Paris, Part II: Braving the Hostel
As a rule, I spend money on meals, museums, monuments rather than lodging. Thus, we didn't stay in a hotel in Paris. We stayed in one of its best hostels.
FIRST, THE RAMBLE...
I've had a few negative experiences in hostels but nothing terrible. Not like in the recent ridiculous horror franchise, where hostel visitors regularly loose body parts. Between Hostel and Liam Neeson's Taken series, you'd think Europe is one giant house of horror ready to rob unsuspecting Americans of all they hold sacred.
Hollywood, of course, misses the mark. The real danger in a hostel is the five snoring Germans. Really, one snoring German is enough to induce insomnia, but five? Well, that will damage handheld electronics and cause irreparable hearing damage.
But we dodged the bullet this time. No one stole my wallet or my spleen. My phone still worked like a charm, and not a single German nosewhistler disturbed the peace.
...NEXT, THE REVIEW...
The Generator is tidy, trendy, organized, and secure, with a French bouncer the size of Suge Knight at the door to check everyone's ID. It's also 8.5/10 on Booking.com, which is "very good" in Booking's rating system. I concur.
Voilá...
...et voici.
The Generator hostels houses almost a thousand people every night in all sort of sleeping configurations. You can grab a bunk bed in a 12-person room for $25/night. A double room with views of Monmartre and the Eiffel Tower will run you $100. We booked beds in a 6-person room. I got a Genius discount, so that was $22/night. Heck, that's the price of a decent meal. Try to book a hotel for that in the States and the bed might vibrate. You won't feel it though because you'll be in so much pain from the spleen you just lost.
Anyway, the rooms are relatively quiet, but downstairs is another story. The place bustles 9am-2am. There's a bar/night club in the basement, a cafe w/foosball table at ground level, and on the 9th floor a restaurant terrace with views of Monmartre and the Canal St.-Martin. The terrace was closed on our off-season trip, but in the spring/summer I would probably stay there all night. Walking tours of the Cité leave daily at 10am. It's on Place du Colonel Fabien, which has a metro stop. Access = parfait.
A hostel is a community. It's where you meet the world. In our room were four Korean students and a Moroccan in town for a few days. We traded accounts of our travels and our cultures.
We hit it off with one of the Korean students. He loved sports. James and I kept him entertained for a good fifteen minutes, debating whether Steph Curry or LeBron James is the better player. Then we talked travel. He showed us his terrific photos of Mt. Saint-Michel and gave me a packet of amazing Korean BBQ sauce. Then he told me he is studying electrical engineering. "I want to work for NASA," he told me.
Well, shoot, son! Say no more.
We talked about space for a good thirty minutes. When I left the next morning, way before sunrise, I left him copies of both my books - I brought a few with me to Europe for just such an event. He replied a few hours later, thanking me for the books and the conversations. Traffic on that street goes both ways, my friend.
So, if you're Lone Star Rambling and not on your honeymoon or anniversary, if you can overcome your cultural prejudices and sleep in a room beside perfect strangers, some of whom wind up being kindred spirits, then Generator Hostel is for you.
FIRST, THE RAMBLE...
I've had a few negative experiences in hostels but nothing terrible. Not like in the recent ridiculous horror franchise, where hostel visitors regularly loose body parts. Between Hostel and Liam Neeson's Taken series, you'd think Europe is one giant house of horror ready to rob unsuspecting Americans of all they hold sacred.
Hollywood, of course, misses the mark. The real danger in a hostel is the five snoring Germans. Really, one snoring German is enough to induce insomnia, but five? Well, that will damage handheld electronics and cause irreparable hearing damage.
But we dodged the bullet this time. No one stole my wallet or my spleen. My phone still worked like a charm, and not a single German nosewhistler disturbed the peace.
...NEXT, THE REVIEW...
The Generator is tidy, trendy, organized, and secure, with a French bouncer the size of Suge Knight at the door to check everyone's ID. It's also 8.5/10 on Booking.com, which is "very good" in Booking's rating system. I concur.
Voilá...
...et voici.The Generator hostels houses almost a thousand people every night in all sort of sleeping configurations. You can grab a bunk bed in a 12-person room for $25/night. A double room with views of Monmartre and the Eiffel Tower will run you $100. We booked beds in a 6-person room. I got a Genius discount, so that was $22/night. Heck, that's the price of a decent meal. Try to book a hotel for that in the States and the bed might vibrate. You won't feel it though because you'll be in so much pain from the spleen you just lost.
Anyway, the rooms are relatively quiet, but downstairs is another story. The place bustles 9am-2am. There's a bar/night club in the basement, a cafe w/foosball table at ground level, and on the 9th floor a restaurant terrace with views of Monmartre and the Canal St.-Martin. The terrace was closed on our off-season trip, but in the spring/summer I would probably stay there all night. Walking tours of the Cité leave daily at 10am. It's on Place du Colonel Fabien, which has a metro stop. Access = parfait.
A hostel is a community. It's where you meet the world. In our room were four Korean students and a Moroccan in town for a few days. We traded accounts of our travels and our cultures.
We hit it off with one of the Korean students. He loved sports. James and I kept him entertained for a good fifteen minutes, debating whether Steph Curry or LeBron James is the better player. Then we talked travel. He showed us his terrific photos of Mt. Saint-Michel and gave me a packet of amazing Korean BBQ sauce. Then he told me he is studying electrical engineering. "I want to work for NASA," he told me.
Well, shoot, son! Say no more.
We talked about space for a good thirty minutes. When I left the next morning, way before sunrise, I left him copies of both my books - I brought a few with me to Europe for just such an event. He replied a few hours later, thanking me for the books and the conversations. Traffic on that street goes both ways, my friend.
So, if you're Lone Star Rambling and not on your honeymoon or anniversary, if you can overcome your cultural prejudices and sleep in a room beside perfect strangers, some of whom wind up being kindred spirits, then Generator Hostel is for you.
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