1st Arrondissement - Le Marais: Paris

Paris' 1st. It is no wonder that this is the arrondissement numero uno, top dog or shall we say, top 'escargot' as the residents of 'Paname' (Paris) like to call it. The 'arrondissements' or neighborhoods in Paris are numbered starting from 1 and going up to 20 -- spiraling out from the center and turning and turning in a circle until the city's inevitable drop off into the infamous 'banlieu' (suburbs). The French as pseudo-socialists, like to pretend there is no hierarchy of anything, arrondissment, social class, etc., but there is, as anyone can tell you and most especially in regards to where one lives in relation to the city's center. A Parisian's success or failure in life and his or her social rank is highly dependent on where he or is on the snail. The arrondissement with the smallest numbers have the highest snob factor, with a few exceptions. The Louvre is in the 1st arrondissement, so is the Jardin des Tuileries and the Palais Royal. Looking for a high-priced tourist apartment rental? Look no further. They are all here on Rue de Richelieu. Is it worth the price to step outside of your place and into the Louvre? Yes. Probably. Stay away from Chatelet/Les Halles one of the city's major train hubs – there are rats, cheap tacky clothes, menacing teenagers and a KFC where said 'adols' stuff their faces. Only venture out here cross over to the Centre Georges Pompidou, or to shop near St. Eustache.