I had an excellent time staying at Simon's apartment. It is basic but clean and convenient - perfect for me. It's very well located: 15 minute's walk from Gare du Nord. The Stalingrad metro at the end of the street makes the city very accessible. Simon is a really cool guy: very relaxed and accommodating. He
made me feel comfortable during my stay.
At first the immediate area feels a little rough: clearly there is a degree of deprivation. It depends what you're used to of course. It's a big city. But once I got to know it I found the area around Stalingrad to be really fun and diverse and interesting! There are hidden gems here and nice places (around Bassin de la Villette or Canal Saint-Martin for example). I'm glad I took some time to explore it a bit.
I would go back for sure!