July 24, 2023 • 17 mins
The 20th is another arrondissement that gets mixed reviews, so we decided to speak with Roopa Chauhan about what it's like living there. She's minutes away from metro Gambetta and is very enthusiastic about where she lives. Listen to find out why!
Roopa is a writer and translator based in Paris and Detroit. She is also a future podcast host on the Paris Underground Radio network so be sure to check the website for her details.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parisundergroundradio
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Website: https:/parisundergroundradio.com/parisestateofmind
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Credits
Music Credits
Music: Jazz In Paris - Media Right Productions https://youtu.be/mNLJMTRvyj8
About Us
Welcome to Paris Estate of Mind! Join hosts Gail Boisclair and Marie Pistinier as we talk about the good, the bad, the ins, the outs of property rentals and purchases in and around Paris. We'll have topics for renters, owners, and visitors, share questions we are regularly asked, and more.
Have a question for the podcast? Send us an email at hello@parisundergroundradio.com.
Roopa is a writer and translator based in Paris and Detroit. She is also a future podcast host on the Paris Underground Radio network so be sure to check the website for her details.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parisundergroundradio
Find Us Online
Website: https:/parisundergroundradio.com/parisestateofmind
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/
Credits
- Host: Gail Boisclair. @PerfectlyParis; Website: PerfectlyParis, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
- Host: Marie Pistinier. Lokim on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and Paris Be A Part Of It on Facebook, and Instagram.
- Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com
Music Credits
Music: Jazz In Paris - Media Right Productions https://youtu.be/mNLJMTRvyj8
About Us
Welcome to Paris Estate of Mind! Join hosts Gail Boisclair and Marie Pistinier as we talk about the good, the bad, the ins, the outs of property rentals and purchases in and around Paris. We'll have topics for renters, owners, and visitors, share questions we are regularly asked, and more.
Have a question for the podcast? Send us an email at hello@parisundergroundradio.com.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You're listening to Paris the State ofMind on Paris Underground Radio. For more
great content, join us on Patreonat patreon dot com slash Paris Underground Radio.
Welcome to Paris A State of Mind. Join us as we talk about
the good, the bad, theends, the outs of property, rentals
(00:22):
and purchases in and around Paris.We'll have topics for renters, owners and
visitors, share questions we are regularlyasked and more. My name is Gael
Boclaire of Perfectly Paris and my cohost is Marie Pistigner of Lokim Paris.
Be a part of it. Bothof us are proud members of the SPLM,
(00:43):
the first representative body of furnished rentalprofessionals. Hello, listeners of Paris
State of Mind. We are backin the studio recording another episode talking to
people about living in different areas ofParis because we're having so much fun doing
it. And today we're going togo to Arrondissement that we have not yet
(01:07):
gone to, and it gives megreat pleasure to introduce Rupa Johan and she
is a writer and translator based inParis and Detroit. Welcome Rupa. It's
such a pleasure here. Well,it's really fun to have you on,
and I'll talk a little bit aboutthat at the very end. But can
you tell our listeners right now whata rondissement you currently live in? Yes,
(01:29):
i'd be happy to I live inthe twentieth Aroundisma, near Metro Gambia,
on a lime tree. And howlong have you lived there? I've
lived your since December two thousand andsix, so close to seventeen years.
Oh my gosh, does time flywhen you're having fun? It certainly does.
Have you always lived to actually buyin that same area. No,
(01:53):
I've lived kind of all over Paris. Off in the eleventh, I moved
to the eighteenth, and then tothe sixteen, then to the seventh,
and then to the twentieth. SoI kind of went in a circle.
That's interesting, that's actually good consideringour topic of conversation. And so why
(02:14):
did you choose to live in thetwentieth by Gambetta? Was it just the
luck of the draw of what youfound in terms of an apartment or was
it a place that you felt thatyou wanted to be. Well, when
I was looking for an apartment,when I was ready in a position to
buy. My criteria were location,price, size, and safety, so
(02:36):
I knew for sure that I wantedto live on the East Side. I
would have preferred to go back tothe eleventh because that's where I lived when
I first came to Paris and Iloved it, But the prices had gone
up quite a bit in the eleventhand in the twentieth. I had more
options in my price range, soI picked this studio apartment because it is
very close to the metro five minutewalk from the Metro. The neighborhood is
(02:59):
filled with great bakeries, cheese shops, butchers, supermarkets, bars, restaurants,
and all are within a two tofive minute walk from my place.
The studio is also a decent sizefor a one room apartment. It's thirty
meters squared, it has direct sunlight, and it's on the last flour.
(03:20):
There's also an elevator and there arethree buildings in this complex and they're all
well maintained. I remember that wassomething that I noticed when I came to
visit it was everything was clean andit wasn't in a state of disrepair.
Everything just seemed really well maintained.In my building, there's also a concierge
(03:40):
gualtier, as we say in French, and I thought that was nice,
something that's nice to have to incase like you're waiting for a package and
it needs to be picked up,or it's just always nice to have somebody
on site almost all the time.So that was another selling point for me.
My building is also at the farend of this gorgeous courtyard with that
(04:01):
has a garden and trees, andso I look out onto this courtyard and
since I live alone, it wasreally important that I not be on the
ground floor close to the street.So where I am right now, I
feel very safe because you have toenter three security codes before you reach my
building. Yeah. So I meanthe location, the price it was in
(04:21):
my price range, the size.It's not huge, but it's what I
could afford, and it definitely isenough for one person and being safe.
Well, I do think the sizefor a studio apartment, that's a very
big studio apartment. That's the sizeof a lot of one bedroom apartments.
Yeah, and even bigger than sometiny one bedroom apartment. So I think
(04:43):
you looked out by the sounds ofit. Yeah, I did, And
I don't know if I should mention. I mean, I would have loved
to have another, like a bedroom, and I think if you're looking for
something with I'm just I'm just sayingthis because I know that you know that
I had my place renovated recently andI was looking to maybe put in a
bedroom, but because I only haveone window, it wasn't possible. I
don't know if this makes sense,but it's kind of vertical in the way
(05:05):
that it's laid out and not horizontal. And then it would it just would
have been easier to divide up ifit had been more horizontal with a couple
of windows, than I could havehad a bedroom. But it really just,
yeah, it wasn't possible. Itwould have just been Yeah, it
would have literally been a box.The space wouldn't have been broken up properly.
And it's just better to have theextra space and have the bedroom,
(05:26):
like have my sleep in the livingarea. Definitely, And so how long
ago did you move to your studioapartment? Then I signed the Poemis Devant
in September two thousand and six,and I think that's a three month waiting
period, and then I it waslike the day after it's when I signed,
when I went to the NuTech andI gave them my check and signed
(05:47):
the contra duvant and then I thinkI moved in the next day. Oh
wow, Yeah, so December twothousand and six. Long time. Yeah,
And so you sound very cited aboutyour area, and I guess do
you still feel as excited about itor do you kind of part of you
wish that maybe you lived in anotherarea? No, no, no,
(06:10):
I really you know, and I'veI have thought about leaving, and I've
never managed to miss myself that I'dbe happier elsewhere in Paris. So yeah,
I pretty much feel the same waynow. And if anything, you
know, because I did want myheart was set on the eleventh and I
couldn't get the eleventh. But I'vereally come to love the twentieth and I
can't imagine living anywhere else. Iguess. Yeah, I still love the
(06:31):
neighborhood and the people. Now sinceI've lived here for seventeen years, I
know my neighbors. I know thecommerson, the bakers, the cashiers of
the supermarket, the people who workin the cafes. You know. So
like if I, if I hadthe budget, it would be I would
love an apartment with a bedroom.But honestly, this is the next best
(06:51):
thing. And what is it thatyou like most about the area. I
love that it's a very relaxed neighborhood, real mix of people. It's
lively, there's always something going on. There are always people around on weeknights,
weekdays, weekends. And because Ihave lived in the western part of
(07:13):
Paris and in the sixteenth and inthe seventh there is a difference because when
I lived there, I found thatthere wasn't much going on on the weekends.
It was very quiet, and Iwas told it is because a lot
of people leave for the weekend.They leave for their country homes, or
they go away for the weekend,and here people stay and often people come
here to go out young people.There are a lot of like I guess,
(07:35):
really hip bars and clubs in theneighborhood, so it's a real mix.
It can be quiet when you wantit to be and really lively when
you want it to be too.The other reasons are the food. There
are a lot of great places toget good quality organic food. Their markets
that are on Wednesday mornings and onSaturday mornings that are not far away,
(07:58):
and those are always fun. Thereare so many options in terms of restaurants
and takeouts Indian, Greek, Lebanese, Italian. There's some really great pizzeria's,
really really good pizzerias not far unfortunately, because I'm I love pizza,
and I am often tempted and givento my temptation. And the other thing
(08:20):
that I love are the parks andthe squares you know that are that are
really close by. And one ofmy favorite parks in Paris, which is
in the nineteenth but it's a twentyminute walk from here, so very when
I'm motivated, that's where I gorunning, and so close by. It's
a really nice walk. Oh yeah, and there's the Park de Belleville that's
not far and as you know,the Park Deville has a wonderful panoramic view
(08:43):
of Paris where you can see theEiffel Tower, you can see ska it's
just it's I think you can seesakkas from there. But anyways, that's
also a nice place to go fora walk. And do you think that
the neighborhood is primarily a certain typeof people like families, singles, couples,
senior citizens, you know, Ithink that's one of the things that
(09:05):
I really love about this neighborhood isthat it's not homogeneous. It's very diverse.
If I had to describe the vibe, I would describe it as diverse,
bobo chic. I think it's greatfor single people. It's great for
senior citizens, it's great for couples, it's great for young people, it's
(09:26):
great for families. I think there'sa bit of something for everyone in this
neighborhood. To be honest, andthere's something that you wish you knew about
this area before you moved here,that you think our listeners should know.
You know, I did do myresearch before moving here, and I just
I can't think of anything that Iwould wish that i'd known, because you
(09:46):
can't know everything before you move intoa place or a neighborhood. And one
of the nice things about moving toa new places discovering everything that the place
has to offer. I guess maybeI can't think of anything because there's always
it's always nice to the element ofsurprise is always nice. I also can't
think of anything that I was unpleasantlysurprised by, you know what, One
(10:09):
thing I would say, one thingthat I wish that i'd known, is
that I wish that i'd taken Iknow that in Paris, they I'll often
say that you don't really know yourneighbors. In a big city, you
don't know your neighbors. And it'snice that I do know my neighbors,
but I wish with certain like Ithink you have to be careful as well
to like set boundaries. So Iwish I'd been a little bit better with
that with certain certain neighbors, likesetting boundaries and not being too friendly,
(10:31):
which I guess coming from North America, you're just you tend to be like
smiling and friendly, and people canget the wrong idea. And I think
if you're buying an apartment, you'reobviously investing in the long term. I
wish that I had kept my guardup a little bit and been more reserved
like the French are, you know, And I wish I'd been a little
bit more like that in the beginning. And does that make sense absolutely?
(10:54):
I think it's also it's something tobe said by large for most big cities
that you kind of have to findan even ground between being cordial and friendly
with your neighbors but not actually beingtheir friend. Yes, pleasant with your
neighbors and have nice neighborly relations.But I do feel that I don't want
(11:15):
to be best friends with my neighborseither. I'm happy to speak to them
all, but I really don't wantto be their best friend, and I
don't want them to be my bestfriend either. Yes, And I think
this is because when I moved herefrom I was living in a Chambre de
Bun in the seventh and there Ihad an amazing view of all of Paris
from the Chamble de Bun and wewere all like, there were a bunch
of us living on this in themaid's quarters, in this wonderful Osmagna building,
(11:39):
and we were all kind of friends. We would invite each other over
for dinner, we would have brunchtogether, we would like kind of hang
out. It was like we were, I guess, kind of roommates,
you know. And when you moveinto an apartment and you're the owner,
it's you can't have the same relationshipwith your with your neighbors. And I
think that adjustment was a little bitthat was a little bit hard for me
(12:00):
to make because I guess, like, you're grown up now, you own
your apartment, and everybody kind oflives in their own you know, they
have their own lives. Obviously you'revery close together, but yeah, you
have you have your own lives andthey have to respect your your privacy.
So yeah, I just wish thatI had not been as as friendly,
and I think they're not very many. Also, like when I was in
the Chamboudbun there were there were peoplefrom Argentina. There were French people too,
(12:24):
but it was I think there wasa mix of nationalities, so it
was kind of like Obel Espaniel alittle bit that kind of feeling. If
people remember the movie and here it'svery French. I think I might be
the only person who even though Iam French, I have French nationality now,
but the only um not late French, not being a French person.
(12:46):
Yeah, it takes a while alsoto get to know your neighbors, you
know. That's something else that I'venow I know them, but it took
me a long time, you know. Yeah, But you'd like to add
though about living in your area.The only thing I'd like to say is
that moving here was one of thebest decisions I've ever made. That's really
nice now and you have a guarddog now too, I do. I
(13:07):
have my little Luna. It's justjoined me two days ago, and it's
nice to have her with me.And my place is big enough to have
a small pet. Yes, shelooks very cute. If you're enjoying this
episode of Paris A State of Mind, you may also be interested in our
sister podcast, story Time in Paris. Join Jennifer as she asks five questions
(13:31):
to authors who've been inspired by Paris. Paris A State of Mind will be
right back after a word from oursponsors. And now back to Paris A
State of Mind. Imagine. Nowthe big apartment of Harry comes down.
(13:52):
I know you really love your area, but the Apartment of Harry says that
you can live anywhere in Paris youwant. Money is no object, there's
no limit. The sky's the limit. You can live wherever you want and
have whatever type of an apartment thatyou want, twenty bedrooms if you want,
what would be your ideal perfect apartmentand where? Okay, so if
(14:16):
money were wasn't an object, Iwould pick Lissa Louis in the center of
Paris. I think it's where Pariswas founded. Actually Nissan and on Nissan
Ria. I would love an apartmentor aloft on the last floor with a
rooftop terrace overlooking the sin That wouldbe the dream. Also, Bertillon ice
(14:37):
Cream is not far. I thinkthat's where the headquarters are, so that
would be the dream. That's agood dream. What about you? Out
of curiosity, where would you loveto live? Oh? I do love
living in the eighteenth. I don'tknow if I'd ever want to leave the
eighteenth. I think that if Icould secretly have a Maison particulae in a
(14:58):
part so that would be quite nice. I would also like to say that
you probably know this in the twentieththere's another. Okay, so Yisanri,
but my second choice or I don'tknow. It's a tie between Jisanu and
La Campagna. It's right by thePortugule and it's Paris, but it's a
residential neighborhood with these amazing houses.And I think that's where Monica Ballucci lives.
(15:24):
Oh, I've heard they have likehouses with their semi detached and they
have gardens and it just you wouldn'tthink that you're in Paris when you walk
down this neighborhood, but it isParis, and obviously there are like you
know millions of euros, so butyeah, that's another place that would be
if I if money were no object, that's where I would love to live
too. Thank you very much forall of that. That was all.
(15:48):
It was great, and I hopethat people who have not been to the
twentieth or don't know the twentieth aroundMetro Gambetta have learned a little bit through
your enthusiasm about the area and maybewe'll give it a try. But before
we sign off, I would likeyou to tell the listeners a little bit
about yourself, apart from what Idid in the introduction, which I've lived
in Paris for twenty three years,but I grew up in Michigan, Detroit
(16:11):
around Detroit in Metro Detroit, andI'll be hosting an upcoming podcast with Paris
Underground Radio called Ready for My CloseUp and the podcast is about France and
the movies, and if anybody wantsto get in touch with me, you
can find me on the Paris UndergroundRadio website. I can't wait. I
look forward to your podcast. Thankyou so much. This was great,
(16:33):
Ruppet. The pleasure is all mine. This it was great to talk to
you about my neighborhood to Gail andI love your podcast. Thank you have
a great day. Hi, thanksfor listening to Paris A State of Mind
featuring Gale of Perfectly Paris and Marieof Lokim, both who are founding members
(16:53):
of the SPLM. Paris A Stateof Mind is produced by Paris Aground Radio,
the Music Jazz and Paris Is bymedium Rite Productions. For more information
on this show and others, goto Paris Underground Radio dot com. This
(17:14):
episode of Paris' State of Mind wasproduced by Jennifer Garrity for Paris Underground Radio.
For more great content, join uson Patreon at Patreon dot com slash
Paris Underground Radio
You're listening to Paris the State ofMind on Paris Underground Radio. For more
great content, join us on Patreonat patreon dot com slash Paris Underground Radio.
Welcome to Paris A State of Mind. Join us as we talk about
the good, the bad, theends, the outs of property, rentals
(00:22):
and purchases in and around Paris.We'll have topics for renters, owners and
visitors, share questions we are regularlyasked and more. My name is Gael
Boclaire of Perfectly Paris and my cohost is Marie Pistigner of Lokim Paris.
Be a part of it. Bothof us are proud members of the SPLM,
(00:43):
the first representative body of furnished rentalprofessionals. Hello, listeners of Paris
State of Mind. We are backin the studio recording another episode talking to
people about living in different areas ofParis because we're having so much fun doing
it. And today we're going togo to Arrondissement that we have not yet
(01:07):
gone to, and it gives megreat pleasure to introduce Rupa Johan and she
is a writer and translator based inParis and Detroit. Welcome Rupa. It's
such a pleasure here. Well,it's really fun to have you on,
and I'll talk a little bit aboutthat at the very end. But can
you tell our listeners right now whata rondissement you currently live in? Yes,
(01:29):
i'd be happy to I live inthe twentieth Aroundisma, near Metro Gambia,
on a lime tree. And howlong have you lived there? I've
lived your since December two thousand andsix, so close to seventeen years.
Oh my gosh, does time flywhen you're having fun? It certainly does.
Have you always lived to actually buyin that same area. No,
(01:53):
I've lived kind of all over Paris. Off in the eleventh, I moved
to the eighteenth, and then tothe sixteen, then to the seventh,
and then to the twentieth. SoI kind of went in a circle.
That's interesting, that's actually good consideringour topic of conversation. And so why
(02:14):
did you choose to live in thetwentieth by Gambetta? Was it just the
luck of the draw of what youfound in terms of an apartment or was
it a place that you felt thatyou wanted to be. Well, when
I was looking for an apartment,when I was ready in a position to
buy. My criteria were location,price, size, and safety, so
(02:36):
I knew for sure that I wantedto live on the East Side. I
would have preferred to go back tothe eleventh because that's where I lived when
I first came to Paris and Iloved it, But the prices had gone
up quite a bit in the eleventhand in the twentieth. I had more
options in my price range, soI picked this studio apartment because it is
very close to the metro five minutewalk from the Metro. The neighborhood is
(02:59):
filled with great bakeries, cheese shops, butchers, supermarkets, bars, restaurants,
and all are within a two tofive minute walk from my place.
The studio is also a decent sizefor a one room apartment. It's thirty
meters squared, it has direct sunlight, and it's on the last flour.
(03:20):
There's also an elevator and there arethree buildings in this complex and they're all
well maintained. I remember that wassomething that I noticed when I came to
visit it was everything was clean andit wasn't in a state of disrepair.
Everything just seemed really well maintained.In my building, there's also a concierge
(03:40):
gualtier, as we say in French, and I thought that was nice,
something that's nice to have to incase like you're waiting for a package and
it needs to be picked up,or it's just always nice to have somebody
on site almost all the time.So that was another selling point for me.
My building is also at the farend of this gorgeous courtyard with that
(04:01):
has a garden and trees, andso I look out onto this courtyard and
since I live alone, it wasreally important that I not be on the
ground floor close to the street.So where I am right now, I
feel very safe because you have toenter three security codes before you reach my
building. Yeah. So I meanthe location, the price it was in
(04:21):
my price range, the size.It's not huge, but it's what I
could afford, and it definitely isenough for one person and being safe.
Well, I do think the sizefor a studio apartment, that's a very
big studio apartment. That's the sizeof a lot of one bedroom apartments.
Yeah, and even bigger than sometiny one bedroom apartment. So I think
(04:43):
you looked out by the sounds ofit. Yeah, I did, And
I don't know if I should mention. I mean, I would have loved
to have another, like a bedroom, and I think if you're looking for
something with I'm just I'm just sayingthis because I know that you know that
I had my place renovated recently andI was looking to maybe put in a
bedroom, but because I only haveone window, it wasn't possible. I
don't know if this makes sense,but it's kind of vertical in the way
(05:05):
that it's laid out and not horizontal. And then it would it just would
have been easier to divide up ifit had been more horizontal with a couple
of windows, than I could havehad a bedroom. But it really just,
yeah, it wasn't possible. Itwould have just been Yeah, it
would have literally been a box.The space wouldn't have been broken up properly.
And it's just better to have theextra space and have the bedroom,
(05:26):
like have my sleep in the livingarea. Definitely, And so how long
ago did you move to your studioapartment? Then I signed the Poemis Devant
in September two thousand and six,and I think that's a three month waiting
period, and then I it waslike the day after it's when I signed,
when I went to the NuTech andI gave them my check and signed
(05:47):
the contra duvant and then I thinkI moved in the next day. Oh
wow, Yeah, so December twothousand and six. Long time. Yeah,
And so you sound very cited aboutyour area, and I guess do
you still feel as excited about itor do you kind of part of you
wish that maybe you lived in anotherarea? No, no, no,
(06:10):
I really you know, and I'veI have thought about leaving, and I've
never managed to miss myself that I'dbe happier elsewhere in Paris. So yeah,
I pretty much feel the same waynow. And if anything, you
know, because I did want myheart was set on the eleventh and I
couldn't get the eleventh. But I'vereally come to love the twentieth and I
can't imagine living anywhere else. Iguess. Yeah, I still love the
(06:31):
neighborhood and the people. Now sinceI've lived here for seventeen years, I
know my neighbors. I know thecommerson, the bakers, the cashiers of
the supermarket, the people who workin the cafes. You know. So
like if I, if I hadthe budget, it would be I would
love an apartment with a bedroom.But honestly, this is the next best
(06:51):
thing. And what is it thatyou like most about the area. I
love that it's a very relaxed neighborhood, real mix of people. It's
lively, there's always something going on. There are always people around on weeknights,
weekdays, weekends. And because Ihave lived in the western part of
(07:13):
Paris and in the sixteenth and inthe seventh there is a difference because when
I lived there, I found thatthere wasn't much going on on the weekends.
It was very quiet, and Iwas told it is because a lot
of people leave for the weekend.They leave for their country homes, or
they go away for the weekend,and here people stay and often people come
here to go out young people.There are a lot of like I guess,
(07:35):
really hip bars and clubs in theneighborhood, so it's a real mix.
It can be quiet when you wantit to be and really lively when
you want it to be too.The other reasons are the food. There
are a lot of great places toget good quality organic food. Their markets
that are on Wednesday mornings and onSaturday mornings that are not far away,
(07:58):
and those are always fun. Thereare so many options in terms of restaurants
and takeouts Indian, Greek, Lebanese, Italian. There's some really great pizzeria's,
really really good pizzerias not far unfortunately, because I'm I love pizza,
and I am often tempted and givento my temptation. And the other thing
(08:20):
that I love are the parks andthe squares you know that are that are
really close by. And one ofmy favorite parks in Paris, which is
in the nineteenth but it's a twentyminute walk from here, so very when
I'm motivated, that's where I gorunning, and so close by. It's
a really nice walk. Oh yeah, and there's the Park de Belleville that's
not far and as you know,the Park Deville has a wonderful panoramic view
(08:43):
of Paris where you can see theEiffel Tower, you can see ska it's
just it's I think you can seesakkas from there. But anyways, that's
also a nice place to go fora walk. And do you think that
the neighborhood is primarily a certain typeof people like families, singles, couples,
senior citizens, you know, Ithink that's one of the things that
(09:05):
I really love about this neighborhood isthat it's not homogeneous. It's very diverse.
If I had to describe the vibe, I would describe it as diverse,
bobo chic. I think it's greatfor single people. It's great for
senior citizens, it's great for couples, it's great for young people, it's
(09:26):
great for families. I think there'sa bit of something for everyone in this
neighborhood. To be honest, andthere's something that you wish you knew about
this area before you moved here,that you think our listeners should know.
You know, I did do myresearch before moving here, and I just
I can't think of anything that Iwould wish that i'd known, because you
(09:46):
can't know everything before you move intoa place or a neighborhood. And one
of the nice things about moving toa new places discovering everything that the place
has to offer. I guess maybeI can't think of anything because there's always
it's always nice to the element ofsurprise is always nice. I also can't
think of anything that I was unpleasantlysurprised by, you know what, One
(10:09):
thing I would say, one thingthat I wish that i'd known, is
that I wish that i'd taken Iknow that in Paris, they I'll often
say that you don't really know yourneighbors. In a big city, you
don't know your neighbors. And it'snice that I do know my neighbors,
but I wish with certain like Ithink you have to be careful as well
to like set boundaries. So Iwish I'd been a little bit better with
that with certain certain neighbors, likesetting boundaries and not being too friendly,
(10:31):
which I guess coming from North America, you're just you tend to be like
smiling and friendly, and people canget the wrong idea. And I think
if you're buying an apartment, you'reobviously investing in the long term. I
wish that I had kept my guardup a little bit and been more reserved
like the French are, you know, And I wish I'd been a little
bit more like that in the beginning. And does that make sense absolutely?
(10:54):
I think it's also it's something tobe said by large for most big cities
that you kind of have to findan even ground between being cordial and friendly
with your neighbors but not actually beingtheir friend. Yes, pleasant with your
neighbors and have nice neighborly relations.But I do feel that I don't want
(11:15):
to be best friends with my neighborseither. I'm happy to speak to them
all, but I really don't wantto be their best friend, and I
don't want them to be my bestfriend either. Yes, And I think
this is because when I moved herefrom I was living in a Chambre de
Bun in the seventh and there Ihad an amazing view of all of Paris
from the Chamble de Bun and wewere all like, there were a bunch
of us living on this in themaid's quarters, in this wonderful Osmagna building,
(11:39):
and we were all kind of friends. We would invite each other over
for dinner, we would have brunchtogether, we would like kind of hang
out. It was like we were, I guess, kind of roommates,
you know. And when you moveinto an apartment and you're the owner,
it's you can't have the same relationshipwith your with your neighbors. And I
think that adjustment was a little bitthat was a little bit hard for me
(12:00):
to make because I guess, like, you're grown up now, you own
your apartment, and everybody kind oflives in their own you know, they
have their own lives. Obviously you'revery close together, but yeah, you
have you have your own lives andthey have to respect your your privacy.
So yeah, I just wish thatI had not been as as friendly,
and I think they're not very many. Also, like when I was in
the Chamboudbun there were there were peoplefrom Argentina. There were French people too,
(12:24):
but it was I think there wasa mix of nationalities, so it
was kind of like Obel Espaniel alittle bit that kind of feeling. If
people remember the movie and here it'svery French. I think I might be
the only person who even though Iam French, I have French nationality now,
but the only um not late French, not being a French person.
(12:46):
Yeah, it takes a while alsoto get to know your neighbors, you
know. That's something else that I'venow I know them, but it took
me a long time, you know. Yeah, But you'd like to add
though about living in your area.The only thing I'd like to say is
that moving here was one of thebest decisions I've ever made. That's really
nice now and you have a guarddog now too, I do. I
(13:07):
have my little Luna. It's justjoined me two days ago, and it's
nice to have her with me.And my place is big enough to have
a small pet. Yes, shelooks very cute. If you're enjoying this
episode of Paris A State of Mind, you may also be interested in our
sister podcast, story Time in Paris. Join Jennifer as she asks five questions
(13:31):
to authors who've been inspired by Paris. Paris A State of Mind will be
right back after a word from oursponsors. And now back to Paris A
State of Mind. Imagine. Nowthe big apartment of Harry comes down.
(13:52):
I know you really love your area, but the Apartment of Harry says that
you can live anywhere in Paris youwant. Money is no object, there's
no limit. The sky's the limit. You can live wherever you want and
have whatever type of an apartment thatyou want, twenty bedrooms if you want,
what would be your ideal perfect apartmentand where? Okay, so if
(14:16):
money were wasn't an object, Iwould pick Lissa Louis in the center of
Paris. I think it's where Pariswas founded. Actually Nissan and on Nissan
Ria. I would love an apartmentor aloft on the last floor with a
rooftop terrace overlooking the sin That wouldbe the dream. Also, Bertillon ice
(14:37):
Cream is not far. I thinkthat's where the headquarters are, so that
would be the dream. That's agood dream. What about you? Out
of curiosity, where would you loveto live? Oh? I do love
living in the eighteenth. I don'tknow if I'd ever want to leave the
eighteenth. I think that if Icould secretly have a Maison particulae in a
(14:58):
part so that would be quite nice. I would also like to say that
you probably know this in the twentieththere's another. Okay, so Yisanri,
but my second choice or I don'tknow. It's a tie between Jisanu and
La Campagna. It's right by thePortugule and it's Paris, but it's a
residential neighborhood with these amazing houses.And I think that's where Monica Ballucci lives.
(15:24):
Oh, I've heard they have likehouses with their semi detached and they
have gardens and it just you wouldn'tthink that you're in Paris when you walk
down this neighborhood, but it isParis, and obviously there are like you
know millions of euros, so butyeah, that's another place that would be
if I if money were no object, that's where I would love to live
too. Thank you very much forall of that. That was all.
(15:48):
It was great, and I hopethat people who have not been to the
twentieth or don't know the twentieth aroundMetro Gambetta have learned a little bit through
your enthusiasm about the area and maybewe'll give it a try. But before
we sign off, I would likeyou to tell the listeners a little bit
about yourself, apart from what Idid in the introduction, which I've lived
in Paris for twenty three years,but I grew up in Michigan, Detroit
(16:11):
around Detroit in Metro Detroit, andI'll be hosting an upcoming podcast with Paris
Underground Radio called Ready for My CloseUp and the podcast is about France and
the movies, and if anybody wantsto get in touch with me, you
can find me on the Paris UndergroundRadio website. I can't wait. I
look forward to your podcast. Thankyou so much. This was great,
(16:33):
Ruppet. The pleasure is all mine. This it was great to talk to
you about my neighborhood to Gail andI love your podcast. Thank you have
a great day. Hi, thanksfor listening to Paris A State of Mind
featuring Gale of Perfectly Paris and Marieof Lokim, both who are founding members
(16:53):
of the SPLM. Paris A Stateof Mind is produced by Paris Aground Radio,
the Music Jazz and Paris Is bymedium Rite Productions. For more information
on this show and others, goto Paris Underground Radio dot com. This
(17:14):
episode of Paris' State of Mind wasproduced by Jennifer Garrity for Paris Underground Radio.
For more great content, join uson Patreon at Patreon dot com slash
Paris Underground Radio
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