Paris Butte-aux-cailles And Chinatown

Blessed with a young and unassuming crowd, the 13ème's local haunts are cluttered with vintage instruments, overflow onto maritime concert venues floating along the Seine, and maintain a chill atmosphere you never knew that a city as conscientiously chic as Paris could keep up. Walk down to the Porte de la Gare, grab a bottle of wine with some friends and watch the Seine go by.

Le Merle Moquer, 11 rue de la Butte-aux-Cailles (☎01 45 65 12 43), Capturing the spirit of the neighborhood with its ecclectic mix of African art, uneven stools and spray-painted doors, this bar is a little funky, not at all fussy, and the best place on the street to dance. Homemade, flavored rum punches are well worth the €6. Ginger-apple-pear-cinammon is the bartender's choice. Place d'Italie. Daily 5pm-2am. Takes credit cards.
La Dame Canton, Porte de la Gare (☎01 45 84 41 71; www.dame-decanton.com), A quirky alternative to all those passe land-locked watering holes, this floating bar is deliberately odd in the extreme, even by Butte-aux-Cailles standards. A seizure-inducing collection of fishing nets, musical instruments, books on Australia, postmodern takes on the Mona Lisa and small Chinese lamps decorate the walls and ceiling. The floor slopes, the patrons rock dreds, and the owner's been known to wear jean suits. The burly bartenders will serve you Pirate Punch (€3) and cocktails (€7.50) in plastic cups or out of cans. The lolling waters of the Seine make La Dame Canton a little less than stable, so we advise you avoid getting plastered on board. But the view of the Seine is spectacular, and the mix of soul funk, hip hop and reggae demonstrate excellent taste. Live concerts every night, starting at about 8:30pm. Quai de la Gare. Cover T-Th €8, students €6, F-Sa €10. Cocktails €7.50. Tu-Th 7pm-2am, F-Sa 7pm-5am. Takes credit cards.
La Folie en Tete, 33 rue de la Butte-aux-Cailles 01 45 80 65 99 (lafolieentete.blogspot.com), This hole-in-the-wall is packed with the neighborhood's chillest residents. Instruments hang from the ceiling, shaking gently to reggae tunes. Strangers are greeted with a friendly smile. The house punch is poured with home-made syrup (€4.50). Place d'Italie. Takes credit cards.
Bateau El Alamein, Port de la Gare 01 45 86 41 60 (elalamein.free.fr), Between El Alamein's pet parrots and its jungle of potted plants, this bar feels more like a floating garden than a bar on a boat. The floral still lifes that line the walls and the Chinese cabinet of pottery add a feminine touch, but the names of the house cocktails---a Marijuana Rum, anyone?—suggest that this bar errs towards the raunchier side of the T madonna-whore complex (marijuana rum; €6). Downstairs stage features performers at 9pm. Does not take credit cards.
Le Sputnik, 14 rue Buttes-aux-Cailles 01 45 65 19 82 Named for the first artificial satellite, this multi-purpose cafe/bar attracts a student crowd (read: bookish girls with guitars) for its cheap drinks and free Wi-Fi, not to mention its hypnotizing circle. Russian murals and screaming orgasm posters decorate the walls, providing an appropriate backdrop for political conversations among the decidedly left of center. Takes credit cards.