Can't miss

A grubby, ugly and grey crossroads, yet strangely beautiful by the evening sun. It always makes me happy when I pass through because ten minutes walk in any direction leads to some of my favourite places: the best fromager, thrift stores, the best boulangerie for tartes, the canal, bars, my apartment, B.D. (comix) shops, the best butcher, the huge deco Rex cinema, the best veg markets, my band's underground rehearsal room, my part time job, art galleries, etc etc!

Cool bar-restaurant in the parc of Les Buttes Chaumont, quiet, peaceful with good cocktails

Ofr is a bookstore, gallery and lifestyle. Alex and Marie have been running one version or another of this Paris institution for the last 20 years. The shelves are always packed with a new selection of books, magazines and art. 

I've interviewed curator and founder Marie Madec a couple of times now; she represents their contemporary artists with a dedication and enthusiasm that's infectious.