The Old Rue de Lappe...

Rue de Lappe >>> Metro : Bastille. 11th Arrondissement... This small paved street, whilst narrow and discrete, is still one of the hottest Parisian nightspots. Filled with bars, restaurants and trendy boutiques it really comes alive during the nightly “happy hours”. The street’s reputation emerged with the famous popular dance clubs located there before the war. Well located in the Bastille quarter, it was where Parisian’s came to dance and drink absinthe. The street was named after a market gardener, Gérard de Lappe, who once sold his wares here. The number of cafés opened in this spot by natives of the Auvergne region of France lead the writer Alphonse to label it a Auvergnat ghetto. Over the years though the jolly folk dances of the Auvergne region gave way to the java and then the Argentinean tango. Located at number 9 was the infamous Bal Vernet. Whereas at number 32 one could find Jo France, creator of le Bal à Jo, which came to be called the Balajo from 1936 onwards. Well known patrons of the Balajo were Arletty, Marlene Dietrich, Francis Carco, Joseph Kessel and numerous other personalities. Whilst closed during the war the Balajo afterwards welcomed many of the stars of the French Liberation, Edith Piaf, Django Reinhardt, Francis Lemarque and Mouloudji. Even today it manages to retain the feel and charm of yesteryear. --- From "Paris Mysterious".