Archinect
anchor

paris hip? where?

johnszot

so, first another big ups for the help on the london thread - prize goes to psyarch for some sweet indepth info.

i made a day-trip to Paris today; on a whim and in search of same kind of stuff (see London thread). didn't find it tho. i cruised Belleville, Menilmontant, Pigalle/Sacre Coeur, and around the Pompidou (although that last one was a weak candidate i know). didn't see the kind of thing i saw on Brick Lane (i.e. - the ultrahip), but generally Paris is more gritty and got some good photos.

but i ask YOU. who knows Paris and where are the too-cool-4-school hiding?

 
Oct 12, 07 7:31 pm
sanofiSYN

well, the marais is considered a pretty hip, ubercool place, but not really in a st. mark's kind of way. more gentrified.

Oct 12, 07 11:53 pm  · 
 · 
French

do you meanhip architectural or hip in general?

Oct 13, 07 3:56 am  · 
 · 
johnszot

french - good question - def not architectural hip...the general 'hip'; harder to define maybe, but you know it when you see it.

Oct 13, 07 6:19 am  · 
 · 
French

so more like shopping and or going out at night and stuff?
It really depends on what you mean by hip. To me the neigborhood that's evolving to become the next hip neighborhood is around metro Jaures/Stalingrad.
This week end the "puces du desing" are ther if you're still in Paris.
There a lot of movie theater, concert venues (tthe point FMR), a few really nice bars (including my own favortie which I'm not mentionning anymore in forums since it's becoming overcrowded on sunny days)...
But it's more some sort of young/alternative kind of crowd.
The place at night that's completely packed with cute chicks is a really small club, situated far away from there but nearby the Palais de Tokyo: le Baron. I hate this place because I can get inside only if I'm with like five or six amazingly beautiful women which doesn't happen often, and the guy at the entrey, a suposedly artist, is a dick. But it's a trendy place.
I got more for you if you can be more specific about your needs...

Oct 13, 07 8:05 am  · 
 · 
johnszot

french - thanks for the xlnt tips; it's more about neighborhoods and less about cruising for action (unfortunately). Stalingrad stop tip sounds promising....

Oct 13, 07 12:31 pm  · 
 · 
AbrahamNR

I found the area around Bastille to be pretty cool. Some nice shops and bars around that area.

Oct 13, 07 1:07 pm  · 
 · 
johnszot

CM - little too vague...although it may sound like i'm just looking for something to do, my motive reaches beyond a tourist's agenda...my fault for being too vauge to begin with...

i'll try a more precise summary of what i was looking for, please forgive any sweeping generalizations here as i'm trying to be brief:

in most large cities, the resident community of creative people (artists, designers, musicians, etc.) cluster together in low-rent areas that have decent access to city center; typically this is an area in flux - could be a manufacturing zone that has been abandonded for any number of reasons (usually higher property taxes), a neighborhood that slipped into disrepair during an economic down-turn, etc. the result was a hunk of low-rent space that could be converted into make-shift living if you were so inclined, and usually it's a creative lot needing easy access to the city that has the will to do so.

the result is a quirky neighborhood rich w/ interesting stuff occupying space in inventive ways. sometimes this area sustains itself, but sometimes it's diluted by the increased value of its own real estate (ironcially) - the precursor to gentrification.

my question is - does Paris have the equivalent at the moment, and if so where is it located?

Oct 13, 07 2:59 pm  · 
 · 
AbrahamNR
CM - little too vague...although it may sound like i'm just looking for something to do, my motive reaches beyond a tourist's agenda

See I can only be vague, as I was there 2 years ago and French not being my native language I really can't remember street names for the life of me. I did google a bar I frequented in Paris "Barrio Latino" (us being a munch of puertorricans in Paris we headed for the latin bar a lot, funny thing is the bartenders spoke English but not Spanish), and it did give me the general area. Go along Rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine, Rue du Saint Antoine, and Rue du Rivoli. That's where the cool bars, shops, and restaurants I remember where.

But alas this isn't really what you're looking for, since you're looking for authentic bohemia that only a local can give you. Sorry, but I hope someone does reply here with that so I can go there when I return to Europe in a few years.
Oct 13, 07 3:28 pm  · 
 · 
johnszot

i guess that's what it boils down to? bohemia?

judging from the definition, looks like a good word for it - although in the States the word has connotations that I'm not entirely sure work with the portrait i've come to identify with these areas. however, it certainly gets to the point - better than a naive exposition on urban development, to be sure...

Oct 14, 07 6:11 am  · 
 · 
Medusa

Marche aux Puces in Saint-Ouen it pretty sweet for shopping (runs every Saturday morning). It's one of the oldest outdoor markets in Europe. It's like ebay in real life. That's the only way I can describe it. You can find anything there.

Oct 14, 07 12:17 pm  · 
 · 
PsyArch

I'm watching this one with interest, and can only offer a shameless plug for the Henry Moore & Mythology exhibition that opens this week at the [url=http://www.bourdelle.paris.fr/]Musée Bourdelle[/img].

Oct 15, 07 5:00 pm  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: