Paris streets: rue Sainte Marthe (75010)

Oh yes ~~ I can see how you thought of the bright streets of Cartagena!

I found the use of all the wooden store fronts very surprising somehow. Does that occur all over Paris, or only in certain pockets?

You captured so much variety. Truly, you have photos that would fit perfectly in various Image Bank themes -- wrought iron, wood, old signage, color.

I have a variation on my question on the rue Dénoyez thread. That is, do some of the closed-up buildings have active businesses at another time of the day/week?

Thanks for this -- so enjoyable!

Nice, Kerouac. Love those storefronts.

The demolition one reminds me of an exhibition currently at the Pulitzer Museum in St. Louis.

mattaclark.pulitzerarts.org/

"Gordon Matta-Clark used neglected structures slated for demolition as his raw material. He carved out sections of buildings in order to reveal their hidden constructions, to provide new ways of perceiving space, and to create metaphors for the human condition."

The really old traditional store fronts were like that, with wooden panels to be removed from the windows. Then the horrible "rideau de fer" (rolling iron shutter) was invented and it was so much more convenient than manipulating panels that just about every small shop adopted it. Rue Sainte Marthe has the biggest concentration of the old panels that I have seen anywhere.

Wow Kerouac, I didn't know this street at all (rue Dénoyez either, in fact). I'm surprised to see so much colour. But I think I would prefer to go see it when things are open.

No, I have never eaten at any of the restaurants there -- just about every place requires reservations with people spilling out into the street. I will try to take photos of a lively time at some time in the future when the weather is nice and when there are throngs of people (but that unfortunately makes it look much more touristy and less authentic).

Bobo tourists from other parts of Paris! I have to admit that even on that empty evening, I was just one of at least 10 "tourists" taking photos of the street, and I live less than a kilometer from there.

I thought it was strange that there were two South American restaurants in that street. How long is it?

These are great K2. Somehow though,I have always imagined that Paris had/has many of these little tucked away gems.Perhaps,I have seen too many movies with depictions of small neighborhoods like these featured.Or is this even considered a neighborhood in the true sense of the word? Is there a residential section attached/associated with it? (The old Little Italy in NYC before it became so commercialized and trendy comes to mind,as it is such a small section,yet bustling with life in the cafes).
I shudder to think that the movie people would descend on here too often....as they do here for "atmosphere".
Thank you for this,I have so enjoyed it.

I passed through rue Sainte Marthe again today while waiting to see a strange Catalonian movie and saw a few things differently.

Here is La Sardine when it is open (in winter).



A few other places were open as well.



Some places await renovation.



I walked into one of the buildings and got thrown out by an irate Arab woman. "This is private property! You shouldn't be here!" I said "I'm sorry" and left quickly.



Oh well, you have to take a few risks from time to time.

This latest group of pictures really gives even more of an idea of the character of the street. I love that there are plain old businesses there like the unfancy wine shop, the plain old ironmonger, and the (religious?) low key bookstore.

I don't know what it is, but every time I look at this thread, I feel strongly that I've actually been on this street. (which is impossible)

Any idea what that pipe next to the banister is for?

Bixa, bobo in French, particularly in Paris, is short for bourgeois-bohémien.

I think the pipe next to the staircase is a support for the ceiling, if I'm not wrong, since I can't see it all. You can see that there is a series of holes, so you can adjust the height according to what you are trying to hold up.

When Chirac was mayor of Paris, there was a major effort at renovation and clean-up, as well as getting rid of buildings that were in terrible condition. There were several effects -- one was that a lot of insalubrious housing disappeared (even though it may have been picturesque on the outside to photographers!), the other is that poor people pretty much got pushed out of the housing market and had to go live further and further away from the centre.

Places like that shown in the photograph of the stairs is probably still cheap (for Paris), but I imagine that in a few more years it will have been renovated and prices will increase accordingly.

Gosh, Kerouac ~~ you seem to have a terrible problem with veiled women making not-so-veiled threatening gestures at you! anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=africa&thread=2641&page=1#51488

Yes that is extremely French. And an awful lot of people of Arab origins (which in France means mostly North African, and some Lebanese and other Levantines) are utterly French; I'm thinking of some friends and associates. I am sorry K couldn't take those photos though.

Depends where you are I think.

I once went for a week long drive to Normandie and slept in a sleeping bag in the countryside. I never got bothered and in fact twice got invited in for a breakfast coffee and croissant.