where in Paris for long term

Firstly, I would avoid St Germain dès Prés, the Latin Quarter, and le Marais.

Places I might suggest your looking are:

• 6th arrondissement south of blvd St Germain
• 7th arrondissement between rue de Sevres and les Invalides
• 8th arrondissement
• the northern portion of the 14th arrondissement
• the northern half of the 15th arrondissement

We stayed one trip in the 17th, near Batignolles. It was economical and well-connected by bus and not too far from two Metro stations, La Fourche and Clichy. We felt like the only tourists in the area. The downside was we could not walk to many of the sites/sights, but the grocery and neighborhood cares were easy.

A couple of years ago, I rented a one bedroom apartment for a month in the 2nd arr. on rue Bellan, a block off rue Montorgueil (Mo: Sentier). Like you, I wanted to live somewhere outside my "comfort zone". The 2nd is not someplace tourists usually stay but it is central, walkable & convenient to shops and restaurants. Rue Montorgueil was an eye-opener for me but is known to long time travelers to Paris. Some tourists (nice market street) but when I was there in October (my favorite month in Paris), it was warm & sunny the first couple of weeks & it was mostly French (office & shop workers) who thronged the various cafes & restaurants. I had breakfast almost every morning at Le Pain de Quotidien & got to know the service people (as always, speak some French & you will make friends quickly!). Here, you will feel like you are "living in Paris"!

You might consider the area around Place de la Nation in the 12th -- attractive, low key, not very touristed, served by multiple Metro lines. Another nice area is around Parc Monceau in the 8th or 13th, with the rue Levis street market.

We have spent one or two months in the 11th, 13th, the 14th, the 17th, 18th and 20th -- all were terrific for your purposes.

I have stayed in several areas of Paris. For the past 2 trips I rented and apartment in the 10th arrondisment - Bastille area, which I liked a lot and recommend. It's a lively, upcoming area, largely residential, not filled with tourists. Good restaurants and the fantastic Bastille Marche on the weekends.

We spent much of the summer in the 12th about a 10 minute walk from the Bastille. It was a great neighborhood with many small restaurants, interesting shops - we loved the Viaduct des Arts with the gardens running along the top where the old rail line used to be. The Aligre street market was amazing for our daily produce, bread, and cheese. We could walk to Notre Dame in 25 minutes from our place and it was a quiet area of town. Our street wasn't quiet but most of the side streets had little traffic or noise. It's a very "real" Paris neighborhood!

"...more of a 'flavor' of Paris...." How about between the Metro stations "Avron" and "Nation?"