More adventures in administration...

Go to Mairie (city hall) of the 4th arrondissement. Get the wrong building.

In the right building, find the office of the Antenne de Police, but am told to go to the Préfecture de Police, on the Île de la Cité.

Go there, ask where to go, walk around the building, see the long line in the cold and realize that's the line to stand in. The line doesn't actually take that long.

Am told at the welcome desk to go to the Salle des Titres, thankfully she gives me a map.

At the Salle des Titres (which could be a good place to pick up American men, by the way), realize I have to take a ticket (there's no sign to do so, and the ticket machine is not visible when you walk in). Not a long wait, but when it's my turn they can't find my papers. But apparently the magic word is "CNRS", because she tells me to go upstairs, to room mille sept cent huit (which I repeat to myself until I can parse it; 1708).

Go upstairs, wander around until I find room 1708. Try to go in but she tells me to wait outside (there's no indication that that's the thing to do). Sit at the table outside. She comes out and tells me I'm sitting in the, get this, WRONG CHAIR!

She takes my passport, and I can see her in the other room dealing with papers so I'm optimistic.

Turns out that what she has for me is a provisional carte de séjour only. I need to get in touch with Mme Roubert at CNRS, who has handled all this for me, and have her make an appointment for me with yet another doctor, this one thankfully is right near the Bastille, and then on the same day I can come back with proof that I saw that doctor and get the actual carte de séjour.