My dad got this hotel from Rick Steves' Paris 2000 guide. As a budget travel author, they don't come much better - he's the one who wrote Europe Through the Back Door . I don't know much more about the hotel than that, so we'll have to wait until my trip report to see how good it is. If you are a student, you may want to skip hotels and stay at a youth hostel. By the way, you don't have to be a youth to stay at a youth hostel.
Passports can take up to several weeks to get the first time.
MousePlanet columnist Lani Teshima notes that Expedited service is available at extra cost, and can provide you with a passport within a week. Ask at your local post office or call the passport bureau to find out how to get one in your area. You need two passport photos, which many local copy places and such can do. And yes, we all look awful in them. When you're at the airport, remember a few things.