After looking at tons of websites, I think we've settled on an apartment with a great view near the Francois Xavirer metro stop in hte 7th arr. Looks like we can connect pretty easily to other lines, and we will be an a quiet residential street.

ANyone have any firsthand kmnowledge of that exact area - safety, anything else ot look out for? Althought we knew nothing of Rick Stevers, we independently fell in love w/ the 7th on our first trip there several years ago...butlove walkign around Montmartre and other areas..

Seems like there are a lot of apts for weekly rental in Montmartre but nothing with the view and amenities we have seen on the one we plan to rent..

Any thoughts welcome - thanks! I second and third guess all of my decisions so...

Stayed in an apartment at the corner of Babylone and Vaneau in 2004, near the Fancois Xavier Metro. Fine neighborhood--fairly residential. We enjoyed our stay. If I go back some day, I may stay in another part of town just for variety, but woudln't mind staying there again if that's where I found my preferred apartment.

You are roughly situated between Invalides, Rodin museum and Bon Marche dept store. Not bad.

there is a market on Breteuil a couple times a week:
http://parismarkets.net/Saxe-Breteuil.html

mztery--our apartment last month (ave de Breteuil)was in this general area. For metros, we were about equidistant from François Xavier and Ecole Militaire. It is, as you have noted, made up of mostly quiet, residential streets, which is exactly what we wanted. Our tastes may differ from yours (we're not fans of Montmartre, for example, even for walking around), but I cannot imagine any aspects of the François X. area that one would find unpleasant or inherently unsafe. For us, this neighborhood had it all: charm, convenience, quiet, and a totally Parisian feel. Congratulations on your choice--a well-equipped apartment, esp. in the 7th, is an ideal base for the Paris experience !

St François Xavier is a totally dead tranquil area, perfect for some people and total poison for others.

It is calm, but within easy walking distance of lots of things, as well as easy Métro connections.

I love Montmartre, but this is far more convenient, and it's a fine neighborhood.