Paris 10eme/GdNord - closer description of neighborhood?

Hi,

For several reasons, including transportation convenience, I'll be
staying in the 10eme during this year's trip to France: 3 blocks west
of Nord (near r Fb Poissonniere) on r de Dunkerque, and about 3 blocks
south of Barbes Rochechouart (Goutte d'Or?). Notwithstanding the usual
warnings about train station street crime and the sleazy Barbes
Rochechouart area, why exactly is this neighborhood given such a bum
rap?

I've read earlier posts describing the area as "grim" and "not nice",
neither of which offer much in the way of a meaningful description. Is
it a slum? Decayed? If anyone can make a comparison with a section(s)
of NYC, that would also be helpful.

Wasn't there some urban renewal project going on in this area that was
halted? (That's your cue, Earl :^)

Merci.
Bonnie

(clio22) wrote in news:1c4e1014.0403291537.32772c28
@posting.google.com:

Hi,

For several reasons, including transportation convenience, I'll be
staying in the 10eme during this year's trip to France: 3 blocks west
of Nord (near r Fb Poissonniere) on r de Dunkerque, and about 3 blocks
south of Barbes Rochechouart (Goutte d'Or?). Notwithstanding the usual
warnings about train station street crime and the sleazy Barbes
Rochechouart area, why exactly is this neighborhood given such a bum
rap?

Well it certainly isn't the 16th! I didn't see anything that would
translate well into New York when there recently but I have nevre liked
the metro lines that run in through there (such as line 4). It is rough
Maybe like the Long Island RR going out to Kew Gardens (IIRC) It
certainly isn't the crowd one gets on line 14 or 1. Younger with hostile
looks in the eye. The neighborhood itself doesn't look that bad (it is
the metro line that scares me.) but it just doesn't appear as prosperous
as most of central Paris - Even Porte Ivry area looks more prosperous.
Maybe Queens is a better example afterall.

While cinephiles will associate this area with the film Amélie, I think of
Commissaire Maigret's many cases in the area! It's certainly not a part of
Paris most would choose to stay in, but you aren't far from Montmartre, both
the seamy side on blvd de Clichy or the "village" feeling area back behind
Sacre Coeur. I don't remember feeling threatened on the Métro, but it's not
an area I've spent much time in.

"clio22" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

For several reasons, including transportation convenience, I'll be
staying in the 10eme during this year's trip to France: 3 blocks west
of Nord (near r Fb Poissonniere) on r de Dunkerque, and about 3 blocks
south of Barbes Rochechouart (Goutte d'Or?). Notwithstanding the usual
warnings about train station street crime and the sleazy Barbes
Rochechouart area, why exactly is this neighborhood given such a bum
rap?

I've read earlier posts describing the area as "grim" and "not nice",
neither of which offer much in the way of a meaningful description. Is
it a slum? Decayed? If anyone can make a comparison with a section(s)
of NYC, that would also be helpful.

Wasn't there some urban renewal project going on in this area that was
halted? (That's your cue, Earl :^)

Merci.
Bonnie

It's not the most romantic place of Paris but it's an okay area. There
used to be a lot of sex shops and porn cinemas in this neighborood but
most of them have diseappears years ago. 3 blocks from Gare du Nord
should be safe enough. Don't look lost at midnight with a map in your
hand like an average tourist and everything will be okay. You will see
homeless people in the area but I am afraid there are more and more
homeless in Paris, not only near Gare du Nord.

Anyway there should be a lot of transportation near your hotel
(including bus, metro and RER). My wife used to live at Gare du Nord
(rue La fayette) and when I met her, I was very impressed we could
reach some central part of Paris very quickly just by walking. You can
walk to reach Opera or the bis department stores very easily if the
weather is good. Restaurants are located around the Gare du Nord which
can be convenient if you are tired. Timeout.co.uk gives a good review
of L'Hermittage by the way (in front of the Gare du Nord) :

**********************************
L’Hermitage
5 bd de Denain, 10th (01.48.78.77.09). M° Gare du Nord.
Open noon-2.30pm, 7-11pm Mon-Fri; 7-11pm Sat. Closed two weeks in Aug.
Prix fixe €23.
Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V. Non-smoking room.
This bistro, hidden among the chains around Gare du Nord, contains the
refined and surprisingly ambitious cooking of chef François Déage. The
menu alone will have you salivating, and tastes don’t disappoint in
dishes such as a pressé of rosy foie gras interleaved with tender figs
and house terrine of venison marinated in Muscadet. Mains include both
standards and more adventurous choices - scallops with a dash of
Egyptian pepper and steamed spinach and watercress, anyone? Make sure
you save room for one of the prettily presented desserts.
**********************************

I can't compare to NYC really. May be something between Queen's & UWS.
I don't know really.

Have a nice stay !





On 29 Mar 2004 15:37:24 -0800, (clio22) wrote:

Hi,

For several reasons, including transportation convenience, I'll be
staying in the 10eme during this year's trip to France: 3 blocks west
of Nord (near r Fb Poissonniere) on r de Dunkerque, and about 3 blocks
south of Barbes Rochechouart (Goutte d'Or?). Notwithstanding the usual
warnings about train station street crime and the sleazy Barbes
Rochechouart area, why exactly is this neighborhood given such a bum
rap?

I've read earlier posts describing the area as "grim" and "not nice",
neither of which offer much in the way of a meaningful description. Is
it a slum? Decayed? If anyone can make a comparison with a section(s)
of NYC, that would also be helpful.

Wasn't there some urban renewal project going on in this area that was
halted? (That's your cue, Earl :^)

Merci.
Bonnie

There is a wonderful website for viewing buildings in Paris. Unfortunately,
I no longer have the address, but someone else might. You enter the number
and street name of the building in which you will stay and up pops photos of
that building plus those up and down the street.
Carol L
"clio22" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

For several reasons, including transportation convenience, I'll be
staying in the 10eme during this year's trip to France: 3 blocks west
of Nord (near r Fb Poissonniere) on r de Dunkerque, and about 3 blocks
south of Barbes Rochechouart (Goutte d'Or?). Notwithstanding the usual
warnings about train station street crime and the sleazy Barbes
Rochechouart area, why exactly is this neighborhood given such a bum
rap?

I've read earlier posts describing the area as "grim" and "not nice",
neither of which offer much in the way of a meaningful description. Is
it a slum? Decayed? If anyone can make a comparison with a section(s)
of NYC, that would also be helpful.

Wasn't there some urban renewal project going on in this area that was
halted? (That's your cue, Earl :^)

Merci.
Bonnie

CLLeven wrote:
There is a wonderful website for viewing buildings in Paris.

Could be www.jaunes-pages.fr ?

-- Ron

Thanks to all.

BTW, the link to pages jaunes is: http://wfe.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi

I came to the group for comments first, but I might just try looking
at a few streets.

Ronald Hands wrote in message ...
CLLeven wrote:
There is a wonderful website for viewing buildings in Paris.

Could be www.jaunes-pages.fr ?

http://www.pages-jaunes.fr / Les photos de villes / Paris

My former message seems to not have been send correctly. FINALLY, I've
only been once in my life inside the triangle bvd Rochechouart, rue du
Faubourg Poissonnière, rue de Maubeuge, where the crossroad
Dunkerque/Poissonnière is. The larger "quartier" is a VERY contrasted
area. For ex. the surroundings of church Saint-Vincent de Paul 3
blocks south of this place or the Belle Epoque "lotissement" of rues
Lentonnet and Thimonnier, 2 blocks South West (on the former GODILLOT
factory of army supplies : shoes) are quite bourgeois, particularly
the last (excellent buildings), while the East extremity of Dunkerque
street at the end of the very isolated area between the tracks of East
and North railways stations is rather decaying, like bvd Rochechouart
to the north (sex shops). The north east of Gare du Nord (pakistanis)
and the Goutte d'Or north of Bvd Rochechouart (maghrebins) are strong
areas of immigration whith more recent buildings and social dwellings.
But south of the sharp limit made by Bvd Rochechouart, on the former
18th c. walls of Paris, the area is a rather normal haussmannian and
compact district, as popular as any other eastern faubourg of Paris
(Faubourg Saint-Antoine near Bastille for ex.). This is the case of
rue du Faubourg Poissonnière which was an important Paris axis in the
past (but not so old buildings there) : a rather normal street where I
can't remember to have seen much sex shops. Going westward, we are not
so far from the Nouvelle Athenes or place Saint-Georges districts, for
ex., so this popular area has a rather long tendency to
"embourgeoisement". This has been momentaneously stopped after the
opening of the Gare du Nord RER station in the 70ies, the main door to
the working class north suburbs, but since the recent modernisation
and refurbishment of both the train (TGV) and RER (subterranean)
stations there is a slow renewal of "gentrification" of this area.
Nevertheless the nearby metro station Barbes-Rochechouart (or Chateau
Rouge), northward, still have a bad reputation at night (dealers?).

didier Meurgues

-- Ron

*Tres* complet, monsieur. Merci beaucoup!


My former message seems to not have been send correctly. FINALLY, I've
only been once in my life inside the triangle bvd Rochechouart, rue du
Faubourg Poissonnière, rue de Maubeuge, where the crossroad
Dunkerque/Poissonnière is. The larger "quartier" is a VERY contrasted
area. For ex. the surroundings of church Saint-Vincent de Paul 3
blocks south of this place or the Belle Epoque "lotissement" of rues
Lentonnet and Thimonnier, 2 blocks South West (on the former GODILLOT
factory of army supplies : shoes) are quite bourgeois, particularly
the last (excellent buildings), while the East extremity of Dunkerque
street at the end of the very isolated area between the tracks of East
and North railways stations is rather decaying, like bvd Rochechouart
to the north (sex shops). The north east of Gare du Nord (pakistanis)
and the Goutte d'Or north of Bvd Rochechouart (maghrebins) are strong
areas of immigration whith more recent buildings and social dwellings.
But south of the sharp limit made by Bvd Rochechouart, on the former
18th c. walls of Paris, the area is a rather normal haussmannian and
compact district, as popular as any other eastern faubourg of Paris
(Faubourg Saint-Antoine near Bastille for ex.). This is the case of
rue du Faubourg Poissonnière which was an important Paris axis in the
past (but not so old buildings there) : a rather normal street where I
can't remember to have seen much sex shops. Going westward, we are not
so far from the Nouvelle Athenes or place Saint-Georges districts, for
ex., so this popular area has a rather long tendency to
"embourgeoisement". This has been momentaneously stopped after the
opening of the Gare du Nord RER station in the 70ies, the main door to
the working class north suburbs, but since the recent modernisation
and refurbishment of both the train (TGV) and RER (subterranean)
stations there is a slow renewal of "gentrification" of this area.
Nevertheless the nearby metro station Barbes-Rochechouart (or Chateau
Rouge), northward, still have a bad reputation at night (dealers?).

didier Meurgues

-- Ron