SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PLACES IN PARIS

 

Each visit to Paris, we go back to those special experiences we have enjoyed.  For us, they are the best of the best, at reasonable expense.  Here are a few categories:

 

WOMEN’S CLOTHING

Sara’s favorite Boutique is Tatiana Lebedev in the Marais and Pigalle.

 

Boutique Marais                                     Boutique Montmartre

64, rue du Temple                                     23 rue Houdon

75004 Paris                                                 75018 Paris

0142778089                                                 0142012593

 

A designer originally from Moscow, she creates edgy, reasonably priced, and wearable clothes.

 

It is always a good idea to call first to make sure the stores are open.  Here is the link to the Tatiana Lebedev website: http://www.tatianalebedev.com/index2.htm

 

TEA

Our regular stop for loose tea is Mariage Frères with several shops in Paris and counters in the large department stores, as well.  If you are not yet familiar with this particular tea, try their Earl Grey Bleu (awash with blue bachelor buttons).  The shops have small Salons de Thé which we think of as serviceable, but read on for our alternative proposal.  Here is the link to the Mariage Freres website: http://www.mariagefreres.com/

TEA TIME

For a sit down tea treat, we suggest the Paris Mosque near the Jardin des Plantes.  The tea serving size is rather small, but the associated pastries (selected from the display) such as baklava make for a special experience.  The Paris Mosque is at 39 Rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 75005, 01 45 35 97 33 Metro Place Monge or Censier-Daubenton.  (The restaurant is adjacent the courtyard)

 

CARAMELS

Daughter Liz first brought to our attention the very special caramels she found in a hidden shop in Montmartre.  We tracked down the maker to the Marais where Jacques Genin also offers a stunning Salon de Tea and, not so incidentally, a caramel shop.  La Chocolaterie de Jacques Genin. 133, rue de Turenne 75003  01 45 77 29 01. The location is a little remote of public transportation, but here are the Metro choices:  Métro République or Filles du Calvaire.  Bus: 56, 65, 75, 96.

 

CHEESE

The number of cheese specialty shops has dropped to a precious few, now.  Of course, cheese is available almost everywhere you turn in Paris.  But, cheese is fragile and changes character relentlessly; it requires disciplined handling and storage.  For a truly special experience, one should go to Barthélémy.  Once there, we propose you buy a wedge of Brie de Meaux.  Somehow Barthélémy obtains and handles this young cheese better than elsewhere.  The inventory is stored and aged below grade which is accessible (by the staff) through a trap door in the shop.  Following the Brie de Meaux, consider Abondance and Beaufort and then the Bleu d'Auvergne or Roquefort.  51 Rue Grenelle, 75007‎ - 01 42 22 82 24.  Just off Blvd Raspail, Metro Rue du Bac; Bus 63, 83, 84, 94

 

TAKE OUT

This is a subject of diminishing returns over the past decade.  Cost, scarce labor, and the French balance of less work and more leisure time have taken a great toll on the charcuteries and other small specialty shops.  One finds a very good shop and a few years later it has changed hands and is diminished. Often, the shop is just gone.   We can give numerous examples. A few high-end places continue in the Fauchon, Hédiard category.  But, at a more reasonable price, we can only vouch for 3 places to take out whatever is on offer:  La Grande Epicerie http://www.lagrandeepicerie.fr/#fr-FR/home Metro Sevres-Babylone,  Gérard Mulot (see below, also) http://www.gerard-mulot.com/ Metro Odéon and the quite small shop of Verot‎ at 3 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, Metro St. Placide, at intersection of Renne and Vaugirard.

 

BREAD

There is good bread throughout Paris, but our favorite single bread is from Eric Kayser, now in several locations.  Ask for the “baguette Monge,” a half size length of the standard baguette.   Baked throughout the day, it is often still warm at purchase.  Use some butter from Brittany (red wrapper, with sea salt, or sel de mer) available at most markets.  http://maison-kayser.com/

 

PATISSERIE

There is no shortage of patisserie, often more than one good one in the neighborhood.  But, in our opinion, as good as it gets (including very elegant) is Gerard Mulot on rue de Seine in the 6th.  The Luxembourg gardens are not far away where you can enjoy the goods, the open air, and a sense of history.  The breads and charcuterie (see above) are top-notch, as well.  http://www.gerard-mulot.com/

 

OPEN MARKETS: GREENGROCERIES

The several open markets throughout Paris propose fresh products and generally deliver, but expect pricing higher than the supermarkets.  Our favorite green grocer is at Place Monge in the 5th on Sunday; it’s the lengthy display at the back corner of the market bordering rue Ortolan at which you will generally find a line (often long, but moves rapidly).  Metro Place Monge 75005

 

DINING

One of the lamentable facts of contemporary Paris life is the relentless wearing away of their unique cultural practices and styles, often in the shadow of “globalization.”  This, despite significant efforts in numerous categories by the government to preserve the French National Identity.

 

The notion of the neighborhood “bistrot “ is a sort of “poster child” for these losses.  In raw numbers, it is said that many thousands of such bistros are gone from Paris alone.  Numerous bistros remain, of course, but often of mediocre quality.

 

The “grande” restaurants are easy to find in the guidebooks and their virtues highlighted.

 

For those who may have had sufficient of the “grande” restaurants over the years, or who seek value for money, we offer these 3 places that have pleased us regularly, even as they are found in some of the guidebooks.  We continue to experience and appreciate the “bon rapport qualité-prix” (good quality for the price) and consistency there, visit after visit:

 

l’Epi Dupin: http://www.epidupin.com/fr/index.php  75006

Aux Lyonnais: http://www.auxlyonnais.com/index2.html 75002

L'Os à Moëlle:  3 Rue Vasco de Gama  01 45 57 27 27 Metro Lourmel 75015

 

As always, lunch is at a lower cost than dinner.

 

 

Bon Voyage et Bonne Visite!

 

Chuck & Sara

We appreciate personal referrals and recommendations wherever we travel.  So, for example, if you are going to Paris, as we do regularly, you might appreciate some personal recommendations on subjects other than the ubiquitous tour books and sites.  Our personal recommendations are found at www.sant.com on such subjects as boutiques, teas and salons de thé, take out (charcuterie), cheese shops, caramels, patisserie, bread, and, yes, dining of good quality for the reasonable price.

 

 

The Paris Bus System.

There is much to admire about the underground train system in Paris, the Métro, and most folks who use it, like it.

 

The Paris Bus System does not attract that same level of admiration and usage by the visitor.  But, it should.  While the various tour books give you the basics, it is hard to come away convinced.

 

So, here is a short summary on how the system works:

  1. The overarching fact that simplifies the bus system is that the Bus Map of Paris is printed, superimposed, on a street map of Paris. If you look closely, you will find the direction each bus is going and, amazingly, the location of each bus stop within its block along the route. Ask at the Métro counter for “Grand Plan #2” which covers the Bus, Métro, and RER trains.It is free.

    2.  

  2. Use the same ticket you purchase for the Métro, buying 10 tickets at a time, the “Carnet” (pronounced “car-nay”).** A single ticket is good for 1.5 hours between the first and last validation, see below, on a bus/bus, bus/tram, or tram/tram transfer. There is no transfer on a single ticket between bus and Métro; use 2 tickets. (Unlimited transfer (correspondence) is available at numerous interchanges among the Métro lines). The Bus driver will sell you a single ticket for one trip without transfer privilege.

    3.  

  3. Find the bus stop to begin. A bus shelter is common at each stops, and the bus always* stops there, but some stops have only a signpost stuck in the sidewalk. These are “request stops” for which you need only stick out your right arm, horizontally,

    4.  

  4. Insert the ticket into the validator slot (le valideur) beside the driver on entering and let the machine give the ticket back to you.

    5.  

  5. To signal a stop, find and press a large red button which will illuminate a sign above and in front of the driver.

For a scenic trip, self-guided, consider the #63 (light green color palette) that goes east-west across Paris with good views of a great many of the principal monuments. At one end, the Gare Lyon; at the other end, the Musée Marmottan in Passy.

 

Take a seat and enjoy the sights of Paris as you go.

 

*Bus stops: As in the major cities in the US, if a driver sees no one waiting at a covered bus stop and no one on the bus has signaled to get off, the driver may just pass up that stop.

**Paris Visite is a convenient special pass for unlimited travel on the Métro, tram, bus, RER trains and Transilien SNCF trains for a 1, 2, 3, or 5 day period. If you keep moving, you may saves some money, but its principal benefit, in our opinion, is the unlimited aspect without concern that you have a supply of tickets to cover your group’s travel.  Paris Visite also provides certain discounts at attractions that may be useful to your group.