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::Title: Paris compilation
::Compiled by: Mark Nowak <markn@comm.mot.com>
::Filename: europe/fr.paris-misc
::Date: 1993 January
::Type: Compilation
::Note: Volunteer needed to edit/organize this file!
::
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Date: Wed, 13 Jan 93 10:37:11 CST
From: markn@comm.mot.com (Mark Nowak)
Message-Id: <9301131637.AA21836@ssd.comm.mot.com>
To: lucas@ccu.UManitoba.CA
Status: OR
From: llw@med.unc.edu (Laurie Weakley)
Subject: SUMMARY Paris Favorites (Long)
Date: 15 Apr 92 20:32:03 GMT
Organization: UNC-CH School of Medicine
Hello,
As promised, here's the summary to the responses
for my post about Paris Favorites. Thanks very much!
Original Post:
>>Date: Mon, 06 Apr 92 17:49
>>Hello,
>>I'll be in Paris for 10 days in September.
>>I'm interested in your favorite Parisian experiences:
>>hotels, restaurants, sights, whatever.
>>What did you really enjoy about Paris?
>>Any restaurants you'd gladly return to? Any sights
>>you'd not miss for anything?
>>I promise to post a summary! I posted a similar
>>request for a trip last year, and the response was a big help.
>>Thank you,
>>LLW
>From @vm.gmd.de:RFLOOD@ESOC.BITNET Wed Apr 8 02:52:54 1992
Go to the metro station "Denfert-Rocherau" (not sure about the spelling
so check it - but it's on the southern side of Paris.) Follow the sign
to the catacombs. Pay for a ticket, go down the stairs, and be prepared
for a *strange* experience. (Also lots of walking, and it can be a bit
muddy in places...).
Go on a river boat - surprisingly cheap for an hour's trip. But watch for
the
little boys who stand on the bridges over the Seine and spit on you ! Boats
leave from near the Eiffel tower.
Go up the Montparnasse 'skyscraper' and have a coffee at the top. Don't pay
right to the open air viewing gallary, go to the floor below where the
cafe
is
and sneak up to the top when the watchman's not looking ! Much cheaper....
>From dlf@rti.rti.org Wed Apr 8 09:28:24 1992
In article <1992Apr7.175535.7742@samba.oit.unc.edu> you write:
>From LLW.HSL@mhs.unc.edu Mon Apr 6 17:58:44 1992
>
>I'm interested in your favorite Parisian experiences:
>hotels, restaurants, sights, whatever.
>
>What did you really enjoy about Paris?
Paris is my favorite place. We lived there in the early 70's and I
have been back several times. My favorite thing is to just walk
around the streets. The parks, the museums, even the department
stores are all very interesting. Food is very expensive, but there
are lots of small cafes (especially on the left bank) where you can
get a reasonable meal - and you can buy bread, cheese, and sausage
and have a picnic for lunch. The best place I ever ate was at Tour
d'Argent - but we had to make a reservation from here (I had a
travel agent in Durham do it - they found someone who could speak
French).
There are also plenty of day-long excursions outside france -
reachable by train - mostly to castles. The countryside is
beautiful.
I'll be happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
>From btr!btr.com!jbauman@fernwood.mpk.ca.us Wed Apr 8 10:38:41 1992
Don't miss the Bateaux Mouches (the name for the Seine boat excursions).
Take it at night -- or dusk).
The Paris catacombs are something else -- skip the sewer trip for this one.
There's a little known museum at Les Invalides. It contains scale models
of a hundred or so French cities made about 200 years ago. The French
army used them for strategic planning.
Have fun!
>From @aifh.edinburgh.ac.uk:kk@aisb.edinburgh.ac.uk Wed Apr 8 10:40:12 1992
In article <1992Apr7.175535.7742@samba.oit.unc.edu> you write:
>
>What did you really enjoy about Paris?
>Any restaurants you'd gladly return to? Any sights
>you'd not miss for anything?
The Picasso museum.
A trip to St Germain en Laye on the train with a picnic.
Fresh baguette.
Aimless wandering.
kathleen
---------------------------------
Kathleen King (kk@uk.ac.ed.aisb)
Dept of AI, University of Edinburgh,
80 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1HN.
>From price@ab00.larc.nasa.gov Wed Apr 8 10:58:49 1992
In article <1992Apr7.175535.7742@samba.oit.unc.edu> you write:
|> From LLW.HSL@mhs.unc.edu Mon Apr 6 17:58:44 1992
|>
|> Hello,
|>
|> I'll be in Paris for 10 days in September.
|>
|> I'm interested in your favorite Parisian experiences:
|> hotels, restaurants, sights, whatever.
|>
|> What did you really enjoy about Paris?
|> Any restaurants you'd gladly return to? Any sights
|> you'd not miss for anything?
|>
|> I promise to post a summary! I posted a similar
|> request for a trip last year, and the response was a big help.
|>
|> Thank you,
|>
|> LLW
|> llw@med.unc.edu
|> UNC-Chapel Hill
Laurie -
We spent 3 days there (before a trip through the wine country) back in June
of '85 and left totally frustrated because of all we missed. We therefore
returned to Paris for 10 days in November of the same year. That was much
better!
A few reccomendations:
Of course you will want to spend time in the Lourve and other museums. If
the
weather happens to be good at first, use that time to visit sights that are
dependant on good weather and save the museums for either bad weather days
or nearer the end of your stay if you are lucky enough to only have good
weather. I had a hard time convincing my wife that we really would get to
the Lourve, but it turned out to be good that we did wait.
It's expensive, but a dinner at Restaurant Jules Verne, halfway up the
Eiffle Tower, was an unforgetable experience. The carpet, walls, ceiling,
all furniture, wine glass stems, place plates, bud vases, and single
rosebuds
on each table are ALL BLACK. There is a black long-arm-desk-type lamp
shining
down on each table, which had a very pale grey tablecloth. No other lights
were
in the room, and, of course, the outside walls were all glass. All you
could
see was the food on the table and the lights of Paris all around! It was
rather dramatic and the food was equally spectacular.
Other restaurants that we went to that were in the same class (food & $)
were
the Carillion Hotel at Place de la Concorde, La Tour d'Argent overlooking
Notre Dame, Guy Savoy out past the Arch de Triumph, and one other I can
picture in my mind and know what I ate, but can't remember the name. For
all
of these, we wrote ahead and asked the concierge at our hotel to book
reservations in advance. I asked her to space the reservations about every
other day during our stay and I didn't care which one was on which day. I
also said NOT on the first day! She handled it perfectly. I highly
reccommend
Gault-Millieu as the best guide to the best restaurants in France.
For less-fancy and more affordable meals, Le Polidor, near le Sorbonne, is
a
historic, neighborhood bistro where the natives eat that was fascinating.
We
did not have a bad meal there - eating at many bistros - even at the corner
drugstore near our hotel!
Speaking of hotel, we stayed at the Madison Hotel, directly across the
street
from St. Germaine des Pres, on Blvd. St.Germaine, on the left bank. The
location was fabulous - right in the middle of the left bank activity and
easy walking distance from everything! There was also a metro stop at the
front door. Our room (both times - by request the 2nd time) was 81, which
was the "garret" overlooking the rooftops of Paris! It was great and cheap
at the time. They were rehabbing the place during our second visit and
that
is now complete, so it is more expensive. However, I read that it is still
a good buy. The dollar is not what it was then, so all prices are much
higher.
The obvious sights, I will assume you know about. Others we enjoyed were
the chapel that is inside the gates at the Police station near the city
hall.
Go only on a bright sunny morning. The windows are spectacular! The
Rhodin
(sp?) Museum was good. The Orangerie near the Lourve - Monet's
Waterlillies
in two round rooms in the basement level are fantastic. Be sure to go to
the
top of Notre Dame if you can take a long spiral staircase.
Take comfortable walking shoes, you can walk just about everywhere. For
longer trips, get a week (or 10 day?) "orange card" pass for the metro. It
is fast, cheap, and easy.
I'm envious. Paris is my favorite city! Have a great trip!
Mac Price
price@abi0.larc.nasa.gov
>From matz@drutx.att.com Wed Apr 8 11:47:28 1992
Laurie,
I just returned from a week in Paris. I have some favorites -
The Rodin Museum - in the 7th - near Invalides - wonderful !!!
Restaurants -
I can get the exact names and addresses for you if you like - my documents
are at home - but:
1) In the Museum D'Orsay (modern Art) - don't miss the restaurant
Palais D'Orsay on the upper floor - fantastic Belle Epoque decoration - I
mean
fantastic !!! They have a lunch buffet deal called the Formula Rapide for
69
francs that includes wine and desert a great way to break up the day there.
2) Les Philosophes - a drop-dead cute little restaurant with excellent food
in the 4th - a few blocks east of the Pompidou Center/Les Halles area. I
love
this restaurant - small semi-formal little room with pretty art on the wall
and good mood music, very attentive woman proprietor who speaks fine
English,
and fine, fine, fine food. We had wonderful spinach/mushroom/gruyere
salads,
full plates of perfectly cooked beef tenderloin slices with wine sauce,
vegetables, and a half liter of house wine for a total of 163 francs !!!!
3) Cafe Breteuil - on Place Breteuil in the 7th - (2 blocks from Metro
Duroc)
Wonderful lunch menu - a beautiful floor-to-ceiling windowed restaurant
looking out over a beautiful open area in an upper class neighborhood.
The menu is 165 francs per person - but includes a full bottle of excellent
Bordeaux (worth > 100 francs). We had the best escargot we've ever been
served
- large portion, salads, fine veal main course, fine desert and espresso
for the menu price - definitely a splurge lunch at $60 for two - but I wish
I could eat there every day.
4) Restaurant Thomieux - on St. Dominique in the 7th - great and very
economical
5) Poule au Pot - also in the 7th - I think on Universite - their specialty
is a chicken stew served in a heavy huge copper pot - the chicken breast
covers a wonerful piece of pate' (wow - tasty !!!) about 200 FF for two
dinners
6) Willi's Wine Bar - in the first near the Louvre/Palais Royal - really
neat
American hangout
Gosh - there are a million places - I love Paris !!!!
mail me if you want me to natter on and on.
Dave Matz
>From seb1@druhi.att.com Wed Apr 8 13:41:43 1992
I have only been to France once and I spent 6 days in Paris. I loved
it! It was one of the most wonderful cities I have ever visited. What
I liked best about Paris is walking around it. It's not that big so
you can walk most places. And all the other spots you can get to with
the metro. Bring good walking shoes and walk, walk, walk.
My favorite museum was the Orsay, but I'm into Impressionist art. More
my speed than the Louvre, though the architecture of the Louvre is
very impressive. I was somewhat overwhelmed by all that old European art.
As far as restaurants, we didn't eat in any bad ones. Two that I liked
a lot were L'Epi D'Or which is near the Palais Royale and the Bourse,
and Juveniles. L'Epi D'Or is a bistro sort of place and the food is
wonderful. It was the best meal we had in Paris. The atmosphere captured
Paris dining out (not the high-class kind) to a t. Juveniles is a wine
bar and the food there was very good. I had duck on a bed of greens and
it was the most delicious duck I've ever had. After eating in France, I
was thoroughly convinced that you could not get a bad meal there.
Sharon Badian
seb1@vader.att.com or seb1@druhi.att.com
>From pete@chomsky.sps.mot.com Thu Apr 9 10:45:01 1992
Laurie -
By far, my favorite restaurant (in the lower mid price range)
is "Le Cafe Du Commerce". It is located at 51 Rue Du Commerce. It is
very easy to find, just take the metro line 8 heading for BALLARD and
get off at the COMMERCE stop. You will exit into a park. Just hang a
left on commerce and walk about 1 1/2 blocks.
A great place to just hang out is Luxembourg Park. For a fun
walk to the park, take the metro line 4 to the CITE stop. This will
put you on the island near Notre-Dame. Then walk up through the
Sorbonne (many students and cool shops) and in a few blocks you will
find yourself at one of the park's entrances.
I love Paris -- and try to spend 5-6 weeks a year there. Have
a great trip!
Pete Percosan
Motorola DSP group
pete@chomsky.sps.mot.com
>From leafusa!zurich.HQ.Ileaf.COM!fal@uunet.UU.NET Thu Apr 9 13:02:06 1992
I go to Paris a lot and lived there 5 years. I have a file I give]
to friends who are going for the first time, but it is kind of long
(14 pages). It also has a compilation of restaurants and hotels from
people on rec.travel.
Let me know if you would like me to send you this document.
>From cag@hpescag.fc.hp.com Thu Apr 9 14:44:04 1992
>What did you really enjoy about Paris?
>Any restaurants you'd gladly return to? Any sights
>you'd not miss for anything?
>
My wife and I were there last September. Some of the highlights:
Au Trou Gascon: A one-star Michelin restaurant. Fairly cozy with very
nice service, not stuffy. Great food and a great wine list. It's
expensive, but not for this class of restaurant in Paris. This was
my favorite meal of the vacation.
Au Pied Du Cochon: A really lively bistro in the 1er arrondissement.
You'll probably stand in line to get in, but our waiter was friendly
and funny and the food was very good. Try the fruits de mer if you're
brave.
Willi's Wine Bar: Despite the yuppie/nouveau riche American crowd, this
was a great place. The food is good and there are great wine selections
by the glass and bottle. The staff is pretty down to earth. Not cheap,
though.
The view from Sacre Coeur: Not to mention the climb up to the top
through narrow spiral staircases.
The Musee D'Orsay: To me it was much more interesting than the Louvre,
mostly because it's easier for me to appreciate 19th century art than
earlier painting. However, the Louvre is certainly worth seeing for the
"big name" stuff.
The Hameau at Versailles: Sort of a monument to how out of touch royalty
can be. It's really pretty.
We were a bit underwhelmed by the parks in Paris. They tend to have sand/
gravel in most of the walking areas, and very little grass in general. It
ended up being fairly dusty and not nearly as pretty as some of the parks
in London. I should add that we didn't go to lots of the more famous parks
like the Bois de Boulogne, Jardins de Luxembourg, etc. They may be more
impressive.
I'd recommend buying Patricia Wells' Food Lover's Guide to Paris. It's
a great book and we did well with her recommendations. Get a good map with
a street index, too. We lived by the Metro - it's easy to use, reasonably
safe and clean, and you get around very quickly.
Craig
>From tw1u+@andrew.cmu.edu Fri Apr 10 18:26:13 1992
Hi, here's what I sent someone else on the net a few weeks ago. It's a
bit long.
I lived in Paris for 2 years, and returned just this late summer.
Do I have favorite places to recommend?-- gobs! a couple good friends
just went there to see a relative in the Olympics-- too bad I didn't
save my notes to them...
I worked there, so the places I went to will be a little more expensive
than you might be willing to pay as a traveller. But I think they give
a fairly good taste of Parisien eating. I also have no idea how long
you'll be staying, so don't be overwhelmed by what follows if you're
spending only a weekend there.
For lunch (and dinner)...
There's Le (or la?) Taverne de L'arbre sec, in the 1st arrondissement.
You take the metro to Louvre (and NOT Palais-Royale) on line 1, and
you'll be a block away. It's located at the corner of rue st honore and
rue de l'arbre sec. It is where Roxane is to have proclaimed her love
for Christian to Cyrano, in Cyrano de Bergerac. The owner is Bernard
Blanc-- you can tell him I recommended him, should you go. His father
runs the bar, has big big bushy eyebrows. He used to offer a lunch for
75FF (salad, main course, dessert-- the best was their creme cafe).
They might be closed on Sun/Mon. This is near the Louvre, Les Halles,
right in the center of town.
Nearby, for good views is going to the top floor (11th?) of the dept
store St Maritaine (the way up to the 'vue panoramique' is well marked).
In fact there's a cafe/rest on top but bound to be touristy and tres
expensive. My other favorite spot around here is Pont Des Arts-- you'll
recgonise it because it's a foot bridge that looks like it's ready to
fall apart, directly between the Louvre and what was the Ecole de Beaux
Arts I think (big dome). It's a neat bridge with artists and a few
musicians.
Another decent lunch place is calle Aux Gamins de Paris, in the Marais,
on rue vieile du temple-- perhaps near where rue de rosiers is-- on the
left side of vieile du temple if you're walking away from the Seine
(North). This is a nice little wine bar/resto with a fairly non-tourist
international crowd (it's where hip Americans and hipper French hang
out). This whole area is great, esp the architecture and in particular
--I don't know what you call them-- they're pieces build on corners,
like turrets. The Marais ('swamp') is where the bourgeois used to live
(like Roxane), in 'hotels', and now is populated by Jews and fashionable
Parisians. If you read Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum," the street names
here refer to the strange orders of knights he talked about in the book.
It's hip and alive on Sundays when the rest of Catholic France is
spending it in the countryside or in parks. Be sure to go to Goldberg's
Cafe for some Eastern European food. My favorite was a falafel shop not
far away-- I don't recall the street. It's a small area and i'd suggest
walking east through it from Centre Pompidou to PLace de Voges (Victor
Hugo's house nearby and neat street musicans), and eventually onward to
Bastille, another really neat up-and-coming district. Back at the
Centre Pompidou (be sure to go up for other great views) is La Dame
Tartin, if I recall. A really reasonably priced place that specialises
in open face sandwiches. It's a bit touristy but also appeals to many
locals, and of all the places I went to I always ran into to people I
knew there. It's right next to the fountain with all the wierd
sculptures in it, not far from some church (St Merri, or something).
Another cheap thrill is of course Sacre Coeur, where you'll find other
tourists looking at the view. We once went to a rest. nearby, called Le
Tartempion or something like that-- but that was many years ago and it's
probably gone tourist. Be sure to walk around the hill behind the
basilica because there are lots of nice views from there. In that
general area (the 18th) is a large black African population-- on the
street corners you'll see great big african women beautifully swathed in
colorful batiks (sold in nearby stores-- boy I'm really beginning to
sound like a travel guide) selling fried corn on the cob. If you wander
into one of the small unmarked pharmacies specialising in nothing but
African herbal medicines, be sure to try to listen to what their
speaking. On the northern edges of this area is the great flea market
with lots of neat things to see. Watch out of pickpockets.
For a distant view OF Sacre Coeur, go behind the big clocks (where cafes
are) in Musee d'orsay.
Another good view is from the top of Notre Dame. The entrance (have to
pay) is on the left side, facing the cathedral. Note that you can go to
the very top of one of the towers. Also (I never made it here) is going
to the top of the dome of the Pantheon, in the 5th.
If you're looking to spoil yourself I've 3 recommendations for dinner,
in order of price. One is L'Enfance de Lard-- maybe 100-150FF/person,
located on rue de guisard. Hard to find, in the 6th. Probably the best
way is to get off at metro St sulpice, walk north toward the edge of the
square, where the storefront for YSL is. Walk into one of the small
streets leading out of the square, with the YSL shopp on your right.
Take the first right, and the rest. will be on your right. If you like
escargot, they have a very nice escargot en profiterole (or something
like that)-- escargot in a pastry drenched in (yep!) butter (but this is
koay as long as you drink red wine). This place was recommended to me
by a friend who thinks of nothing but food (as most French seem to do).
You'll notice this whole area is very student-ish with lots of nice
boutiques and sometimes touristy. But on warm summer nights it's
definitely festive.
The second restuarant is Chez Julian, in the 10th, at 9 rue Faubourg St
Denis. Take line 4 and get off at Strasbourg St Denis. Walk west then
north to go through the Porte de St denis, and NOT porte de St martin.
(You will exit from the metro south of the portes) They look like mini
versions of the Arc de Triomphe. Going through Porte de St Denis you'll
be on rue Faubourg St Denis, and after a bit the rest will be on your
right. It's a neat bustling brightly lit place decorated in the belle
epoque style of art deco. A friend of mine spotted Madonna here. After
11pm, they have a special 4 course meal for 90FF. Waiters are NOT surly
but efficient. You usu have to wait. But there's a small bar there and
in the past they've been known to offer free kirs (white wine mixed with
a fruity liquer). In general this is an interesting area with a strong
N. African influence. It looks a bit seedy, but like most of Paris,
it's safer than any American equivalent.
Lastly, my all time favorite is-- I never knew the name-- we called it
chez Patrick, right next to La Taverne de l'arbre sec. It's on rue de
l'arbre sec, no. 64 maybe, 2 doors before La Taverne going toward rue st
honore (you can ask Bernard). It's closed Mon and Sun I think. This is
a tiny place (intime) so you ought to make reservations-- you can do
that earlier in the day. Patrick and his water and bartender are all
really nice. It's expensive-- maybe 250-300FF/person for a full meal
including several bottles of wine. But it's really good and definitely
not a ripoff. Tell Patrick that a friend of Jennifer's recommended him
to you, if you go.
Note that most places in Paris will have a menu located outside so you
can check without getting seated first.
A street to visit that has a market everyday is rue de mouffetard (I
understand there are youth hostels here too). Artsy, with bookshops and
little papershops, it winds down (south) from metro Cardinal Lemoine to
a church, st Mediard where on sunday pm (usu 4pm) they have free
classical music concerts. In fact on sundays all over paris there are
free music concerts in churches and the way to find out about them is to
buy a Pariscope (3FF) at any kiosk on the Thrus preceding the weekend.
It's a way to visit the city. Another fun and cheap thing to do is to
take the metro line 6, say from metro stops Italie, or Montparnasse,
toward the eiffel tower. Because in the portion to the line that
approaches then crosses the Seine the train is elevated and you get a
really neat view in crossing (you'll have to see a map to see what I
mean).
There's always the bateaux mouches for about 50 FF or maybe less you go
a on a tour of the river.
Whelp, I just notived your other posts, so it looks like you'll be
backpacking it, ergo perhaps on a limited budget. So perhaps some of
these places will be a bit really expensive. I think you can always try
to look under 25, as most backpackers are. They don't always card. And
you cvan act dumb. On e thing you should bring is any (current or past)
studnet ID. That usu wokrs.
About taking a night train from London to Paris, I had a friend who ran
into trouble because of a strike (welcome to France!-- in fact once I
was 'stranded' in Venice with my sister because of a train strike and I
was supposed to go back to work soon- so we went to Florence- tough
choice huh?)
Well I hope you have a nice trip. I hope to get back there someday myself.
Good luck and bon voyage!!
Tse-Sung
>From laural@cbnewsl.att.com Mon Apr 13 11:37:01 1992
In article <1992Apr7.175535.7742@samba.oit.unc.edu> you write:
>From LLW.HSL@mhs.unc.edu Mon Apr 6 17:58:44 1992
>I'm interested in your favorite Parisian experiences:
>hotels, restaurants, sights, whatever.
Hotels:
Don't stay at the Ceramic on Ave. Wagram. It's got a great location,
a great price, and the shower was private, hot, and strong, but the
bed was terrible and the street was too noisy to allow good sleeping.
>What did you really enjoy about Paris?
Cafes. Cafes. Cafes. And the overall romantic atmosphere. I went
last August with a friend of mine from London that I've always had a crush
on, and the legendary atmosphere of Paris worked its magic . . .
We'd get up, decide what part of the city we wanted to start sight
seeing in, and take the Metro out there. Then we'd look for the first
likely looking cafe for breakfast. After a very long breakfast of
bread, tea, chocolate, croissant, or whatever, we'd do our sight seeing,
and then wander into another cafe for beer, wine, whatever. Just sitting
outside watching the world go by. Ahhhh. I'm going back in 3 weeks,
this time with a female friend -- so I'll get some shopping in!
>Any restaurants you'd gladly return to?
Yes. There is a chain called Hippopotamus, which has good food for good
prices. The best meal I had was at this place called the Drugstore (well,
whatever the French word for Drugstore is). It's above a drugstore (a
rather chi chi one a that -- they sold fancy perfumes and cosmetics). I
can't remember where it is, though. Somewhere in the Latin Quartier I
think.
>Any sights
>you'd not miss for anything?
Before I went everyone said "don't bother with Sacre Coeur", but I
disagree vehemently. Also, don't miss the stained glass in St. Chappelle.
But here's a trick to avoid long lines: go down to the Concergerie (where
they imprisoned Marie Antionette before they guillotined her) and buy a
combined ticket for the Concergerie/St. Chappelle. No one goes to the
Concergerie it seems, so you won't have to wait to get in. Then go over
to St. Chappelle and bypass the long ticket line to walk right into the
chapel.
I didn't make it to the Louvre, but went to the Musee d'Orsay instead.
Incredibly sculpture on the ground floor. The Impressionists on the top.
Don't miss it.
Laura