Rue Montorgueil pedestrian area
Rue Montorgueil is like a scene from a movie. Closed to traffic, the street is a food-lovers delight, with cafes, bars and all types of fresh produce for sale in the open air.
the galleries
Prototypical of indoor shopping malls the Galleries got their start in 1786 when the Duke of Orleans realized that there was money to be made by renting out his cloistered garden to small shops. With their glass roofs and tiled floors they were a welcome respite to the newly emerging middle class shopper of the early 19th century, in the days before electric light and sidewalks.
A walking tour of the galleries can easily be accomplished in an hour or so, and is worthwhile even though they are long past their glory days. Start with La Gallerie Vivienne which is the best preserved of the galleries and whose décor has been maintained in authentic colors from the era. It's really the mosaic floor which is the star of the show. The shops are distinctly upscale, and all about conspicuous consumption: a wine seller, a tea shop, and a dealer in antique books are among the highlights.
The Passage Choiseul is a considerably more down-to-earth gallery, the passage mainly serves traders on their way to the Bourse, with the same class of shops that one might find in a pedestrian tunnel in New York or Chicago: a shoeshine stand, a newsstand, and little almost-but-not-quite fast-food restaurants.
You can find more galleries throughout the arrondissement, including the Passage des Panoramas, the Passages des Princes, and the Passage du Grand-Cerf.