I just got back from my beloved city, Paris and two new favorite cities: Toledo and Madrid. Five years ago I moved from Paris back to the States and this trip made me seriously consider moving to Pareee again. Each day I re-traced some of my old haunts, found new places to love and met up with lots of old friends.
Here are some of the highlights and places that I recommend:
Day 1: Utterly jet lagged, I roamed the 6th with my generous friend and hostess, Seiko. We went for chocolates at Pierre Marcolini and she showed me some of her favorite bars and shops. After all that I slept like a baby and then awoke to a lovely supper prepared by Seiko.
Day 2: Slightly less jet lagged, I met up with my friend Cheryl for a delicious Lebanese lunch at Traiteur Beyrouth at 67, rue Rambuteau 75004. After lunch, Cheryl mentioned that she wanted to check out the 50 year anniversary Barbie exhibit and asked if I could be interested - I was game so we walked to the Marais and for the first time I visited the Musee de la Poupee. Everyone, especially doll-lovers, should check out this museum. It's tiny and amazing! The best thing about the museum, aside from the dolls from every era, is that there are no crowds. Cheryl and I were two of five visitors during the one or two hours we spent there, so we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. The Barbies exhibit is incredible - it includes Barbies from around the world and from each decade. The outfits that some of the Barbies wear are better than the clothes in Vogue! Seriously, there are some major fashion treats on those dolls. Check it out: Musee de la Poupee Impasse Berthaud, 75003 Paris Metro: Rambuteau www.museedelapoupeeparis.com
After the museum we wandered around the Marais and then near the Hotel de Ville to admire the newly restored Tour de St. Jaques. Another site worth taking in. I would recommend buying some cherries (as Cheryl did), sitting down on one of the benches that surrounds the monument and eating the fruit while looking up at this enormous and intricate masterpiece.
Since it was only the second day of my trip, I was eager to walk around and see my city. We got up and walked along the Seine and then decided it was time for an aperitif. We ended up at Cafe de L'Epoque at 2, rue du Bouloi 75001 where I had a kir and Cheryl had a fantastic Sancerre. Afterwards we walked through the lovely Passage du Galerie which is attached to the cafe and then through les halles where we went our separate ways. I wandered a bit more after that. I needed to see more of the city, walk next to the Seine and remember what I love most about it.
Day 3: I went to see the Beatriz Milhazes exhibit at Fondation Cartier and fell in love with both the place and the artist. Milhazes is a Brazilian artist who uses colors that I adore and the Fondation Cartier is one of the most elegant art spaces I have ever seen. The building is entirely made of glass, about seven floors tall and has a lovely unmanicured garden surrounding it. This is definitely a new favorite of mine in Paris and a place I think everyone should visit: 261, boulevard Raspail 75014 www.fondation.cartier.com
For lunch, I went to a great new Japanese place called Kilali where they serve your meal in a bento box. I had a nice chicken and rice meal with pickled vegetables. This was probably the first day that I started to realize just how expensive Paris has become. My lunch was 29 euros, the equivalent of about $40.00 USD. I had chicken, rice, a glass of water and a cup of tea. Wow. 3-5 rue des Quatre Vents 75006
Day 4: I went to Saint Mande to see my dear friends and former roomies Tania and Shay and their gorgeous daughter Jasmine. I brought delicious cherries, strawberries and a melon and Tania made a sumptuous vegetable tarte and we ate and talked, talked and talked and then I went with Shay and Jasmine to go to a nearby park and then to get a tour of the neighborhood's patisseries. I got one of the best chausson aux pommes ever.
After spending the afternoon in Saint Mande I went to get a phone at FNAC on the Champs Elysees and then to Pershing Hall for a coupe de Champagne. I used to love Pershing Hall. It's a hotel decorated by one of my favorite designers, Andree Putnam. When it first opened it had a very serene, luxurious, sophisticated feel. The colors were calming palate of grey, taupe and silver. Now, the place has accents of red (bright red chandeliers and glasses) that seem a bit too much. Nevertheless, the Champagne was nice.
Day 5: I met up with Seiko for lunch and then went to the Espace Culturel at Louis Vuitton for their exhibit called "Ecritures Silencieuses" (Silent Writings). This was a cool (and free) exhibit with artists that include: Claude Closky, Tracey Emin, Ni Haifeng, Jenny Holzer, Idris Khan, Joseph Kosuth, Barbara Kruger, Ernesto Neto, Giuseppe Penone, Robin Rhode, Marco Nereo Rotelli,Charles Sandison, Lawrence Weiner, Guyton\Walker, and Sun7. The extra bonus of the exhibity is taking the elevator up to the gallery. The artist Olafur Eliasson designed the elevator for the exhibit and it is completely without light, all black - it is a very unique elevator ride. 60, rue de Bassano 75008 www.louisvuitton.com/espacculturel
After Vuitton, I wandered around and ended up in the 16th arrondisement. At a certain point I ended up next to one of the most beautiful hotel particuliers I have ever seen. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was the Baccarat museum and boutique. "Hurray!" I thought, "Another free beautiful place to visit!." If I were to throw a fancy party in Paris, I would want it to be at the Baccarat boutique. The place feels more like an opulent (yet modern-ish) palace than a store. There are enormous, gorgeous crystal chandeliers everywhere yet the place is dark, in a sexy way. The walls are unfinished grey concrete which is a lovely contrast to the sparkly chandeliers, crystal and jewelry. There's also a great looking restaurant by Guy Martin but it was not open when I went. 11, place des Etats-Unis 75116 www.baccarat.com
Day 6: This was one of the best days in Paris. I had a deliciously long lunch with my friend Mike at Le Cambodge, one of my favorite restaurants, next to Canal Saint Martin. Mike told me all about his upcoming album, played music for me and then we parted ways. I strolled around and then met up for drinks with lovely Richard at Place des Vosges. He made me laugh a lot. After that I went to a dinner party with Tania and Shay at their friends' house in the 19th. Claire made the best beef curry ever! I must get the recipe. We drank lambrusco and prosecco, talked about some of everything, listened to great music and I felt like I was re-living my earlier Paris days the whole time. After a great dinner in the 19th, I met up with my dashing friend Sylvain for drinks at Le Fumoir and then at another place near Saint Michel. I was out until 4am and could not have had a better time. Good friends are golden!
Day 7: I met up with Tania and Shay to do the sales. We started at Habitat, then went to Pierre Herme for special treats (I had an amazing Isphahan croissant filled with raspberries and covered with a litchi glaze and bits of rose petals - incredible. I also had a great pistachio macaron) and then to Conran Shop and then La Grande Epicerie de Paris for lunch and more treats. Tania and Shay are my gourmet soul mates. When I lived in their apartment, we used to have themed eating gatherings. An afternoon of hot chocolate and pastry. A color-themed dinner party. When I went to Pierre Herme's tasting events I would bring back boxes of treats that we would all eat together. Pierre Herme was/is a temple of sorts. 72, Rue Bonaparte 75006 www.pierreherme.com
After lunch with Tania, I met up with my wonderful Australian friend and former work collage, Kaye. Our rendez-vous was at Cafe de Flore, which is one of my favorite cafes in Paris. We caught up on old times, talked about restaurant recommendations and saw Bernard Henri Levy leave and re-enter the cafe a couple of times. I was very excited about the Bernard sighting.
After Kaye and her sister left, Seiko and a friend of hers joined me and we had aperitifs. We tried to get reservations at Philippe Starck's new place, Mama Shelter, but it was booked. Later on, Seiko and I ended up eating at one of her friend's restaurants, Spice and Wine, in the 14th. This new restaurant has the best Thai food I've had in Paris. It's great! 142 avenue du Maine 75014 Paris Tel: 01 43 20 61 27
Day 8: I had a light snack with Richard at Cafe de L'industrie and remembered how great that place is, and so cheap - even with the euro it's totally reasonable. After that I met up with Simon and his adorable family to take a stroll at Chateau de Vincennes. Later on I went for dinner at Mama Shelter with Seiko and Allan. They did not love the place, I would like to go back. Mama Shelter is a design-y inexpensive hotel with a restaurant on the bottom floor and a roof deck. The day we went though it was raining so we ate in the first floor restaurant. Seiko's dish was the best: Parmentier de confit de canard (15 euros). I had a papillote d'aubergines which was less exciting.
Day 9: This was a big adventure day. I left Paris to go to Toledo to meet up with my mom. I will start the tale with this: I missed my flight...and I was in the airport two hours before my flight left. To be continued...
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