The apartment was exactly as pictured and a great place to call home during our 9-day trip to Paris in February 2013. We were warmly greeted by Xavier a friend/partner of Paolo's who checked in regularly with us and was always available to answer our questions and provide directions and restaurant advice. The kitchen was adequate and well-stocked for a simple meal, the radiator kept the apartment cozy, plenty of TV channels to watch in multiple languages and street noise was barely audible when the windows were closed. The bathroom now has one big shower instead of a bathtub (I'm pretty sure this was a recent change). The building lobby is somewhat shabby but is going through a full renovation. There is an elevator, but we only used it once to get our luggage to the ground floor. The apartment is literally one block away from La Palette, a quintessential Parisian cafe good for a cup of coffee or glass of wine, which was featured on Bourdain's latest episode of The Layover. The neighborhood is safe, easy to navigate and full of activity and great shops. We would definitely stay here again - a great stay.