice, but of the lot it goes in the maybe column. Looks like it is in a building at 105 rue de Clignancourt, close to the Metro Marcadet Poissonniers which is served by lines 4 and 12 which will get you to many popular tourist sites with one transfer or less, in addition to bus lines serving the area. (For a first time visitor riding the bus provides a chance to see more than using the metro)

If the choice is down to one the places you are considering or not going at all, I'd rank them as #4, #6, #7 and scrap the rest.
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Old Aug 15th, 2013, 02:04 AM
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A studio is going to be too small for the two of you unless you are OK with sharing the fold-out sofa bed that a studio will inevitably have. I shared a studio for 3 months with my boyfriend...We moved to a 1-bed flat as soon as we could.
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Old Aug 15th, 2013, 06:39 AM
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Your first post talks about how you want some charming area, maybe artistic, love cobblestones, etc. Then you pick some working class immigrant neighborhoods, there is a disconnect here which I'm having trouble with. And others are just far out and maybe dull and inconvenient. This is a vacation, what people want on their first vacation trip to a historic city like Paris which they have expectations about is not living out in some immigrant suburbs. I live near some myself at home, but I would never in a million years suggest that would be the place a tourist should stay when visiting Wash DC, they aren't coming for that reason.

So your first stated desires are contradictory from the idea that you are down to earth people who don't require much. But these locations aren't where someone wants to stay on a vacation if the purpose is to see some of the famous sites and history of a city for the first time for a week.

The studio on rue Dugommier is really dreadful, I couldn't stand to stay in that and it isn't a very convenient or nice area anyway. I'd get depressed just walking into it. So are the lat two you posted around Nation metro which is basically one small room (27 m2) and then the one on Richard Lenoir (now that location is okay but that looks like my garage or the way 20 yr old guys live--actually, that does look like who the owner is pretty much).

Now the one on rue Richer (owner Hamid) doesn't make me sick, it is kind of attractive for a small studio, and as I said, that location isn't terrible. I'd go for that one (I admit I didn't look at all of these) EXCEPT it is really for one person or maybe a very friendly couple. That bed isn't a queen or king, in fact, it looks like it could even be smaller than a standard double bed size (you find that sometimes in Paris, double beds less than 140 cm, which is about the std double bed).

THe one on Popincourt is ok by location but I would never consider that, it doesn't even have a bed, just a pullout sofa and it looks like it is really just a futon or day bed type thing.

I couldn't find the one on rue de Clignancourt from the link but did find this one https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/694182
See, now that is okay but still pretty cheap and while it is near place Anvers and Montmartre, that area is okay and pretty convenient. And it is a walkup but only 3 floors and has both a double bed and a sofabed. It has a nice modern shower.
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 12:59 PM
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ok, ok! i am taking all of what you are saying to heart. so thank you for talking a bit of sense into me (. ..perhaps). i'm sticking with airbnb. but i have increased my budget (not by much -- but i've opened up some new locations that seem to be more central. i'd have to say i agree that being centrally located will enhance my daughter's overall experience!

incidentally, my first trip to paris was a prize for winning a design competition (i'm an architect). . . saint germain was not my choice, it's just where they put me up. not too shabby

so -- if i may once again ask for feedback on the areas of my options, below. these apartments are still small, and some may require shared bed, but that's ok with us. we've talked about it again, and my daughter reiterated that this is fine and generally speaking, she's not "fussy" (which she's not.. a very a-typical teenager i'm proud to say!).

the contenders:

1a. (rue des boulangers) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/285257
2a. OMITTED
3a. (rue de l'arrivee) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1198438
4a. (rue de l'avre) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1345551
5a. (cite falguiere) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/881224
6a. (rue du chateau d'eau) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1424399
7a. (rue du cardinal lemoine) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1376298
8a. (rue de sevres) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1070677 ((only 1 photo -- i contacted the owner and she was kind enough to send me additional pix right away -- they were okay -- place just didn't have tons of character))
9a. (19 rue du clos feuquiere) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1376298 ((ok, so this owner is moving to the specific address listed above. she mailed me photos of the raw space -- a haussman bldg, gorgeous and large - 35m2. she will give new photos when the new place is set up w the current furnishings. same price, etc.))

thanks, all!!
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 01:14 PM
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oops! link to 9a should be https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1352444
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 01:14 PM
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1a...better location, but you realise that room you see is it? And a pull out sofa? Definitely would not be a choice for me.

I highly agree with the person above who said no studio...or a pull out sofa! That would get way too confining for a week!

So that leaves 4a, 6a, 7a
9a is the same as 7a.

I would pick 7a of the bunch based only on location.

Why just stick with air b&b options?
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 02:25 PM
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A space less than 25 or so square meters must be very well designed, decorated and maintained in order to approach tolerable for a week's stay, and the ones you are considering are not. Maybe www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1143152 would be tolerable. Even better would be www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p856946. in fact, unless there is some specific reason to use only airbnb, you might do well to have a look on www.homeaway.com.

1a. (rue des boulangers) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/285257 - Hell, NO! 13 sq m??? Run, Toto, run!
2a. OMITTED
3a. (rue de l'arrivee) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1198438 NO - way too tiny, again
4a. (rue de l'avre) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1345551 - this place looks pretty seedy - peeling paint, chipped tile, etc. meh
5a. (cite falguiere) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/881224 - another 20meter matchbox - and the toilet is out in the hallway - NO!
6a. (rue du chateau d'eau) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1424399 - yuck even the photos look grimy
7a. (rue du cardinal lemoine) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1376298 - NO (see 5a above)
8a. (rue de sevres) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1070677 ((only 1 photo -- i contacted the owner and she was kind enough to send me additional pix right away -- they were okay -- place just didn't have tons of character)) - doesn't have much of anything based on the description. I'd pass on this one
9a. (19 rue du clos feuquiere) https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1376298 ((ok, so this owner is moving to the specific address listed above. she mailed me photos of the raw space -- a haussman bldg, gorgeous and large - 35m2. she will give new photos when the new place is set up w the current furnishings. same price, etc.)) - yeah, and the check is in the mail. NO!

None of these is any better than the previous list. Still would go with #4, #6, #7 or look on another site.
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