39Vaugirard

This is just too silly. It’s not even comparable to “Should I have the chicken or the steak?” And throwing in Ireland as a third option doesn’t make it any better.

Of course, if you asked me, I’d probably be doing as aggressive a sales job as I could on Paris, but then I was never much of a London fan after living there in the 80’s. I also have lived/worked/studied in Paris for years, so it’s more home to me than many places in the States. Still, to each his or her own, and I can understand the UK Capitol’s charm to real Anglophiles, or even to those preferring an English-speaking holiday. There is really no objective standard to compare the two to each other, but still, on museums, food, subway, weather, and just about anything else, I’ll take Paris.

[From What’s your opinion on Paris,France compared to London,England and Ireland? - Travel | FAQ’s About: Frequently Asked Questions]

When the Pyramid was new, it took literally hours in line to get into the Louvre through the main entrance. The locals knew that many entrances exist and, while not as I.M. Pei-extraordinary, almost never have a line. The Louvre has a good map with the four other entrances. This blog recommends the Porte des Lions, but we like the Passage Richelieu. Use whichever is convenient and gets you out of the rain faster.

Line ups can be long at the Louvre
but there are multiple entrances.
The entrance in the glass pyramid
is usually one of the busiest.
We prefer the Porte des Lions.
The last time we went,
there wasn’t a line up at all.

[From Daily Photos & Frugal Travel Tips » Blog Archive » Entrances To The Louvre, Paris, France]

With all the turmoil in the markets, there are so many surprises. Oil is down in the $70s risking to lull us again into energy complacency, and now the dollar is rising against the Euro. Or maybe we should say the Euro is falling. My economist friends tell me this is due to one currency/many governments model they have to deal with. While Europeans have jumped in to address their financial markets issues more aggressively than the US, they have no central authority to target shoot the trouble areas. And any one country not stabilizing its own banks runs the risk of unwittingly being the weak link for the Euro as a whole.

As an American, do I want the Euro a lot weaker? Good question and I’m not smart enough to know the answer. I certainly know how I feel as a tourist with tickets to Paris on November 20.

[From Exchange Rates Graph (American Dollar, Euro)]

Seeing a place through a singular lense of a person, especially the infamous and original designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, is to uncover a wholly different city. The New York Time article ‘Fashionista Paris‘ was fascinating and it conjured up for me, another Paris, than the one I know. It reminded me how a place, a memory, constantly evolves and changes. I don’t know if I would of appreciated his Paris few years back. Funny, I have been changing as his Paris looks all so interesting to me now. Reading about his Paris made me truly appreciate not only his fashion designs, which I am not a fan of, but to uncover the place which fed the dream of a little boy into becoming a world renown designer of singularly original couture and design.

Few highlights (where I definitely concur with Ms. Gaultier or will be on top of my list for my next trip to Paris)

1. Though there will be a busload of tourists, there is nothing more gaudy AND interesting than looking at Marie Antoinette at the Paris’s wax museum, Musée Grévin. Imagine. Not only the adults but the children love seeing these figures and they serve as an interesting discussion points to talk about Paris history and figures.

Musée Grévin, 10, boulevard Montmartre; Ninth; 33-1-4770-8505; www.musee-grevin.com. 19.50 euros.

2. One of my all time favorite discovery and places, Grande Galerie de l’Evolution in the Natural History Museum. The evolution building is a soaring, 19th-century iron-framed, glass-roofed structure with dramatic pools of light; where there is an entire installation of taxidermied animals from giraffes and elephants at the head of the pack to the little monkeys at the rear. It is an amazing site for the entire family.

Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, 36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire; Fifth; 33-1-4079-5479 or 33-1-4079-5601

3. We love afternoon teas and it has become a sacred ritual for us in Paris, both for the parents and the children. It requires us to pause, during the day, to take in and appreciate the quotidian gestures and to recharge. The idea of mint tea and baklava in the mosque’s outdoor tearoom, sounds divine. This tearoom is located within the La Grande Mosquée de Paris.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, 2 bis, place du Puits de l’Ermite; Fifth; 33-1-4535-9733; tea room: 33-1-4331-1814; www.mosquee-de-paris.org.

4. It seems Ms. Gaultier is deep down inside, still a little boy who loved hanging out with his grandmother. This is exactly the scene one enters at the tearoom Angélina, next door to the Meurice Hotel near the Louvre. To go to Angélina is to enter the grande dame of the tearooms, a world of yesterday, where ladies with gloves and hats sat for hours for civilized salades and a cup of tea. They are world famous for Mont Blanc, a ball of meringue that is topped with Chantilly and a lot of vermicellles of chestnut paste.

Angélina, 226, rue de Rivoli; First; 33-1-4260-8200.

5. Of course, Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt. My husband took me this famous flea market during our first trip to Paris together. It is not just one, but many different ones. It is worthy of just spending an entire weekend there. It is gorgeous, and a treasure trove of discovering and understanding of all the richness that is Paris and France.

Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt; Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt; 18th. Located in the north of Paris, this is most easily reached by cab. Make sure to visit the Paul-Bert and the Serpette markets

WHERE TO GO (THE GAULTIER TOUR)

Crazy Horse Paris, 12, avenue George V; Eighth; 33-1-4723-3232; www.lecrazyhorseparis.com; The show, including a half bottle of Champagne, or two drinks, starts at 70 euros a person.

Bal du Moulin Rouge, 82, boulevard de Clichy; 18th, 33-1-5309-8282; www.moulin-rouge.com. The show begins at 9 p.m. and costs 99 euros, including a half-bottle of Champagne. An 11 p.m. show costs 89 euros.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, 2 bis, place du Puits de l’Ermite; Fifth; 33-1-4535-9733; tea room: 33-1-4331-1814; www.mosquee-de-paris.org.

Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, 36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire; Fifth; 33-1-4079-5479 or 33-1-4079-5601

Galeries de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée, 2, rue Bouffon; Fifth; 33-1-4079-5479; www.mnhn.fr. Admission is 8 euros.

Le Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower, second platform, Avenue Gustave Eiffel; Seventh; 33-1-4555-6144; www.lejulesverne-paris.com. Prix-fixe dinner 190 euros.

Casa Olympe, 48, rue St-Georges; Ninth; 33-1-4285-2601

Angélina, 226, rue de Rivoli; First; 33-1-4260-8200.

Hermès, 24, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré; Eighth; 33-1-4017-4717; www.hermes.com.

Jean Paul Gaultier boutique, 6, rue Vivienne; Second; 33-1-4286-0505; www.jeanpaulgaultier.com.

La Pagode cinema, 57, bis rue de Babylone; Seventh, 33-1-4555-4848.

Théâtre du Châtelet, 1, place du Châtelet; First; 33-1-4028-2840; wwwchatelet-theatrecom.

Musée Grévin, 10, boulevard Montmartre; Ninth; 33-1-4770-8505; www.musee-grevin.com. 19.50 euros.

Le Grand Rex cinema, 1, boulevard Poissonnière; Second; 33-1-4236-8393; www.legrandrex.com.

Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt; Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt; 18th. Located in the north of Paris, this is most easily reached by cab. Make sure to visit the Paul-Bert and the Serpette markets.

everyone has an idea of the best places to visit in Paris. Some ideas are obvious and others are creative. This one is funny because it only has five items, three of which are old standards, and other two are mostly unknown.

1) Le Fumoir a tart café with book lined walls and an eclectic mix of indie Parisians and hip cat’s hints at thirties culture indie rock goodness. Come here for a decent cup of coffee and excellent treats. But stay for the people watching and to scavenge through the book walls.
2) Centre Pomidou is the like the little sister to The Louvre without the lines of waiting. It’s got some of the best art in the city without all the hype of its older counterpart. Housing the most expensive and comprehensive collection of modern art in all of Europe, as well as the most innovative building in all of Paris. It’s not easy to find and is housed near plenty of great places to shop and eat after your done pursuing.
3) Le Café Charbon is a wonderful restaurant not to be missed and dating back to the 1900’s with a plethora of chandeliers and shiny ornate mirrors. A dish here isn’t out of this world but the beer and absinthe get high marks with flying colors. Basking in the ambience of its rooms will leave you missing another time and wanting to pen a poem or two or paint a picture.
4) The Moulin Rouge is forever known from its Nicole Kidman movie but the cliché attraction is a million times flashier. Go here expecting to pay out of pocket the experience is well worth it when your greeted by over a hundred different new acts every night and as many scantily clad girls that can fit in one room without paying them. Expect hokey loveliness and a lot of great music, fun for a night out after some drinking or even completely sober and no somber ending either.
5) Bateaux Parisians is a wonderland boat tour not to be missed. The scenery is lovely and offers a unique and pleasing way to explore the city off your feet and free of crowds of bust tourist.

[From Otel.com Blog » Must See Places in Paris France]

Of all the French poets I’ve studied, Jacques Prévert would be at the top of the pile. He’s melancholy and romantic without being obtuse, which is why many of his poems are turned into songs, like “Autumn Leaves” (which I can almost play on the piano). There is a an exhibit going on at the Hotel de Ville (when did they get so good at this? We also loved their Willy Ronis show a few years ago.) Go on a weekday during work hours or I’m sure you’ll never get in. Pick up a copy of his biggest seller,
Paroles, if you can. Even for an intermediate French speaker, you’re sure to enjoy it.

As part of Prévert trivia, I also learned that he lived near our apartment on the rue de Vaugirard and studied at the Catholic school on the rue d’Assas (directly in front of our apartment) when his family moved back to Paris 1907.

Here’s all the essential information for the exhibition “Jacques Prevert, Paris la belle”

When: 2′th October 2008 to 28th Fébruary 2009
Where: Hôtel de Ville, Salle Saint-Jean, 5 rue Lobau, 75004 Paris. Métro Hôtel de Ville (lines 4 & 11)
Opening hours: open every day except Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 7pm (last ticket at 6.15pm)
Admission: adults 0 euros, kids 0 euros, students 0 euros, goldfish 0 euros. Yep, free for everyone!

[From "Jacques Prevert, Paris la belle," an exhibition at Hôtel de Ville - Hotels Paris Rive Gauche]

Here is a short list of stuff for kids within a short distance from our apartment

1. Toy store (!) at the end of rue Cassette and the rue de Rennes.
2. Carrousel in the Square Boucicault in front of the Bon Marche.
3. 55th Floor observation deck at the tour Montparnasse. Not really a haunt of many US tourists, but the best view of all of Paris.
4. Sailboating at the main fountain at the Jardins de Luxembourg. Note: you can rent sailboats only on weekends and holidays. The toystore on the rue Cassette sells them, handmade from Brittany.
5. Kids park at the Jardin de Luxembourg. This is just a big playground with a few extra slides and a tie-line, but, warning: there is a 2 Euro entry charge (more if you want to go in and supervise). There is also an old carrousel for little kids (1.4 E), poney rides, and the famous marionette theatre, which kids love even if they don’t speak French.
6. Deyrolle outdoors store (46, rue du Bac, and rue de l’Universite) covers the outdoor life including butterfly-collecting and taxidermy. The attraction for kids is the many many life-sized (literally) stuffed real animals including a tiger, elephant, and giraffe.
7. Seine boat ride at the Vedettes de Paris – Quai at the Pont Henri IV.
8. Bon Marché toy store (basement level)
9. Montparnasse Cemetery – This nearby cemetery is a fun walk for kids with the final resting places of Charles Baudelaire, Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, Man Ray, Simone de Beauvoir, and Tristan Tzara, among many others. (Map in book in our apartment or available at Edgar Quinet entrance.)
10. Jardin des Plantes – Especially, la Grande Gallerie de l’Evolution with it’s stuffed huge animals on display walking almost among us, is fascinating for little kids. There is a small zoo in the this park as well.
11. Amorino gelato both on the rue de Buci and nearby on the rue Vavin (convenient to a Jardin de Luxembourg entrance). This is superior to Berthillon in our opinion and not yet a tourist cliché.

L’Épi Dupin is my idea of a great restaurant, and a neighborhood restaurant to boot. It has wonderful food, incredibly welcoming and gracious staff. At our dinner, the maître d’ was patient making menu recommendation for our children, as well as speaking fluent Japanese to the mother/daughter sitting in the booth and articulate English to the elderly American woman adjacent to us who was having trouble hearing above the din. The space has the cozy ambience of an auberge de provence with modern white painted walls with rustic beams. It’s clearly on the ‘it’ list as by 7:30 pm, the 45 seat restaurant was full, of a very cosmopolitan clientele.

It was clear by the menu that this is a place under the sure hands of a foodie chef. And it is. François Pasteau’s cooking is simple yet sophisticated, chosen from what is seasonal and from the local markets, and menu is changed daily with a prix fix menu of 35Euros for dinner and 19Euros for lunch.

The entire family recommends the porc with beet purée and mashed potatoes, and the red snapper served on spinach and mushrooms on warm vinaigrette was delicious. All of the desserts, which we ordered first, were beautiful and made the taste test, which were all made to order from the kitchen.

11, Rue Dupin, 75006 Paris +33 1 42 22 64 56

If we didn’t already have a place to stay in Paris, I’d love to try this out. Who hasn’t cruised on the Seine and wondered what it would be like to live in a houseboat at the center of Paris. Well, here’s one for rent, and at a pretty reasonable rate. It’s only 980E a week for two, sleeps six, and beyond two, goes for 364 E.

While there are some 200 livable boats moored in Paris along the Seine, there aren’t a lot of these boats that rent for short term apartments in Paris. The boat itself is about 650 square feet, including a separate bedroom, a ship bed in the main room, and private bathroom and shower. Unfortunately, they don’t allow kids under 15, so in my mind, this is really only a solution for a couple traveling without children.

The little boat is located down the Seine near the Gare d’Austerlitz and about a 15 minute walk from Notre Dame additional.

[From Chalik Boat apartment - Paris Sweet Home]

Tati is one of Paris’s most iconic stores, and it has arrived in our neighborhood, on Blvd. St. Germain, near the corner of rue de Buci. The ultimate haven for bargain-basement prices, it’s not for the fainthearted or claustrophobic, your truly. I really have to brace myself to go in here. On an average day it’s jam-packed with people rifling through the jumbled trays in search of a great buy, which they always succeed in finding, since the key word here is cheap — utterly, unabashedly cheap. One of its most famous deals was underwear for just EUR 0.15 a pair.