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24.05.01: Le Levant, rue Bobillot / Place d'Italie Joe had written very enthusiastically about the neighborhood in the 13e known as the Butte aux Cailles, a quirky bit of Vieux Paris that survived destruction and replacement by the horrendous block towers that surround it. I remember raving on to Sue about the Butte one Friday earlier in the year when she and I left work to get a drink, winding up at a subdued little tea parlor in the neighborhood -- little did I know her dude lived just a few doors away. The Butte was just beyond a well-kept secret, though, so its cafés and restaurants were usually well attended. This was the fate of Sue, Vince, and I (Paul showed up later), in search of a drink and outside seating. No choice but to head to the wide-open spaces of Place d'Italie, where I was forced to coin the term sucritude for the sweet drink I was having. We did manage to get a spot at a highly-recommended Italian restaurant in the Butte -- for about two hours later. What to do? Grab another demi at another café. But with Butte bars still packed, we're exiled to the boulevard, in this case a café right in front of the skeletons of the market stands.
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