Paris trip, DH nervous.

[MegCleary]

We have booked an Airbnb, two dds coming too and we go in two weeks. We were planning stuff and I linked DH to the apt and looking at the latest reviews there is a homeless encampment mentioned outside the kitchen window, the review mentioned being watched eating breakfast if you don’t close the blinds.
DH is VERY risk averse and now stressed about going.
Anyone had any issues like this? Advice appreciated.

And just to say that I’ve stayed with toddlers in Paris and been completely fine. The scariest part for me were the “one euro one euro one euro” guys as we were walking up to montmartre when just DH and I went.

Yes, but you’re talking about a square with a fountain full of tourists presumably hanging out in the evenings with small children. Rue Fenelon is an ordinary residential street in central Paris, with residential apartment buildings on one side and the side of a church on the other. The OP will literally be walking down it to get to and from her Airbnb and the metro.

Did you not check the reviews before booking?

I grew up in a not great area, and I still found Paris difficult.

Have you been there recently? It's not really a relaxing place to visit. It's stressful

You will barely be in it. I would go. Although that area of Paris isn't the nicest

It's so soul destroying that you go and book everything and then DH goes 'oh this looks bad' etc. Pain in the arse. But I get it, he would probably never say oh let's go on a trip will I look up some places, flights etc...
So you do everything and then everyone else is free to pick holes in it at the last minute when they realise it's actually happening.
You'll be fine.
Ask him well why didn't you look up any accommodation then??

Paris is great and your dd will love the culture but gare du nord area has always been sketchy and seems to resist gentrification. I would also avoid the area around Stalingrad metro station and Barbes-Rochechouarts, which is deceptively close to montmartre. Paris, like all major cities, has areas of deprivation a stone's throw from popular tourist areas. Research pays. I wouldn't be staying in that air b&b (but I don't like air b&b in general.)

This is so disrespectful to homeless people, as if they are all criminals and can't wait to rob or kill you stone dead in the street. Surely other people live in apartments on that street and shop, and walk, and live their lives without any major issue? Just like any big city in a slightly edgy area.

As long as I could securely lock my door when inside, all will be fine. But that's nothing new, we lock ourselves in at nightime in our own homes anyway.

Be street smart, ignore begging, move fast if you feel bothered by anything, and use cross body bags. Simple things, and they would apply in any big city.

Enjoy yourselves and have a great time. Don't cancel, the next place could be ten times worse in other ways.

It’s an ordinary big city like London or New York. If you’re used to cities, it’s not going to be stressful, unless you’re someone who stresses about being in another language environment. And the mètro is considerably better sign-posted and more salubrious than the NY subway.

The area arouud Gare du Nord is a bit manky but no more so than any big city transport terminus.

There have been encampments in the area but I think they were all pretty much (controversially) cleared in preparation for the Olympics.

We got a very reasonably priced and comfortable apartment in Le Marais last time we went, an area I totally recommend.

Salubrious!

I had a colleague who used to use that word all the time.

It reminded me of her

Was that on air b and b?

Advice? Go with someone else. Close the blinds if the locals bother you.

No @roundthemoon, it was booking dot com.

Why would she go with someone else? It's a family holiday.

This isn’t fair! There are really grim parts of Paris for sure - but there is also so much magic. It’s a city. Anyone who’d spent a lot of time in Paddington or Earls Court could be forgiven for thinking London was a grim city. There are plenty of parts of Berlin, New York and Amsterdam that are beyond grim. Doesn’t mean they’re not also full of incredible things. Perspective is everything

I’ve been quite a few times, the last was 2019. I didn’t find it hard at all, that was with the small children. We had a lovely Airbnb, in the Marais, although I’ve stayed all over before.

Maybe I’m your colleague and I tracked you down on the internet to say ‘Salubrious’ to you…?

Oh Berlin. I loved that for its grittiness. Berlin is my favourite, I cried on the way out of that city. The graffiti ❤️ I am a sucker for an urban landscape. Amsterdam too pretty for me. NY I didn’t like as its transport system isn’t European enough for me.

We stayed near there during Olympics and it was fine but there were very few homeless people around and they may have been moved on for the summer. Is that near a church/small park set back from the Rue de la Fayette?

I was there six months ago. It was no more stressful than any other big city.

The Gare du Nord area is not the place to stay for nervous travellers. It is, um, edgy. I'd be inclined to find somewhere else.

Because OP wants to? How snobby insinuating that you're so well travelled you wouldn't dream of going to Paris.

My DD loved it at 15. Doubt you could go to the Louvre, Notre Dame or Disneyland in the 'less grim' places.

Maybe she wants to go to Paris?