Montparnasse :

The Hotel Nouvel Orleans is close to the Montparnasse Quarter.
Is a skyscraper at 23, avenue du Maine , in the Montparnasse area of Paris , France , the only skyscraper office building in Paris proper.
Built on top of the Paris Metro station " Montparnasse Bienvenüe ", the 58 floors of the tower are mainly occupied by offices, while two floors are open to the public for viewing the city; the 56th floor with a restaurant, and the terrace on the top floor. On a clear day, the view covers a radius of 40 kilometers ; you can see the aeroplanes taking off from Orly Airport . Designed as a safety measure for visitors, the guard-rail can be removed in only 120 seconds to allow helicopters to land.

At the time of construction, it was the highest building in Europe . The construction of La Grande Arche at La Défense places the tower in a second line of perspective across Paris : see Axe historique.

From 1900 to 1939, avant-garde artists like Picasso , Modigliani and Chagall , came to Montparnasse to create. They were joined by poets and writers ( Apollinaire , Max Jacob , Andre Breton , Jean Cocteau , Ernest Hemingway , F. Scott Fitzgerald ) and russian political exiles ( Lenin , Trotsky ). It's the golden age during which Montparnasse leads the artistic and literary world. After World War II, bohemian life becomes so fashionable that it falls victim to its own success, with a rich and exhibitionist crowd chasing away the artists.

Today's Montparnasse is a modern business area dominated by the 209 meters high Montparnasse tower, which is the ideal spot to savour a drink while admiring, from the bar, Hotel Nouvel Orleans or the observation deck, the dream-like Paris landscape.

The mostly underground commercial wall of Maine- Montparnasse , which includes an annex of Galeries Lafayette , attracts shoopers, as do rue de Rennes.

Built over the rails of busy Montparnasse train station, the Atlantic garden with its theme gardens, bridges, pathways and rolling lawns evoking the ocean, is an oasis of peace.

The Cimetiere du Montparnasse , otherwise known as the “south cemetery” is spread out over 1,800 acres and is the third largest cemetery in Paris , after Pere Lachaise and Montmartre . Established in 1824, Montparnasse is one of the more frequented Paris cemeteries, as it is the burial ground for a number of artists, politicians and dignitaries from around the world. Montparnasse is the gravesite for illustrious personalities like Charles Baudelaire , Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean Paul Sartre, and Man Ray. --words and photos by Michael Rando

The Bowling de Montparnasse is one of the nice bowlings in Paris close to the Hotel Nouvel Orleans. It has 16 alleys and is located next to the Méridien Hotel in the lively Montparnasse district. With its bar and restaurant, the Bowling de Montparnasse is a relaxing place to have fun late in the night (until 5am on Saturday night).

Address:
Bowling de Montparnasse
25, Rue du Commandant Mouchotte 75014 Paris
tel: 33 (0)1 43 21 61 32

Access:
Subway : Montparnasse station on line 5, 12, 13
Parking at the Méridien hotel near-by

Hours:
Everyday 10am to 2am
Closes at 4am on Fridays, 5am on Saturdays

The 14th arrondissement is also a many-faceted neighbourhood. The most well-known is of course Montparnasse with its sea air brought with them by the Bretons, who make up the majority of the population here.

But we mustn't forget the Quartier de Plaisance either, which has an appropriate name, as it is pleasant to wander down the streets of this still little known popular neighbourhood of Paris .

While Montparnasse has lost much of its charm with its redevelopment, there are still two other little neighbourhoods which have not been affected by modernism: Denfert - Rochereau , with a very provincial population and atmosphere, and Alesia , near the Parc Montsouris , very picturesque and bucolic.

Believe it or not, you can find an affordable hotel in Paris . The city offers excellent choices in all its most interesting neighborhoods, at rates that will leave plenty left over for all that luscious food, the wine, the sidewalk cafes , and la joie de vie parisienne ! If you can, devote a minimum of four days and nights to this world-class city. Make sure to reserve early for the best opportunities!

From the historic Latin Quarter, St. Germain and the Left Bank , to the glamorous Champs Elysée and Eiffel Tower on the Right Bank , from the Louvre to the Musée Rodin , from the most modest local church to Notre Dame , everything is located within easy walking or Metro distance. And despite what you may have heard about the "attitude" you might find in Paris, rest assured that virtually every hotel has a friendly concierge to help you get where you want to go - be it Montparnasse and Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge or the Crazy Horse Cafe , or for a ride on the Seine via Bateau Mouche .

Created from three farms in 1824, the Montparnasse cemetery was originally known as Le Cimetiere du Sud. Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the shutting down of the Cimetiere des Innocents in 1786 on the fringe of Les Halles food market on the grounds that it presented a health hazard. Several new cemeteries outside of the precincts of the capital replaced all the Parisian ones in the early 19th century, Cimetière de Montmartre in the north, Le Cimetiere Pere Lachaise in the east and Cimetière du Montparnasse in the south. At the heart of the city, and today, sitting in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower , is Cimetière de Passy .

Montparnasse Cemetery is the eternal home of many of France 's intellectual and artistic elite as well as publishers and others who promoted the works of writers and artists. There are also monuments to police and firefighters killed in the line of duty in the city of Paris .

Because of the many notable people buried there, it is a highly popular tourist attraction.

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