The Paris Effect
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Press

Mismatched & Marvelous: Paris IX

11/4/2018

3 Comments

 
Picture
You may already be familiar with the 9th arrondissement,
famous for its grand boulevards, Belle Epoque
department stores and drop dead glamourous Palais Garnier.
 But you may be surprised to hear this diverse district
 is arguably blessed with more Paris color and personality
 than many of its better known neighbors.

I have a soft place in my heart for locales that are emotionally complex;
for this reason, the 9th never disappoints.
  Its jumble of happily distracting contrasts is gloriously grand on one block, roguishly rumpled on the next, yet rock-solid Paris to the core.
Never boring, forever irresistible, we're awarded a surprise on every block, a
 mix-and-match diversity that makes this neighborhood so satisfying.


This "clash of the 9th" is one of the highlights that lure us 
back to the French capital year after year.
  From luxurious avenues to rough-around-the-edges alleyways,
this authentic Paris neighborhood brings meaning to the word "well-traveled".
Picture
Upmarket Cité de Trévise, tucked into the southeast corner
of the 9th, is the picture of respectability.
  Well-groomed and classically endowed, this posh little square
will almost make your teeth hurt, it's so delicious.

A fountain filled with classical beauties pose front and center
of well ordered Renaissance mansions.
Stately trees and manicured gardens are utterly va-va-va-voom,
yet dignity and order rule the day.

  Right from the start, you'll appreciate the architectural details on the outside.
Go ahead, let your imagination soar.
Persian carpets, gilt-framed mirrors and romantic poet-types
surely reign within these pretty doors.
​ Quiet and outright calm, Cité de Trévise is the 9th at its well-groomed best
.
Picture
It's all about the details.....
Picture
Picture
Picture
Move in ready, this house was made for you and me....

Picture
Picture
Practically dead-center in the quarter lies a stunning church
perhaps not so celebrated by the average Paris tourist
but well loved by the local citizenry.
  Notre Dame de Lorette, completed by 1836, was one of several churches
built to replace those destroyed in the French revolution. 

Not far from the prestigious Cité de Trévise and nearby upscale neighborhoods,
this spiritual center remains miles away in terms of status and social standing.
  You see, in spite of a wealth of stunning murals and sacred church decoration,
this neo-classical house of worship claims the same name
as the 19th century prostitutes who worked nearby.

  La Lorette was the nickname for the "working girls" who plied their trade
in the streets rather than the authorized brothels.
  Undocumented and unregulated, they often times offered
their services at reduced fees.
  No one knows for sure, but I like to think of these fallen women
sneaking a quiet break in the spiritual sanctuary of the church.
In those burdensome and oftentimes punishing days,
a "fille de joie" was just trying to put bread on the table.
  A prayer here and there, no doubt, eased some
of their roughest days -- and endless nights.... 
Picture
Beautiful murals surround you in the church where Claude Monet was baptized.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Unless you're really good at talking yourself into places where you're uninvited,
it's unlikely you'll be able to see much of Avenue Frochot,
a gated community just blocks away from scruffy Place Pigalle*.
  Talk about mismatched neighbors!

  Avenue Frochot is the very essence of polished residential luxury;
 Place Pigalle* is the backbone of peep shows and all-night bars -- the
clash of the 9th in all its glory! 
*I'm not picking on Pigalle; this once tattered neighborhood has enjoyed a recent revival and though
still a bit on the wild side, the new re-imagined So-Pi quarter is now trendy and cool.

​
Meanwhile, back at the solidly locked doors of Avenue Frochot,
a beautiful art-deco stained glass wall sets off its majestic black gates
where you're left to wonder how the rich & famous cope with such perfection.
Famous folks have called this home over the years including
film director Jean Renoir (son of Pierre Auguste Renoir), jazz guitarist/composer

Django Reinhard, and surreal artist Gustave Moreau.

Nearby rue des Martyrs -- see random-acts-of-imagination.html -- is where
locals seem to meet in the middle -- a sharp middle-class contrast
to the upscale Frochot and the philistine Pigalle.
But I think this lopsided nature is exactly what we're searching for -- that indescribable Paris personality that reads like a good adventure story.

Like night and day, these neighborhoods are poles apart.
And we thank our lucky stars we can orbit their sun.
​
Picture
Picture
Director Jean Renoir helped make French cinema what it is today.
Picture
The 9th is home to the infamous Folies Bergère,
a time-honored institution, a famous face in Paris.

"A psychiatrist is a man who goes to the Folies-Bergère and looks at the audience."
Mervyn Stockwood, Anglican Bishop 

  The come-hither cabaret is famous for its spectacular -- and often naughty -- 
stage shows, carnal temptations and flowing champagne.
  Open since 1869, it has staged serious talent, cheap thrills
and tangible history in equal measure.

  In 1911, Charlie Chaplin, WC Fields and Stan Laurel
appeared together on the same stage.
  Toulouse Lautrec and Edouard Manet captured the mood and color
of the neighborhood in the faces of its barmaids and patrons.
Josephine Baker swept everyone off their feet each time she slithered
onto the stage while Maurice Chevalier charmed the ladies.

From Edith Piaf to Frank Sinatra, Charles Trenet, Elton John,
and Benny Hill, the Folies Bergère proves that opposites attract.
Here in the 9th, that's exactly what we've come to expect.
After all, when in Paris,
​ you've come to expect a good measure of razzle-dazzle.

"A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants."

Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show memorializing Chuckles the Clown
Picture
Once nicknamed "la salle des sommiers elastiques" -- The Bouncy Mattress Theatre!
Picture
It seems to me everyone has a different opinion about Eglise de la Sainte-Trinité.  True, it seems a bit pompous, but the approach to the church is quite impressive.

   The Second Empire structure is tall and imposing, true to the demands of Barron Haussmann's campaign to update and beautify Paris.
It's a welcoming spiritual center, most loved for its famous organ
and long line of celebrated organists.

And much like Notre Dame de Lorette, there are two sides to this coin.
  The Hotel Amour -- now a pretty boutique-style hotel -- was home
to a popular neighborhood brothel -- iron shackles & torture rack included.
  Just another alternate universe in the 9th arrondissement, it proves the old axiom:
"It takes all kinds of people to make a world."
Norman Mailer, American Novelist & Pulitzer Prize Winner 
Picture
Picture
Eglise de la Saint-Trinité was part of Baron Haussmann's plan to transform Paris.
Picture
Picture
The organ at Eglise le la Sainte-Trinité may be its greatest draw.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Star-struck groupies tend to flock to celebrity neighborhoods
in L.A., Nashville, New York City, and London -- but can you
imagine borrowing a cup of sugar from Frederic Chopin? 

Consider the lifestyle of the rich & famous in the mid-nineteenth century.
Back then, the 9th's Square d'Orleans had star power.
This was the home turf for artists, writers and musicians
who toiled in the big league, home-sweet-home for the likes of
Chopin, Georges Sand and Alexandre Dumas.

The 9th was known as La Nouvelle Athènes, its inspiration
borrowed from Greek antiquity. 
Neo-classical architecture galvanized these creative geniuses,
and before long it became the heart of intellectual Paris. 
 The Romantic Movement caught fire here beginning near the end of the
18th century; you can still find its vestiges on nearly every corner.
Picture
Picture
Love in the afternoon....
Picture
Now a legitimate bar catering to the young and the restless in trendy So-Pi,
Dirty Dick - yikes, that's hard to say out loud -- earned its name.
At one time, this hangout was a brothel, beloved by Allied soldiers during WWII. 
I'm told they now offer great cocktails and lively atmosphere but walking by
for a photo op is likely the closest I'll ever get.....  

The flipside of Paris is so much fun.
  The ninth arrondissement is as colorful and compelling as a Zola novel. 
Be it respectable or rickety, every street has a story to tell.
Through the years, everyone shared this quarter.
  Delacroix and Chopin, ladies of the night and Communists
(their former headquarters were on Place Kossuth), surrealists and existentialists,
everyone felt at home in the 9th. 

I know I do.
  And I think you will as well.
  So on your next visit to Paris, please branch out a little
and make your way to the neighborhood with the big personality.
 Love Potion #9.
Picture
3 Comments
    Picture

    AUTHOR
    MICHELLE MOGGIO

    Thanks for visiting  my blog!

    I've been experiencing the joys of Paris since the ripe old age of eleven.
    As a big fan of duck fat, raw oysters and bad French movies, my long career in advertising helped pave the way for drinking at lunch. When not living la vie en rose, my husband Gary and I live in Brentwood, TN, where we stay busy planning our next travel adventure and offering unsolicited advice to our daughter.

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014


    RSS Feed

    Click below to buy
    The Paris Effect 
    book today
    Enter your email address to receive blog updates -
    Subscribe Now
    Buy Now

    Categories

    All
    100th Blog
    20th Arrondissement
    Abbaye De Fontfroide
    Absinthe
    Academie De La Grande Chaumière
    Adrian Leeds
    Aix-en-Provence
    Albi
    Aligot
    Alsace
    Ambassade D'Auvergne
    Amboise
    American History
    American Revolution
    Amphitheatre
    Antibes
    Apartments
    Aperitif
    April In Paris
    Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel
    Architecture
    Arena De Nimes
    Ariége
    Armenian Cathedral Of Paris
    Art
    Art Deco
    Artistic Paris
    Artlover
    Art Museum
    Art Nouveau
    Atonement Chapel
    Auray
    Avenue Foch
    Avenue Frochot
    Avignon
    Baccarat
    Baden-Baden
    Baguette
    Basque
    Bayeux Tapestry
    B&B
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bénodet
    Bercy Village
    Biarritz
    Biot
    Biot France
    Bistros
    Bonbons
    Books Set In France
    Boulangerie
    Brassaï
    Brittany
    Brittany American Cemetery
    Burgundy
    Cagnes-sur-Mer
    Cakes
    Canal Du Midi
    Candy
    Cap D'Antibes
    Caracalla Spa
    Caramels
    Catalan France
    Cathars
    Cathedral
    Cathedrale St-Just
    Cemetière De Passy
    Cemetière Saint-Vincent
    Chantilly
    Chapelle Expiatoire
    Chapelle Saint Vincent De Paul
    #Chapel Of Hospice Saint-Jean
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Trenet
    Chartreuse Du Val-de-Benediction
    Chateau
    Chateau De Clisson
    Chateau De Foix
    Chateau De Fougeres
    Chateau De Malmaison
    Chateau Grimaldi
    Cheese
    Chinon
    Chocolate
    Choice Vs. Chance
    Christian Constant
    #Church Of Saint-Volusien
    Cimiez
    Cité Des Fleurs
    Cité De Trevise
    Claude Monet
    Clisson
    Cocktail
    Coco Chanel
    Cognac
    Cointreau
    Cole Porter
    Comedie-Francaise
    Cote D'Azur
    Coulon
    Cours Mirabeau
    Cours Saleya
    Coussin De Lyon
    Crêpes
    Dessert
    Dijon
    Dreams
    Duck-confit
    Eating In France
    Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
    Ed Clark
    Edith-piaf
    Eglise Notre Dame De Clisson
    Eglise Sainte-Trinité
    Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés
    Elsa Maxwell
    Entrevaux
    Environmental Challenges
    Eric Kayser
    Eugene Delacroix
    Fabergé Museum
    Falling For Paris
    Famous-faces
    Fashion History
    Fauchon
    Fernand Léger
    Fete De La Transhumance
    Fête De Vendanges
    Fish Specialties
    Foix
    Folies Bergère
    Fontainebleau
    Fontaine Du Palmier
    Food Markets
    Fougeres
    Fragrance
    France
    Francois-premier
    Free Museums
    French Atlantic Coast
    French Bread
    French Cuisine
    French Food
    French-food
    French History
    French-islands
    French Musee D'Art Moderne De La Ville De Paris
    French Music
    French Resistence
    French Revolution
    #FrenchRiviera
    French Riviera
    French Slave Trade
    Friedrichsbad Spa
    Fun Fair Museum
    Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz
    Genièvre
    George Sand
    Germaine Tillion
    Germany
    Gertrude Stein
    Gordes
    Grand Mosque Of Paris
    Grand Palais
    Grasse
    Guerlain
    Gustave Moreau
    Harvest Festival
    Haut-de-Cagnes
    Healthy Travel
    Hediard
    Henri Le Roux
    Henri Matisse
    Holocaust
    Hometown Memories
    Hotel Belles Rives
    Hôtel De Soubise
    Hotel Dieu
    Hotels
    Ile De Bréhat
    Ile De Ré
    Isadora Duncan
    Jacques Genin
    Janet Flanner
    Jardin Samuel-de-Champlain
    Jay Z
    Jazz A Juan
    Jean Seberg
    Jewelry
    Josephine Baker
    Josephine Bonaparte
    Juan-les-Pins
    Keith Haring
    La Campagne A Paris
    La Couveroitade
    Lafayette
    La Jourrnée San Voiture
    Lalique
    Language Skills
    Languedoc
    La Rochelle
    La Verrerie De Biot
    Lavinia Wine Store
    Le Bonbon Au Palais
    Le Bon Georges
    Le Capitole
    Le Carrousel Des Mondes Marins
    Le Clos Lucé
    Le Cochon à L'Oreille
    Le Coq Rico
    Legendary Lovers
    Le Grand Véfour
    Le Musée Montmartre
    Leonardo Da Vinci
    Le Rostand
    Les Cocottes
    Les Fauves
    Les Invalides
    Les Machines De L'Ile
    Les Sept Iles
    Lichtentaler Allee
    Lille
    Little Gourmand
    Loire Atlantique
    Luberon
    Luxembourg Gardens
    Maison Carrée
    Malmaison
    Man Ray
    Marais Poitevin
    Marc Chagall
    Marché Beauvau
    Marché D'Aligre
    Marché President Wilson
    Marché Victor Hugo
    Marie Curie
    Market Street
    Marquis De Lafayette
    Matisse
    Maurice Utrillo
    Medieval Festival
    Medieval France
    Memorial De L'Abolition De L'Esclavage
    Memorial De La Shoah
    MFK Fisher
    Minervois Wine
    #ModernArt
    Monolithic Church
    Montmartre
    Montmartre Museum
    Montparnasse
    Montparnasse Cemetery
    Montpellier
    Movies Set In France
    Musee Carnavalet
    Musée De La Chasse Et De La Nature
    Musée Des Arts Decoritifs
    Musée Des Arts Forains
    Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon
    Musee D'Orsay
    Musée D'Orsay
    Musee L'Orangerie
    Musée Marc Chagall
    Musee Marmottan Monet
    Musée Matisse Nice
    Musée Picasso
    Musée Yves Saint Laurent
    Museum
    Museum Of Decorative Arts
    Museum Of Hunting & Nature
    Museum Of Modern Art City Of Paris
    Nancy
    Nantes
    Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon III Apartments
    Narbonne
    Nashville
    Natalie Portman
    Nazi Atrocities
    Nice
    Nice France
    Nimes
    Normandy
    Not-far-from-paris
    Not-far-from-paris
    Notre Dame De Lorette
    Notre Dame De Paris
    Occitanie
    #Occitanie
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Opera-garnier
    Operation Dragoon
    Oradoursurglane
    Our Lady Of Paris
    Palais Lascaris
    Palais Royal
    Paloma Beach
    Pancake
    Pancake Pantry
    Parade
    Parc De Bercy
    Paris
    Paris 1968
    Paris Arrondissements
    Paris Art Museum
    Paris Art Schools
    Paris At Home
    Paris Cafes
    Paris Fashion
    Paris Friend
    Paris Markets
    Paris Metro
    Paris Neighborhoods
    Paris Parks
    Paris Patisseries
    Paris Pets
    Paris Predestination
    Paris Retail Therapy
    Paris Travel
    Parks
    Passage Boudin
    Passerelle Simone De Beauvoir
    Pastis
    Patisserie
    Patricia Wells
    Paul Cezanne
    Perfume
    Pernes-les-Fontaines
    Pet Cemeteries
    Petit Palais
    Photography
    Picpus Cemetery
    Pinching Pennies
    Pink Granite Coast
    Place De Furstenberg
    Place De La Concorde
    Place Des Vosges
    Place Masséna
    Place Stanislaus
    Place Vendome
    Ploumanac'h
    Poilane
    Ponr Alexandre III
    Poster Art
    Promenade Des Anglais
    Provence
    #Provence
    Provence Markets
    Puffins
    Pyrenees-Orientales
    Rambouillet
    Raoul Dufy
    Regional Cooking
    Rennes
    Renoir
    Robert Doisneau
    Robert Wuhl
    Roquefort
    Rue Cler
    Rue Cremieux
    Rue De L'Eole Du Medecine
    Rue De Nil
    Rue Dénoyez
    Rue Des Ecoles
    Rue Des Martyrs
    Rue Irenee Blanc
    Rue Jules Siegfried
    Ruelle Des Chats
    Rue Montorgeuil
    Ruth
    Saintdenis
    Saint-Emilion
    Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
    Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
    Sainteustache
    Saint-Goustan
    Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
    Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
    Saint-Malo
    Saint-Medard Church
    Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
    Saint-Remy-de-Provence
    Saint-Vincent Cemetery
    Sculpture
    Senlis
    Serendipity
    Shopping
    Sliceoflife
    Slice Of Life
    Small Paris Pleasures
    Small Town Saturday Night
    Social Media
    So-Pi
    Springtime In Paris
    Square Des Peupliers
    Square Montsouris
    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
    Street Food
    Suzanne Valadon
    Suzy Solidor
    Sylvia Beach
    Texas
    The Avignon Papacy
    The-dreyfus-affair
    The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
    The Louvre
    The Moose
    The National Archives
    The Pantheon
    The-paris-effect
    The Pink City
    Toulouse
    Toulouse-Lautrec
    Tourrettes-sur-Loup
    Travel
    Travel Advice
    Travel Planning
    Troyes
    U.N. World Climate Conference
    Urban Art
    Uzès
    Vacation
    Vacation Planning Food
    Vel D'Hiver
    Vichy
    Vieille Bourse
    Vieux Nice
    Villa Eilenroc
    Villefranche-de-Conflent
    Villeneuve-les-Avignon
    Vincent Van Gogh
    Walking
    Walking Paris
    Willi Ronis
    Wine
    Wine Festival
    WWII
    #WWII France
    WWII Paris
    WWII Provence
    Yachts
    Yves Saint Laurent

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.