billandcindy

We were in your neighborhood for 3 months last year, including the entire month of May. The weather can be iffy in May (especially for Floridians like us!), so be prepared to make changes to your plans. In the nearby Sévres-Babylone area there are a number of interesting streets, including (the aforementioned) Rue du Bac and Rue du Cherche Midi, as well as (not mentioned yet) Rue du Dragon and Rue d'Assas. I recommend you walk up and down each of them. Also, two great churches in your area are St. Sulpice (it and the adjoining square are especially picturesque at night) and, even nearer to your apartment, St. Clotilde. On Rue de Babylone and across from the Prime Minister's house (mentioned above), there is a lovely, hidden, small park that you should definitely visit. As for larger green spaces, we absolutely adore the Luxembourg Gardens, which you should try to visit more than once. And because my wife and I are big walkers, we walked several times a week to another nice, relatively large park (also mentioned earlier), Park Montsouris. Although we cooked in more often than eating out, we did enjoy the restaurants on Cherche Midi. Off Cherche Midi, but in that general area, is the Oudinot Restaurant. C'est très français. We ended up taking our guests there. On the museum front, check out two smaller ones -- the Marmottan Monet (an Impressionist gold mine in the 16th Arondissement) and the Jaquemart-André (18th c. paintings in a 19th c. house in the 8th Arondissement -- go for a light lunch or afternoon tea!). And, if you have time and it's a nice day, walk to the Montparnasse Tower and take the elevator to the top -- you'll get a breathtaking, 360 degree view of Paris!. Finally, for a change, and to avoid the throng of tourists elsewhere, I would definitely recommend the gardens in Sceaux (almost as impressive as those at Versailles), a short (10 km) ride to the south on the RER B train. Have fun -- and perhaps we'll see you on the streets or at the Bon Marché (where everyone seems to go), as we'll be there this May as well!!!