Surrounded by the 18th arrondissement (Montmartre) to the north, the 8th to the west, the 10th to the east and the 2nd to the south, headquarters of banks and insurance companies, it has become one of the new trendy areas of Paris, home to young creators and professionals. My friend Walid, a film director, suggests spending time at the Hotel Drouot, France’s major auction house, 9 rue Drouot, (Tel: +33 (0)1 48 00 20 20 (www.drouot.com).
Ninth Arrondissement Paris Photo Gallery
Metro: Richelieu-Drouot (Lines 8, 9) You can browse the many collections and attend an auction. I’ve already mentioned the 9th in item n°16 Covered Passageways, but there is much more to see if you just let yourself wander the little streets. Walid also takes friends to La Limonaire, , 21, rue Bergere (Tel: +33 (0)1 45 23 33 33), (Metro: Grands Boulevards) a little restaurant which is also a wine bar but above all, as it describes itself, un bistrot a chansons. Every evening young singers entertain you before the evening “spectacle” at 22:00. It is young, lively, hip and fun.
A place that I love to visit is the Hotel Scheffer-Renan, home to the Musee de la Vie Romantique, 16, rue Chaptal, Paris 9 (Metro: Saint Georges, Line 12)
This is one of my favorite spots in Paris, in the Bois de Vincennes at the eastern edge of Paris. It is made up of four very distinct landscaped areas. Lotus and water lily, bamboo and bonsai, seasonal flower beds, peacocks strutting around at will, it is a very pleasant place to walk, have a picnic, listen to a free concert. The park also has play areas for children, a little train and peddle carriages for rent. Unfortunately the website is in French only, Metro: Chateau de Vincennes (Line 1); RER A -Vincennes station
