*choke* My hotel, let me show you it.

[tenlittlebullets]

I gave up on finding a youth hostel in Paris on such short notice. Instead, I found a budget hotel on the rue Saint-Denis for 41 euros a night. I think an illustration is required to show how choke-worthy this is:



Substitute 'Rambuteau' for 'Chanverrerie' on the map and voilà--the red dot, c'est moi.

Red for the blood of angry men, and also for red-light district, because most of the online reviews of the place consist of "decent cheap place, centrally located, but omg there are sex shops nearby, horrors!" Courfeyrac would be proud.

I am also staying in the same hotel in Montreuil-sur-Mer as Hugo allegedly did, though the exact room wasn't available.

What is this "life" you speak of? I don't need one.

Comments

[mmejavert.livejournal.com]

I eagerly await photos of revolutionary graffiti. ;)

[nae-trews.livejournal.com]

Enjoy Paris! I just got back from studying abroad there, and while I loved running off to the countryside, there is simply nothing quite like the city itself, flaws and all! I'm insanely jealous, I'm so heartsick for it!

St. Denis is certainly rough in spots, but it's close to some neat shit. You're really close to the Rue de Rivoli and all the big tourist spots, which can be a bit a bit jarring and annoying, but otherwise worth a visit. However, you're also a very pleasant walk away from Ile de la Cité and the Marais, which were my favorite parts of the city. The Marais in particular is worth a visit for the Place des Vosges, with hotel no. 6 being a former home of Victor Hugo and open for visit! I'll never forget stumbling around drunk during the Fête de la musique (aka, the ultimate citywide par-tay), screaming to my friends "OMG haaaaiiii, Victor Hugo!!!!!"

But I DIGRESS.

You'll also be up to your ass in free or cheap concerts, most of them in some of the most gorgeous chuches in Paris. I saw an amazing Bach concert at Notre Dame - the evening ambiance, acoustics, and quality of the performance alone astounded me, and all I paid was the paltry sum of 10 Euro. It's also worth running to the box offices of the Opéra national de Paris at the Opéra Garnier and the Opéra Bastille. Depending on your timing, it's pretty easy to swipe a ridiculously cheap seat. I lucked out both times I went to Garnier - my partial view seats upgraded to pure awesome because of no-show patrons and very nice ushers. 7 Euro for La Traviata? Wonderful! The Opéra Bastille is also quite nice - the acoustics are amazing, as are most seats! If you can manage to get seats, take advantage of it and go!

Obviously, just be smart and careful at night, especially if you're alone and especially because you're very close to Les Halles. It's not the sex shops you'll worry about, because - hey - it's just a sex shop. Rather, it's the people - all the drug dealers, prostitute, and creepy assholes reign over Les Halles at night - my roommate and I learned that the hard way. You could be the most hideous person in the world, and there will still be at least ten people who will try -and rather crudely- to get into your pants. Most of Paris is quite safe at night, but the first thing my host mother told me when I mentioned I was running around Les Halles all afternoon was that it was a place to be avoided at night if you're alone. Only she said it in much more colorful French.