The 13th is known as the Asian area of the city, and while I think the Vietnamese might have a majority, there appear to be all sorts (based purely on the variety of restaurants). I've written about the 13th twice before: when my Danish "cousin" was here about a month ago and we walked from the Place d'Italie to see the Frigo art building, and when we spent a Thursday night out on the Quai de la Gare along the Seine. As I've said, the area near the Frigo reminds me a bit of London. Avenue de la France runs parallel to the river about three blocks back from it, and that's where I've gone to study the past two weekends. There's a Starbucks and a Pret-a-Manger (which is a British chain!) as well as a cool-looking British pub called the Frog and the British Library. France's version of the Library of Congress is also about two blocks away from this intersection; the Bibliotheque François Mitterrand is four buildings that were designed to look like four open books (they do). I will eventually try to do some studying there, but I like the atmosphere at the Pret-a-Manger (as ironic as it is to go to a French-style cafe in France that is not actually French). Anyway, I like the route to get to this area: it's essentially a straight shot from a street near mine; in the 14th arrondisement it's Rue d'Alesia, and once you cross into the 13th, it's Rue du Tolbiac. There's a bus that goes the entire way. I think the 13th has been described as up-and-coming, and I can see why. It's not as obviously French or Parisian as the 14th and other parts of the city; part of this is because its residents are clearly more international. There are many kebab places mixed in with the Asian restaurants (though of course there are still plenty of traditional boulangeries and bucheries). It's not posh, but I like that. I almost feel like I'm in a different city walking through the 13th.
Today was the first time I set foot in the 15th. Metro line 6, which I take each Friday to my squash lesson on the right bank, goes above ground through the 15th, so I've seen parts of it before. It looks pretty much just like the 14th although perhaps slightly less beautiful/classic. Also like the 14th, the 15th is known for... nothing in particular. It's just a nice residential part of the city without any particular claims to fame (perhaps less, since at least the 14th can claim the catacombs and the Montparnasse tower). I decided to run along the metro line and discovered a great view of the Eiffel Tower that is not visible from the train because the train goes directly towards it, and the windows don't allow you to see straight ahead! I encountered what appeared to be a combination of a large yard sale and antique sale sprawling across a couple of blocks (and blocking my route). Other than that, I saw nothing of note.
I often wish that I lived a bit closer to the center of the city. On a typical day, I don't see anything - Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, even the Seine - that reminds me that I live in Paris. I only see those things if I make an effort to go that far north. They're not prohibitively far away; it's just a matter of them not being on my route between home and school. I've been exploring these other areas partially out of curiosity but also partially out of a desire to become more or less grateful that I live where I do. I think the 13th would be fun, but it's not as consistent/coherent as the 14th (there are parts of the 13th that I find uncharming), and it's even further removed. The 15th seems to offer nothing additional except closer proximity to the Eiffel Tower, but by then you're also further west from most of the other things, which are right in the center. The 14th is great... it just needs to be located where the 6th is, one arrondisement north! I would so love to be able to see something famous each day as part of my normal routine.
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