The 2nd arrondissement of Paris is one of the financial centers of Europe, being home to the Bourse Stock exchange and thus the CAC 40 index you hear about in world financial news. Other major activities in the neighborhood are journalism and fashion.
The 2nd is also home to the galleries -- covered passages lined with shops -- which are quite possibly the prototypes of today's shopping malls.
While the aforementioned are all daylight activities the eastern end of the arrondissement has an entirely different reputation, having been home to Paris' red-light district since sometime in the early renaissance.
