Carol

After several visits to Paris, we're going again and will finally visit Pere Lachaise cemetary. I've heard the 20th is a wonderful area and want to explore it. <BR> <BR>We know about the Edith Piaf museum, but would like other suggestions on restaurants, street markets (days,times) shops? <BR> <BR>Thanks

Christina

Not sure if I can help you a lot, but might suggest just taking a walk east on rue de Menilmontant from bd de Belleville. There's a good bakery on that street and some rose gardens around rue des Pyrenees and a park just east of there (Cite de l'Ermitage). A popular cafe is the Lou Pascalou on ru des Panoyqux(at least was there and popular a few years ago, these things change a lot) which is just south of rue de Menilmontant closer to the 11th arr. There are some sort of quaint country-ish streets SE of Pere Lachaise, off rue des Orteaux, for example. This is a large very ethnic, working class quartier and lots of it was demolished for urban renewal and then rebuilt in not so attractive a manner and may not be that thrilling. There is a large Chinatown area with tons of restaurants and markets up in the northern part, just walk east on rue de Belleville from the Belleville metro stop, for example. I would be cautious about wandering around side streets etc. There are parts of it, including cafes and market areas that are very N. African in flavor (ie, lots of couscous restaurants, cafes that may not look like Les Deux Magots) . There are some artist workshops around the NE corner, which is really called Belleville, I think, not Menilmontant, but these areas border each other. I think there are some descriptions of these neighborhoods in the Timeout Guide to Paris, you might want to check it (www.timeout.com). It seemed to me I read an article recently about this area in either the NYTimes or Wash Post Sunday Travel section, if you want to search.

Christina

uh, I made a typo, the artists ateliers are in the NW corner near the Belleville metro-- some street that begins with an R, a block or so south of Belleville metro stop.

elvira

Boatload of street markets, here's a website with a list: <BR>http://www.monquartier.com/index.phtml?ref=2576 <BR> <BR>I like the 20eme - not all gussied up for tourists...English isn't a universal language here. <BR> <BR>Get a map of Pere Lachaise (cafes and tabacs in the neighborhood sell them, or you can buy one at the cemetery; there's a book "Permanent Parisians" that's very good, with many of Paris' cemeteries, not just Pere Lachaise). <BR> <BR> <BR>

Carol

Thanks to both of you for the great info. And Elvira, that website is great - it's helping me brush up on my French!