Shopping Partie 2

Beaubourg and Les Halles: Skip the vast underground shopping complex and hit rue Tiquetonne and Rue Montmartre for avant-garde design and jewelry. Many of our current labels have their warehouse showroom located in this area. Grab lunch from one of the huge array of outdoor food vendors and make your way to St-Eustache for a picture perfect picnic, or sway to the beat in the hyper industrial Georges (6th fl, Centre Pompidou) for equally perfect views from above.

Champs-Elysees: Feeling at the top of your game? Throw on those spanx, your highest stilettos, shortest skirt, fix your hair and makeup and make sure your tan hasn’t pooled around your knees and ankles. Rue Montaigne and Rue George V beckon. With their flagship five star stores with six star prices, arrive as a princess and leave as a pauper. While in the area splurge on lunch at the Four Seasons George V (31, Ave George V), our favorite hotel in France (while there check out the world’s most exquisite flower arrangements by Jeff Leatham), or the Plaza Athenée (25, Ave Montaigne), book ahead and have lunch in the courtyard.

Shopping Centers: These are not your suburban malls; marvel at the constant commerce of Galleries Lafayette (40, Blvd Haussman) and Le Printemps (64, Blvd Haussman), recession? what recession? Left Bank treasure Le Bon Marché (24, rue de Sevre) with Le Grande Epicerie de Paris (best food hall ever). Need to fix a flat or work on some renovation? Head to BHV (le Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville, 14, rue de Temple) Paris’s classy version of Home Depot.

Place de la Madeleine: Gourmet foodies rejoice. Visit Fauchon (26,30, place de la Madeleine), and Hédiard (21, place de la Madeleine). Don’t just browse, both have excellent restaurants in which to sample their creations.

Any way, there is something for everyone. This list is entirely skimming the surface and the city begs for dedicated browsing. I have also kind of tangentially included some eating suggestions, but I think I will dedicate an entire installment to this endeavor. Bon shopping!

Branché

(Adj: plugged in, “trendy). All right, let’s talk shopping. Synonymous with style and fashion, Paris has it all. It is hard to give specifics in short order, but the following is a brief description of some of our favorite shopping districts and destinations.

Tuilleries Quarter: put Louis XIV to shame with jewelry from the likes of Cartier and Boucheron, and clothing and accessories from the expansive boutiques along Rue de Rivoli and Rue St-Honoré. Wildly fabulous and incredibly expensive (want a 600 dollar t-shirt?) these store are frostily staffed by a poker-faced crew that would even make Paris Hilton nervous. Check out Colette (213 rue St-Honoré) for the latest hipster cool. Too hot, join the “in” crowd for refreshment at the basement water bar.
Kind of past its prime the Hotel Costes (239, Rue St-Honoré) is still the darling of the rich and famous. Have lunch in the courtyard with the other gawkers. Astier de Villatte (173, Rue St-Honoré), don’t skip the basement, if you can’t go in person, check out their cool website.

The Marais: Probably the coolest collection of stores along the narrow passageways. Too many places to list, but don’t skip the peripheral streets. We found the most fabulous store – sorry our secret for the next year.

Latin Quarter: Filled with students from the neighboring Sorbonne, lycée Henri IV and Louis le Grand (the future French prodigy and elite) the streets are filled with bookshops. Lose yourself in Shakespeare and Company (37, Rue de la Bucherie), and leave with a specially stamped literary treasure.

St-Germain des Prés: See our previous blog for hints through this left bank exclusive quarter. Also check out Taschen (2, Rue de Buci), and Assouline (visit Prosper Assouline’s flagship store 35, Rue Bonaparte).

Stay tuned, more to come tomorrow.

La Soirée Parfaite

Ah, back on the terrace. It has been a whirlwind. Despite the fact that I haven’t been getting up before 10am (except last weekend to shop the Marché aux Puce), and have been taking a perfectly wonderful nap most late afternoons, staying up to the wee hours of the morning every day has had me collapsing in bed too exhausted to document the days adventures – and adventures we have had! The best thing about changing time zones (for a self declared night-owl like myself) is that around 10pm Paris time, you really start to feel good. Having dinner at this respectable hour allows one to then go out and sample Parisian joie de vivre en force.

Strolling the streets at night is one of this city’s finest treats. Café society at its height, the tables, often imperceptibly spaced, are overflowing with food and drink. As the uber-sophisticated intermix with the bobo, the satirist with the sophist, the proletariat with the aristocrat, and the tourist with the local, lines are crossed, definitions altered, and distinctions become as blurred as ones eye and mind, aided, of course, by a bottomless wine glass.

After a glorious dinner last night with our friend Gil (one of several ex-pat friends who, years ago, found himself in Paris and could not bear leaving), my husband and I strolled though the 9th arrondissement. Although it has been unusually hot this week, this has made for some rather exquisite evenings. Still about 80 degrees, the cloudless sky, punctuate only by the half moon peering over the rooftops, just the perfect backdrop for the drop-dead halogen lighted architecture, my head somewhat abuzz, we walked together, thoughts intermingling, hands lightly touching, it was truly heaven.

Marché aux Puce de St-Ouen

Nothing better to get you in the mood for some treasure hunting than a 25 minute taxi ride provided by a groovy elderly French women, hurtling us nonplussed by pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, street barricades and the like, while humming schizophrenic versions of Serge Gainsbourg, interspersed with fragmented English staccato-like sentences thrown in our direction, all the while staring suspiciously back through the rear view mirror. “La, la, la… merde… la, la. Sacre ----, la, la, belle day oui? (horn blaring), la, la.” At first very charming, by the end of the ride, just kind of freaky. After dismissing us about two blocks from the actually market “you get out now, oui?,” she kept an extra 5 euro tip “change okay, oui?,” and roared off down the road “…la, la, la”, horn blaring, local scattering, barely escaping her path.

One thing you need to know, the actual good part of the market is surrounded by the usual chaotic, mostly garbage, kitschy trinkets that you find all over the world. Don’t get me wrong; if you want a ten-dollar Eifel Tower sweatshirt that says I love Paris and a pair of two-
dollar matching socks (all made in Paris, China), Marché Malik is for you.

Passing through this madness brings you to the authentic Marché aux Puce. This area is actually comprised of several distinctive markets, each with its own personality and style. Our favorite markets are Marché Vernaison (jewelry, fabric, lamps, furnishings), and Marché Paul Bert (furniture, taxidermy, architectural accents). The same vendors have occupied some of the market stalls for decades, even generations. The scale and scope of the entire Marche aux Puce is initially overwhelming, but actually quite manageable in one to two days. I could tell you my favorite shops, but then I would have to kill you – just kidding. There are too many great places to list, but be sure, there is something for everyone, and even my husband’s heart starts to palpitate when we get near Marché Paul Bert.

Helpful hints:

Bring comfortable shoes; this market is huge. For you fellow retailers, imagine the entire Americasmart all on one level.
There are several good places to eat on Rue des Rosier. Skip Chez Louisette at the end of the Vernaison market (unless you are dying to eat to endless Edith Piaf renditions), and try Café Voltaire (92, rue des Rosiers) or Napoli Sarl Gemma (136, rue des Rosiers).
Some of the more exclusive vendors will take credit cards, but bring cash for the best deals.
Most vendors will assist you with shipping to the USA.

Marché de la Porte de Vanve

Up as early as we can muster, today marks the start of our “bric-a-brac” adventures. This market (Ave Georges-Lafenestre and Ave Marc-Sagnier) is best early Saturday morning. A slowly curving walk is punctuated on both sides by numerous aged and dilapidated vendors with wares sprawling from equally aged and dilapidated trucks. The vendors carry a wide range of items from books, to jewelry to lighting and furnishings. This is one of our favorite markets to find “smalls”, although sometimes my husband and I exit the market looking like a couple of vagrant pack-mules overloaded with various frames, chandeliers, and furniture.

Market Hints:

Come early, it starts at about 7am and most of the dealers have picked through the good stuff by the late morning. Things usually wrap up around 2pm.
Bring cash, there are a couple of cash machines around, but these usually run out of money when you really need it.
Try to arrange for return transportation prior to arrival, it’s usually difficult to find a cab in this area on the weekends, and its painful to take the subway if you have a lot of “treasures” in tow.
If you are hungry, the little kiosk at the end of the first row makes some mean frites and as usual for Europe, excellent espresso.

St-Germain-Des-Prés

I can’t believe we have only been here one night. Probably has something to do with the fact that I’ve taken at least two naps each day – I love vacation. Last night was highlighted by a sunset walk along rue de Buci. The streets were packed with people, locals, and tourists, all taking in a perfect summer evening. The air was filled with the chatter of conversation from the surrounding outdoor tables (both earnest and excited, never meaningless), sumptuous smells from the overflowing cafes (sugar, spice and everything nice) mixing with the lingering cigarette and cigar smoke; a stylized movie set? No, just another typical night in Paris. After perusing the scene, we picked Del Papa (38, rue de Buci). Still humming at 11pm, we squeezed into our table, surveyed the neighbor’s entrees and ordered the perfect oven baked pizza. Piping hot, razor thin, this chef would have made an Umbrian proud. Completely stuffed, we wandered Boulevard St-Germain, just barely able to complete our crème glacee (purchased from one of the multiple vendors) before it melted in our hands.

Today we rediscovered St-Germain-des-Prés. The 6th arrondissement is fantastic, exclusive, and expensive. It also houses some of our favorite stores. You can have all the usual international houses and style anywhere, here some of our local favorites include:

Deyrolle (46, rue du Bac), skip the first floor and go directly to the second for an exquisite collection of taxidermy (large game, song birds, insects, fish and reptiles). We purchased a book documenting the aftermath of the fire a couple of years ago. Fabulous photos, fabulous!

Flamont (8, Place de Furstenburg), the European version of Restoration Hardware. I know, kind of mainstream, but occasionally this place has some cool set pieces.

Librairie Alain Brieux (48, rue Jacob), store is a cabinet of curiosity. From ancient medical devices, books, journals to a one of a kind early nineteenth century paper mache anatomical model.

Jacques Hervouet (40 rue de l’Université), cool objets d’art, with a distinctive design whimsy.

Lunch today at Laudurée (21, rue Bonaparte with 3 additional Paris locations), a haven for respite after shopping and walking, and don’t skimp on the desert.

Afternoon café crème at Café de Flore (172 Blvd St-Germain), redefine your inner existentialism and recharge your battery.

All right, it’s off to dinner, tomorrow it’s the start of the shopping weekend (Saturday, Sunday and Monday are the flea market shopper go-days). Get some rest tonight, tomorrow we shop.

Arrivée à Paris

After spending our last several Paris trips sampling the grand hotels: the Ritz, the Plaza Athéneé, the Meurice, Bristol, Crillion, and of course, our favorite, the George V, we have decided to partake in a far more Parisian affair: the Esprit St. Germain. Tucked along the Rue St. Sulpice, this quaint hotel still exudes luxury, but gives one the feel of actually owning a grand pied-a-tier in the heart of St. Germain des Prés. The 6th Arrondissement imbues a sense of Paris perhaps better than any other (much more about this later).

I could blog about this city forever. If you are planning to follow along with us the next few weeks, please, dear reader, have patience. I will do my best to give you at least a smidgen of enlightenment each day, but, alas, I too am awestruck and overcome by my muse – Paris. Sitting here on my own personal balcony, watching the sun set over the Eglise St. Sulpice, the final rays off the golden star topping the aging dome, a gentle warm (but without the Savannah infused deathlike humidity) breeze in my hair, I could almost weep with happiness (or maybe it’s just the combination of the residual pre-trip ativan, peri-trip ambien, and “rough-air “ –politically correct but still freaking scary turbulence- additional ativan, plus who’s counting glasses of champagne – hey it’s Paris after all, and, god-love-them, it’s complimentary at this hotel – now I really am crying tears of joy).

Any way, before your can say, run-on sentence, I will leave you with one airplane travel trip from my husband. Never wear designer jeans, no matter how loose and comfy they may seem, if they have large buttons on the rear pockets. After eight hours on a lay flat seat, I think my husbands butt is permanently dimpled. Well, it’s off to Carrefour de l’Odeon or Rue de Buci for dinner, more tomorrow.