Take the Boulevard de la République and go a couple of blocks north of the Voie Rapide, and you find yourself in North Africa, or, more appropriately, in the Maghreb. It pretty much starts here, at the Place Commandant Maria, a wedge-shaped park with a pretty fountain, and extends a few blocks to the west. Here, we can find stores like this Maghrebi butcher and grocer (these stores have longer opening hours and greet customers with a smile, not a frown). There is even a shop selling antiques for people with a, uh, different sense of aesthetics. I just love ethnic neighborhoods; they lend character to cities and remind us of the many different ways we can be similar. It’s one of the things I like about New York; it’s great to find it here, even though it’s on a smaller scale.