European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                What the tourists done to know they can t hurts amps photos by Peter Jaeger an Early morning cleaner starts his Day in one of the Many quiet Side streets of the Marais District. By Rone tempest the los Angeles times old timers in Pat is still remember the picturesque Back streets of the latin Quarter before they were taken Over by greek restaurants with grease dripping Lamb carcasses and Bouzouki music. Likewise Hemingway would be hard pressed to write even one Good sentence in what has become of his beloved Montparnasse. His favorite cafe the formerly quaint Clos Erie Des Lilas now serves Quot Hemingway Steak Quot with a Side of Fries. These areas have become Paris cliches particularly during summer when visitors from around the world fill their streets. But still relatively unknown to the tourist hordes is the charming Marais District a compact neighbourhood on the right Bank of the Seine River that is wedged Between two of Paris dominant architectural statements the Pompidou Center in Beau Burgand the new Bastille opera at the place de la Bastille. Hip parisians rediscovered the Marais about 10 years ago when the area was invaded by the first wave of bargain seeking French yuppies known Here As Les branches Quot the plugged in Quot. Today it is one of the choicest places in Paris to live. And now the time is Ripe for discriminating travellers to strike. The 17th-Century place Des Vosges the oldest a and one of the most Beautiful a squares in Paris has been recently restored making it a stately and symmetrical Centrepiece of an ongoing neighbourhood face lift. And with a selection of unusual museums including one dedicated to locksmiths and another to Hunters in beautifully restored French Renaissance mansions an Ever increasing array of boutiques and Many inviting Parks and alleys the Marais seems perfectly built for adventurous travellers particularly those who have been to Paris before and who have exhausted the usual tourist haunts. It takes a few afternoons of what the French Call Lanerie a a kind of unhurried aimless wandering a to truly appreciate one of Paris most intriguing and satisfying neighbourhoods. A visitor should be prepared to be sidetracked diverted and blissfully lost. The Maze of streets is confusing enough that the latter is almost certain to happen. The trick is not to care. Hidden within the Marais for example visitors will find an exquisite Seldom crowded museum devoted to the history of the City of Light. Although the Carnavale museum on the Rue de Sevigne is Paris official City museum it is also one of Paris Best kept secrets. It is mainly a collection of Art works depicting Paris from its earliest Days to modern times. Walking the chronologically arranged corridors a visitor has the impression of witnessing the birth and development of Paris As a great City. Unlike the equally old neighbourhoods on the left Bank where government ministries snatched up the most Beautiful old residences the Marais has benefited from its relatively late rediscovery and restoration. Since 1965, when it was declared a historical preservation area by the government the Marais has been protected from politicians and demolition Crews. Under current culture minister Jack Lang a resident of the area who lives in one of the splendid mansard roofed town houses on the place Des Vosges the Marais has become the beneficiary of the government s most enlightened programs of restoration. It has been an impressive comeback for a Classy old Paris neighbourhood. Before it was eclipsed in the mid-18th Century by Versailles the Marais was the royally decreed Best address in Paris. The identical town houses surrounding a Serene Park in the place Des Vosges were in fact one of the world s first real estate developments completed in i 612 by order of King Henri in. The French King first thought of putting a silkworm factory in the former swampland Marais Means swamp. Then irritated that members of his court were spending too much time at their country estates he decided to make it into a luxury residential area and ordered the Nobles to buy shares. The neighbourhood s decline began at the time of the French revolution after the july 14, 1789, storming of the nearby Bastille prison. After the cycles of revolution terror and restoration of the monarchy the Marais slowly slipped into a role As marshalling Quarter for newly arrived immigrants. For years it was the main jewish neighbourhood of Paris and the Quarter is still filled with synagogues and Kosher restaurants. By the end of world War i it was one of the places that taxi Drivers refused to go because it was considered too poor and too rough. And if the Early Marais spawned an important French literary Salon culture during world War ii and the German occupation it became the site of one of France s greatest Shames the deportation of thousands of French jews to nazi extermination Camps. Today the Marais is again in transition. The hippest fashion designers fight for shop space. After designers Lolita Lempicka and Azzedine Alaia set up their Ateliers six years ago the Marais has become the most interesting boutique clusters in pans. The famous fashion houses on the Rue do Faubourg Saint Honore and Avenue montaigne Are for the Rich japanese and american tourists. Stylish Young French men and women shop in the Marais. The trendiness has also taken the lid off housing prices As the Marais has become the preferred address for people in the arts. The Down Side is that some of the older institutions that give the place character Are being pushed out by the trend oids. The neighbourhood s old jewish Bathhouse Hammam has been purchased by a clothing business entrepreneur who plans to make it into a multistory boutique Selling jeans Navajo rugs and american theme trinkets. There Are plenty of interesting places to eat in the Marais including the splendid but expensive count on at least $80 per person l Ambroisio on the place Des Vosges. Chef Bernard Pacaud s Small restaurant is one of Only five in Paris to hold the coveted three Star rating Given by the guide Michelin. Pacaud is known for his pastries and for an unusual dish Jam Bonnette de Gre Noailles composed of Frog thighs in a sauce of watercress and Morel mushrooms. One problem with the District is hotel accommodations. The Good ones Are expensive �?$200 a night for an unspectacular double room a and booked nearly year round by those trying to avoid the crowds. Although there Are some Good reasonably priced rooms travellers Are Well advised to stay in one of the Many Small hotels in the nearby lie Saint Louis and spend waking hours wandering in the Marais. 10 stripes Magazine october 10, 1991