Ack, I had a post all typed out and lost it. Anyway, here are my recommendations for Paris.
Hotel we love. Two blocks from the métro, two blocks from Blvd. St. Michel, two blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens. The hotel is on a very quiet little street with the advantage that this is a honest-to-goodness neighborhood so eats are varied and affordable. You can get take-away, a sandwich, shop the food shops, or have a sit-down meal.
There are many little shops of all kinds and there's the
Cluny Museum with the beautiful unicorn tapestries. Notre Dame is a nice stroll. It's just a great part of Paris. I lived on the same street as the hotel during part of the '80's.
The Luxembourg Gardens are the greatest place in the world to people watch. Go across the street to my favorite café, Le Rostand, and have something lovely to drink.
That's a start.