Encore !

Tags

apartment, France, Montorgueil, Paris, renting in paris, ventilation, view

After my second spring in Paris I was determined not to become “the guy who goes to Paris every spring.” But of course I now am that guy, and it isn’t so bad. Now if I ever decided to stay home for May and June my family and friends would be surprised and concerned. So, yes, I’m going back!

I was unable to rent the fabulous apartment I was in last year because the owner is using it himself for most of June. I’m on good terms with him, however, and I do hope to be able to stay there again another year.

The rental process this year was quite frustrating! After learning that last year’s apartment wasn’t available (despite appearing so on the web site) I made an offer on another place but didn’t hear back for several weeks (admittedly over Christmas). It turned out that Paris Attitude couldn’t receive emails from me with attachments, including any reply I tried to send to a message from them which had attachments. This led to a lot of misunderstanding and unhappiness! Especially when it turned out that the second place had also slipped through my fingers! Eventually I started calling them instead of emailing, and after I figured out what was going on I was able to send attachments by mailing to the broker’s gmail account. As an I.T. professional I was underwhelmed!

Fortunately, I ended up renting a very nice one-bedroom apartment in the same neighborhood as last year, arriving May 12 and leaving June 30. Full details on the apartment are at this link.

It’s the same price, and broadly similar, although I was so spoiled last year that I couldn’t help noticing some differences:

• Last year’s place looked down a side street, but the view from this year’s apartment is of buildings across the street;
• I got some afternoon sun last year but this apartment faces north so it will at best get reflected sun from across the street, or possibly a little in the bedroom;
• No desk (though there are several surfaces that it may be possible to re-purpose);
• Two windows on the street instead of three (yes I know, #firstworldproblems);
• One window in the bedroom, and that mysteriously blocked, in place of the two delightful windows on the courtyard last year;
• A bit smaller (49 sq m), though last year’s place was unnecessarily large (65 sq m);
• No elevator, but this year’s place on the French 2nd floor (vs. 3rd last year), and I rarely used the elevator last year anyway; and
• Last — and least — last year’s place had two sinks in the bathroom — not sure how I will survive, when guests visit, with only one!

Like last year’s place the apartment is fully furnished, and has Internet, wifi, washer, drier and dishwasher. Neither have microwave ovens, so I will either do without or get a cheap one again this year. Each unit has a sofa bed in the living room, a modern bathroom, and a separate toilet. Both places have through ventilation, with living room windows on the street and bedroom window on the courtyard. This year’s place doesn’t have many advantages over last year, but I do like the ceiling beams (poutres exposées), which I missed last year. [Updates on how the apartment turned out are in the next post.]

Kvetching aside, this year’s apartment looks lovely and comfy. I look forward to settling in there, and welcoming visitors to join me!

Yet Another Spring in Paris!

Tags

2ème arrondissement, apartment, euro to dollar exchange rate, exchange rate, Experimental Cocktail Club, layout, Montorgueil, Paris, rue Montorgueil, ventilation, view

I’m pleased to report that I’ve made arrangements to spend six weeks in Paris this spring! (May 13 to June 29) I’ve rented a lovely-looking apartment in the 2ème arrondissement, just two blocks from my beloved rue Montorgueil. Here’s a glimpse of the living room:The full description of the apartment is at this link. These were the criteria I used to select this place from hundreds of online options:

• Location is of course a primary consideration. I wanted to rent near the center of the city, in or near an animated area (bakeries, food stores, shops, cafés, restaurants, etc.), but not in an area that is too heavily trampled by tourists. This apartment is two blocks from bustling rue Montorgueil, which is active without being too touristy. The only wild card is whether daytime commercial activity on rue des Jeuneurs may be somewhat annoying. I’m sure it will be quiet at night, though, and while I loved looking out on the activity of rue Montorgueil I think it will be a lot easier to get to sleep in this apartment.
• Decor. Last year’s apartment was very well located, but it looked a bit rundown from the photos, and it turned out to be dirty and poorly maintained. It was 500 euros per month less than this one, but when you are spending 6-8 weeks in a place you really do want it to be pleasant. The photos of this place make it look truly inviting, even though it lacks the exposed beams that have graced most of my previous rental places.
  
• Stairs/Elevator. My first year both places I rented were on the French 5th floor — five flights up — with no elevator. The stairs weren’t a physical challenge but I felt psychologically distanced from the ground. For example, I would sometimes eat a stale baguette for breakfast instead of going down to buy a fresh one! In subsequent years I’ve rented on the French 3rd floor and had no issues. This apartment is on the French 3rd but also — a first for me — has an elevator! I hope I’ll mostly use the stairs but it will be nice not to have to schlep my big suitcase up three flights when I arrive.
• Amenities. High-speed internet and WiFi are now typical, but it would be a huge inconvenience to rent somewhere that didn’t offer them. I like a place with a washer/dryer, keeping in mind that most French units do a poor job of drying so you must plan on hanging most of your clothes anyway. A dishwasher isn’t essential, but is nice to have. I personally like to have a desk and chair for my computer, which this place offers.
• Layout and View. French apartments usually have no air conditioning, so it’s important to make sure they have good ventilation. The ideal configuration — which I found this year — is through ventilation between windows on the street and windows on the courtyard. It’s also appealing to get some sun and a view in the living room, while having the bedroom open onto the (usually) quieter courtyard. Because I like to invite friends to visit I prefer to have the toilet accessible both from the bedroom and from the sofa bed in the living room. (The apartment on the corner of rue Montorgueil and rue Saint-Sauveur that I rented for several years was in most respects wonderful, but having to go through the bedroom to get to the toilet was suboptimal.)
• Cost. I set a budget limit of 2,200 euros per month this year, and this apartment came in right at the top of my range. The extraordinary fall in the euro relative to the U.S. dollar will make this year’s petit sejour in Paris much cheaper than in prior years, however. In the past 12 months the euro has dropped from $1.38 to $1.09:  US Dollar to Euro Exchange Rate Graph – Mar 10, 2014 to Mar 6, 2015