HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

I arrived at L'Est and walked to Hotel Soft Paris in less than 10 minutes.

I departed Paris at Gare du Nord and it was less than 15 minutes to walk there from the hotel.

The hotel is located a side street, so it is quiet at night.

My room overlooked a pleasant rear courtyard shared with other buildings.

Hotel Soft also is the perfect distance from the two major rail stations -- as in close enough to walk without paying high taxi rates, and far enough away to avoid the seedy element that populates the surroundings of major transit hubs -- even in this most elegant of cities.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

When I was asking a question to the front desk clerk at Hotel Soft Paris the next morning, a fellow traveler checking out also complained about poor sleep due to loud thuds from the room above.

I confess I am a light sleeper and this was the first night adjusting to the 6 hour time difference -- but since a similar solo traveler on my floor had the same experience, I have to share this noise concern.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

The first night at Hotel Soft Paris, I slept chaotically.

There was a thumping noise from the room above from at least 11 p.m. till past 1 a.m.

It sound like people dropping luggage over and over -- or a large dog leaping off the bed.

A bit more soundproofing should be added.

Because the phone in the room doesn't work, I did not contact the front desk to investigate the noise.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

Hotel Soft Paris provides low cost rooms with just enough space to sleep and bathe, great location in authentic 10th Arrondissement

Its excellent location is footsteps from Canal St. Martin -- the beautiful waterway with elegant bridges over it and thousands of spots to sit with a picnic lunch and bottle of wine in one of the greatest outdoor urban settings in all of Europe.

The hotel also is within easy walking distance of Paris' large Gare de L'Est and Gare du Nord railroad stations.

CONNECT RECORD SHOP (VINYL PARADISE)

THE CROWN JEWEL OF FORT LAUDERDALE’S THRIVE ART DISTRICT 

The New Times described South Florida’s best record shop: “Connect Record Shop immediately made a splash on the regional record shop scene thanks to its fantastic curation and socially oriented space.”

Connect is in Fort Lauderdale’s Thrive Art District – worth a 90 minute roundtrip drive from the center of Miami.

A recent visit took me back 4+ decades with posters of Devo, The Velvet Underground and more.

Connect is a throwback with old school (and fresh) vinyl in a clean, wheelchair accessible, inclusive setting.

It earns a 5 star review with wall art of bands I saw in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in my native Ohio.

https://connectrecordshop.com/

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is not in the town center, but around Dampoort station, there are a half dozen or so Turkish and Middle Eastern pita shops, restaurants and bakeries.

Some reviewers have said the neighborhood looks seedy.

It is not polished, but it is growing area and I never felt like I needed to take anything but public transit and foot power – even when I arrived around 11 p.m.

Buying tickets for local buses and intercity trains is very easy online.

You can go to famous Bruges or the Flanders part of northern France for less than $10 one way, when you buy a 6 euro plus pass and book off times (basically not rush hour).

The areas around the fabled towers and historic monuments of Gent can be a bit noisy, so I found the Dampoort location to be quiet and peaceful.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The main street where Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is located is a bit gritty.

It’s a dockland area that clearly soon will be a hipster area, as a hip office building has been built nearby, condos are going up and some older buildings are prime for renovation.

The walk along the waterfront feels safe.

It is well lit.

You walk past live aboard moored boats, open fields ready for redevelopment on them, then some preserved heavy dock equipment, an urban skate park and ultimately a pedestrian bridge that leads to a food hall and retail – about 20 minutes from the hotel.