I will be taking my nine-year old son to Paris for a week this summer
(unfortunately, in August).  I want him to love it like I do. Any
suggestions on what area to stay in or the best research tools for us
to prepare with ?  I'm thinking of guidebooks for me but also of books
that he would like, and maybe of an accessible way for him to pick up
some French in advance. (He's a very good reader.) Or are there any
websites/chat rooms about hotels and activities and ambiance?

I have to agree with the commenter - ask him what he wants to see.  He
may surprise you!

Does he like art?  Take him to the Louvre and tell him about the time
somebody stole the Mona Lisa!

The Louvre
[ http://www.louvre.fr/louvrea.htm }

"The Day The Mona Lisa Was Stolen!"
[ http://www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/mona/mona.html ]

Does he know the story of Quasimodo?  Perhaps he might enjoy standing
in the famous cathedral at Notre Dame:
[ http://www.paris.org/Monuments/NDame/ ]

And yes, by all means, take him to the sewers!  I just ran this idea
past my own 9 year-old.  His reaction?  "WICKED!"  (Tip from said 9
year-old:  "Take him to get good food!"  What's your favorite French
dish?  Talk it up, then take him out for it.)

A terrific site for all things Paris, including a glossary, restaurant
and hotel listings, and a calender of events, is at Paris.org, and I
found a site dealing specifically with taking kids to Paris:

Paris.org
[ http://www.paris.org ]

"Paris For Kids"
[ http://www.paris-tourism.com/kids/ ]

For guidebooks, I'd highly recommend any of the Fodor's line, and if
you're looking for a great way for your son to pick up a bit of
language quickly, get him a Berlitz phrase book - they cover the
basics in an organized and easy to use fashion.  You can find both
Fodor's Guides and Berlitz phrase books in the travel section of your
favorite bookstore, and Fodor's has a complete "Research Your
Vacation" site online:

Fodors
[ http://www.fodors.com ]

Good luck, and have a great vacation!

missy-ga

Take him high:

	Tour Eiffel
	http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Eiffel/


And take him low:

	The Remarkable Sewer of Paris 
	http://www.paris.org/Kiosque/mar97/egouts.html

At his age, I lived near Paris for a few years and have never
forgotten these two unique parts of the city. Both are remarkable
pieces of architecture and engineering.

huntsman

P.S. - Have you asked _him_ what he'd like to see and do?

You might take him to La Vilette, the hands-on Science and Technology
Museum. You can easily spend a day there: www.cite-sciences.fr

Also the Grande Arche at La Défence is a sight to visit. The hundreds
of fountains do a superb ballet every hour or so. There's always lots
of things going on at La Défense.

The 4th arrondisement (Le Marais)is a nice place to stay. It's the
Jewish district, with narrow streets, tons of little restaurants and
right near the Notre Dame and Centre Pompidou.

Have fun!

1) Where to Stay

Time Out has reliable hotel listings grouped by area and price: 
http://www.timeout.com/paris/accom.xml

Or have you thought of renting an apartment? It may be more relaxing
than a hotel as you don't have to eat out all the time, and your son
can try out his French buying food in local shops.

Paris Net has a list of apartments to rent with short descriptions:
http://www.parisnet.net/short.html

For more rental ideas visit the Google Directory Vacation Rentals
category. You can search within the category for a specific area
(enter search term eg ‘Montmartre’ and choose ‘Search only in Vacation
Rentals’ option):
http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/Europe/France/Regions/Ile-de-France/Paris/Travel_and_Tourism/Lodging/Vacation_Rentals/

2) Planning your trip - Websites and Guidebooks

During August it may be wise to avoid famous attractions which may be
very busy and go for more unusual and out of the way activities.

Travel with Kids has a list of suggestions:
http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/France/paris.htm

If your son has a hobby you’ll probably find a relevant museum in
Paris. Visit the Museums in Paris website where you can search by
theme:
http://www.museums-of-paris.com/

2 guidebooks specifically on seeing Paris with children, both
available on Amazon:

- Paris for Familes by Larry Lain (2000)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1566563607/ref=ase_travelinginterna/103-4889266-2920664

- Fodor’s Around Paris with Kids by Emily Emerson (2001)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679007253/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/103-4889266-2920664

Guidebooks I personally recommend 

- Eyewitness Travel Guide to Paris by Dorling Kindersly
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564581853/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/103-4889266-2920664
Advertised as "the guides that show you what others only tell you".
Full of beautiful and detailed drawings and photos. Worth getting hold
of before you go to look through with your son and get ideas of what
you’d like to see. The disadvantage is it’s quite heavy to carry
around.

- Paris CityMap Guide by Everyman
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/184159055X/202-2724271-8677418
I love this guidebook. It's small enough to carry around, with foldout
maps for different areas plus good recommendations for what to see and
where to eat.  At the moment it’s only available on Amazon UK.

3) Learning French

Linguaweb has material for beginners, aimed at children:
http://www.linguaweb.ndirect.co.uk/pages/f1unit1_1.htm

If your son has a favourite children's book that he's read over and
over again, you could get hold of a copy in French. Just reading a
paragraph or two and comparing it to the English will get him used to
the sound of the language. For example, Harry Potter in French:
http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/2070518426/402-9687457-3150558

Have a lovely time.

Places to go - Big Carosel at Plaza de Concorde.

The tour buses where you can ride on TOP are fun because you can SEE
things. Being 9 years old, his view is frequently blocked by people,
cars, etc.

If you have a reason to do it, ride the TGV, the very fast train some
where and back.  Or find a reason... 130 Mph on a train is cool.

Saint Chaplle Cathreral is small, doesn't take too long and has really
great stained glass.  Best on a Sunny day when the sun hits the glass.
You can keep this down to 20 minutes or less so he sees the cool
looking stained glass but doesn't get bored.

Re: Marias - get a good map - there are some long walls in this
district, which can make it hard to walk around.

>>Paris has a REALLY serious pick-pocket / theft problem.  Consider
the security pockets, also consider photocoping all your pasport, iD
and credit cards. Keep some of your credit cards and cash separate so
you don't end up with zero credit cards.

Consider giving him a short biography of Napoleon before the
trip....downside is you get to visit all the Napoleon monuments.

Get Rick Steves book Paris 2002.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1566913578/qid=1020448056/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_67_1/102-8257458-8115340

My wife and I used it in 2000, also August, and loved it. I would
suggest you stay in the Latin Quarter, always lots going on there and
it's in the center of the city. You first night take a boat tour of
the river. It's beautiful, educational, and helps you get the lay of
the land. There is a big park Revolution square I think and they have
a little caravel type thing he might like. The tower will probably be
the coolest for him.  They also have a weapons museum, and dungeons.
Boys tend to like that stuff.

You can walk just about everywhere. I suggest you do. Our strategy was
walk there take the metro back. Walking around exploring, stopping for
a snack, napping in a park those are my best memories of the place.
Have a good time!

One more point. Understand that August is great for crowds. There
aren't very many people around at that time since most locals go oh
holiday. However, you'll find many cool little shops closed as a
result.

Another gory thing to do with a nine-year old: the Catacombes!  I went
there when I was a teenager and had the ten-year old grandson of my
hosts in tow.  We both had a good time.

http://www.paris.org/Musees/Catacombes/info.html