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Photo: Alex, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The sleaze of boulevard de Clichy between place Pigalle and place Blanche can provide a moment of distraction. Be warned if you are male it is better to do this in the company of a female fellow traveller, as the clubs often send the girls outside to attempt to physically drag passing men off of the street. These strip clubs are big ripoffs. They tempt you with a free drink for €10 entry; once in the girl who starts dancing orders a couple of drinks (Red Bull) and then before you realise you are presented with a bill ranging from €500-700. They have these big bouncers who threaten/manhandle you till you arrive at some settlement with them. The whole of Pigalle is a rip off, best avoided. The police know about these places but nothing is done.
The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near the Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill.
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The station's beautiful entrance (circa 1900) is one of only two remaining glass-covered "dragonfly" entrances designed by Hector Guimard (1867–1942). It was featured in the film Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. While the entrance is genuine, this is not an authentic location for it, as the station was originally constructed by an independent Metro company that did not use Guimard's entrances.
Le mur des je t'aime
Wall with the words for "I love you" written in many languages.
With two shows a night, this turn-of-the-20th century burlesque palace offers a big production choreographed dance show interspersed with comedians, jugglers, and magicians. The show is more than bilingual, actually playing up the U.S. 4th infantry's involvement in the libération for the sake of the large number of Americans in the audience. If you want to spend more you can have dinner there. Is the Moulin Rouge a tourist trap? Well... it was meant to be one in the first place, so the experience is genuine.
A fantastic and undeservedly little-known collection of the great surrealist artist's often overlooked sculptural works. Those travellers seeking a more authentic experience should be warned that the majority of works here are reproductions, and that this "museum" is more appropriately considered as a for-profit, tourist-oriented homage to the artist rather than a carefully curated collection of original work. To find it, head up to Sacré Cœur and stand facing it and take a left. Keep your eye out for small Dali signs.