Bastille Bravo

Thank you so much for your article on the Bastille District (“Cafe Cool,” Sept. 4). My new bride and I honeymooned in Paris in October. We walked several miles and stopped at about 10 hotels on the Left Bank only to find the entire town was full due to a fashion convention. We weren’t far from the area you described, so we gave it a try. It only took us two stops to find a very clean room with a bath at the Hotel Pax (12, rue de Charonnes, 75011 Paris), for $45 a night. The proprietress was very pleasant and she also spoke a little English. We were just doors away from the “restaurant street” you described, La Rue de Lappe. We went to the Bistrot Les Sans Culotte and were delighted. We ate there three nights in a row because the food was excellent, the wine list extensive and the staff very efficient.

TOM CLASBY

Seal Beach