Can't miss

The majority of creative agencies in Paris are located along Canal Saint Martin so everyday the banks of the canal are full of artists and creative people enjoying their lunch break. If one is lucky enough to be around the canal on a sunny day its the best place to enjoy a drink.

Chez Jeanette is a cool bar to hang out in located on the same street where I have lived since I was two years old. Many trendy young people hang out here everyday where one can listen to good music whilst sipping nice drinks.

This is another artistic centre that opened recently, this time housed in a former 19th century music hall that later became an indoor roller coaster attraction (yeah, really). The temporary exhibitions can be hit or miss, but I like hanging out in the free, open-to-all library on the first floor where you can sit in the futurist media pods and flip through the latest arts, culture, music, design and architecture magazines. Their shelves are also filled with a growing endowment of books which seem to be acquired according to the theme of the aforementioned exhibitions. Internet access is available on a dozen or so PCs (or via WiFi on your own machine) and for gamers, there are a few consoles connected to largish plasma screens. The café upstairs, with its classic baroque meets retro-futurist interior, is a sight to behold.

L'Officine Universelle Buly, also known as simply Buly 1803 is a beautiful shop based on the Rue Bonaparte in Paris, it specialises in refined, artisanal beauty products.