Archive for March, 2008
St. Patrick’s Day in Paris: The Morning After
If there’s one holiday that makes me a little homesick while in Paris it’s St. Patrick’s Day. That’s probably why this is the night that expats jam the bars and pubs that feature Irish beers and Celtic music (and it was definitely the case last night according to our host at the WOS bar (formerly the Aussi bar). Unfortunately, my husband (who’s mother was English) doesn’t share my sudden urge to find the closest pub serving up Guinness beer on a crisp March night in Paris. So, we weren’t there last night for the merrymaking. This year, because St. Patrick’s Day fell on Monday which is normally the quietest day for bars in Paris, the celebrations began early, starting on Friday night of the past weekend.
The Aussi bar at 184 Rue St. Jacques has transformed into the WOS bar i.e. wide Open Spaces Bar. It still retains its pub atmosphere and you can chat in English with the bartender until the cows come home (on a quiet morning-after) as we did today. During the lunch hours, we were two of the six patrons. Two others were taking advantage of the free Wifi service.
Date: March 18th, 2008 |
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Top Paris Restaurant Loses its star
Trivia question: How many restaurants in Paris are designated as ‘Five-Star Gourmet restaurants’?
The answer is None.
Michelin, the restaurant guide which can make or break restaurant reputation only awards a maximum of THREE stars.
So, you can imagine when a restaurant loses one of its three stars, that can hurt.
I’m particularly disappointed to learn that Le Grand Vefour has lost one of its three stars. According to the IHT article of March 3rd ‘08, the Michelin inspectors didn’t make a sudden decision. They visited the restaurant at least 18 times over a two year period and came to …
Date: March 16th, 2008 |
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Seine River Safety Tips
Rule Number 1.
Don’t fall in. Parisians will be voting for their mayor tomorrow (March 16th, 2008) and I hope one of the first things on the agenda for the City of Paris will be the installation of iifebuoys and/or ladders and ropes for those unfortunate enough to fall into the Seine River.
In 2007, 55 cadavers were pulled out of the Seine River. That’s more than one body per week! On a more cheerful note, about 140 people were saved from drowning. So what should you do if you fall in the Seine?
Date: March 15th, 2008 |
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Emperors VIP Club in Paris?
Because the Emperors VIP Club supposedly operated in Paris as well as New York, London, Washington and Los Angeles, before being shut down in March, 2008, I thought it might be helpful to point out to any U.S. ‘VIPS’ that the exchange of money for sexual favors in Paris, the City of Light, is LEGAL.
Perhaps, if the former governor of New York had realized this, he would have hopped on a plane for Paris instead of Washington D.C.
According to one news report on the Emperors VIP Club, the New York-based club may have transported women to …
Date: March 13th, 2008 |
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Writers’ Workshops in Paris
If you’re a writer - and you’re not in Paris yet, get yourself here! Normally,when I think of writers’ workshops in Paris, WICE’s July workshop is the first place that comes to mind - but if you check out today’s Parler Paris - you’ll see that plenty is transpiring - starting in April.
The idea of going to the Champagne region (to write) well it sounds like there could be a number of distractions i.e Tattinger, Roederer, Veuve Cliquot, but anything for the craft!
Also Parler Paris is celebrating its ten year …
Date: March 10th, 2008 |
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Paris Plus Amsterdam
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
If you’re planning on spending two weeks in Europe, the hardest part of your trip may be deciding which cities will best complement one another. Judging by Travel Advisor’s recent survey, Paris is considered Europe’s most romantic city, the best city for shopping and the best place for great meals, but Amsterdam is where you want to go if you’re looking for a friendly welcome combined with great nightlife (Paris received the dubious achievement of ranking #1 for the most unfriendly residents).
…
Date: March 16th, 2008 |
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Seine Drowning: Accidental?
Supermodel’s Katoucha’s disappearance and the recovery of her body about a month after her disappearance leaves many people asking questions. Some of the facts don’t add up.
When police first pulled the unidentified corpse out of the Seine, Metro newspaper’s ’source close to the case’ stated “After several weeks in water, all corpses are black.”
According to Katoucha’s father, his daughter’s corpse was surprisingly intact when he saw it. (See Le Parisien’s exclusive interview with Katoucha’s dad).
And of course, the most baffling question is, if a friend had dropped her …
Date: March 15th, 2008 |
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Learn to Speak French
“Why bother learning to speak French? It’s a dying language.”
This was the test question my examiner asked of me for my finals after studying French language and culture at the University of Paris for a whole year. It seemed like too easy a question for a final exam – but I’ve often noted that examiners love to give students questions including just enough rope to hang themselves.
Because this coming week (until March 24th’08) is ‘French language’ week, I thought it might be helpful to talk about the benefits of studying French
Date: March 14th, 2008 |
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French Cooking: Choucroute
Choucroute Platter served at the Brussels Cafe, 71 Blvd. Exelmans, 75016
When it comes to ‘comfort food’, nothing does it better than ‘choucroute’ (pronounced ’shoo-croot’) or Alsatian saurkraut on a cold day in March. Accompanied with a crisp Riesling, this meal will make you completely forget the howling winds and pelting rain.
The region of France most famous for ‘choucroute’ is Alsace - and I’ve been told that the best place to eat choucroute in one of Alsace’s most famous cities, Strasbourg is right across from the Strasbourg cathedral.
However, if you’re in Paris, you need go no farther than most Alsatian (as well as Belgian and German) brasseries for a good ‘choucroute’ or you can make a great dish yourself (as long as you buy the right sausages).
You can buy your saurkraut either ‘cru’ or ‘cuit’ in most delis (cooked or uncooked). The best cooked saurkraut has bits of ham mixed in. Add to that salt pork and sausages of all sorts. I bought my sausages for this dish at J. Valliot, 21 Rue Daguerre.
That’s where I came across a particular brand of sausage that deserves special mention.
This sausage is called Saucisse de Morteau. If you’ve never tried this regional specialty, you’re in for a treat.
Date: March 13th, 2008 |
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Honeymoon Hotels in Paris
Hotel Regina, located on the Rue du Rivoli is right across the street from the Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre. This is the place you want to be if you plan on spending a great deal of time on the Right Bank, especially at the museum or visiting boutiques on Rue St. Honore.
You may be making a splurge like this once in your life - so you want to get it right.
It’s been about twenty years since my ‘then fiance/now husband’ treated me to a hotel splurge in Paris - and he must have picked the right hotel- because we’re still here! By the way, he hedged his bets and picked two Paris hotels (two nights at each hotel) just to make sure.
However, the hotel industry has gone through major changes in the past twenty years. No longer can the icons of Paris’s luxury hotels rest on the laurels. The rapidity of word-of-mouth, thanks to sites like Trip Advisor customer reviews lets you know soon enough, if the $900-per-night establishment is going to nickle and dime you for internet service.
Because we live in Paris, I can’t give you a first hand (recent) account of staying in any of the hotels I’ve earmarked for you, but here are the hotels I would choose if a special someone might suggest it’s time to celebrate twenty years of traveling together through the world - and through life.
By the way, honeymoons can be celebrated anytime you’re feeling romantic (the hotel doesn’t have to know you’ve actually been married for ten or twenty years - or you’re not ‘quite’ married).
So if the question comes up - where would you like to stay for a night? Here are my choices:
Date: March 10th, 2008 |
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