CITY CENTER
Le Haut Marais
“My friends and I call it NoMa, or North Marais,” says journalist Rebecca Leffler. “The rue de Bretagne area has a lot of cool bars (Café Charlot, Le Progrès, and La Perle [where John Galliano was caught saying he loved Hitler]), casual restaurants (Café des Musées, Derrière), and the Marché des Enfants Rouges—the oldest covered food market in Paris, formerly the site of an orphanage where the children wore red to identify them. Today, every Parisian hipster is there Saturday or Sunday from noon till 4.” Rents start at 1,500€ ($2,100) or so for a one-bedroom.
A BIT FARTHER OUT
Jaurès
The 19th Arrondissement (Métro stop: Jaurès) includes “the beautiful Canal de l’Ourcq, the MK2 art-house cinemas, and cheap hangouts like the Bar Ourcq,” says illustrator Damien Florébert Cuypers.“It’s a place where real, mixed-income Parisians live, unlike Le Marais.” Rents start at 1,200€ ($1,700) for a one-bedroom.