There's obviously a thousand things to do in Paris and I don't do enough of them (Hi Musée Rodin! I swear I'll get to you soon!) but here are some of the things I actually have accomplished and enjoy.
Parcs/Jardins
Champs de Mars. This is exactly a 7 minute walk from my apartment. So, obviously a favorite. There's just something extremely satisfying about day drinking wine right next to the Eiffel Tower. Also a good place to read on sunny days, just beware of football playing children.
Parc Monceau. My friend Sophie lives right by this one, and I've only gone once. But it's another beautiful spot for picnicking and/or working on one's tan, which I'm told is one of the great British pastimes. Who knew?
Jardin des Tuileries. I mean, duh. You can't sit on the grass, but there are chairs in which to chill, mock tourists, and squee over well-dressed toddlers playing with their boats in the pools.
Jardin du Luxembourg. It's huge, and gorgeous and there are old men playing that game where you shove a puck-type-object with sticks. There's also, incidentally, an absolutely killer playground where I occasionally bring Le Petit. Good place to ogle hot French dads and feel like the cool nanny.
Touristing
You've got your classics: Louvre, Musée D'Orsay, Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame, etc. Now these are all lovely and good - I particularly love Notre Dame just because it's actually breathtaking. As in, I've actually gasped going in there before, but there are lots of other tourist destinations worth mentioning.
Pont D'Alexandre is possibly the most beautiful bridge in the city. It's the one so often featured in movies, with the big golden angel statues and ornate light posts. Also can't miss Pont des Arts where couples have etched their names or initials on padlocks and locked them to the chain links.
Musée Marmottan Monet. It's in a 19th century hunting lodge right next to Bois du Boulogne. In addition to all the Monet you can eat, there are lots of other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works as well as antique furniture, giving one the feeling of walking around an eccentric obsessive's house in the 1800's.
Catacombs. Apparently some cemetery just got too damn crowded, so they literally dug them all up and stacked the bones in neat piles and buried them in the catacombs where you can now wander through and say hey. You can't see Serge Gainsbourg or Jean-Paul Sartre or Oscar Wilde here it's true, but it's definitely a more personal morbid tourist experience than going to Montparnasse or Père Lachaisse cemeteries.
Food
Ok I really don't eat out a lot because it's really expensive in Paris, but these are some of the things that I do purchase and put in my mouth and enjoy.
L'as du Falafel obviously. At 5,50 it's definitely cheap for Paris, and it is heaven. Love. Love love love.
Pick a boulangerie, any boulangerie. One of the great things about France is all the fresh bread all the time. Buy a sandwich! Or buy a baguette and make your own! Eat a pain au chocolat! Then go to the boulangerie around the corner to buy another pain au chocolat without being judged!
Bedford Avenue Brooklyn Diner. I go for the service. You understand...
Going Out
I'm not very creative, honestly, so when I find a place I like I tend to stick to it. Which means that most of my nights end up in Oberkampf, the land of the generally not too overpriced drinks and fun bars/clubs. That said, I do occasionally venture elsewhere. I frequent:
Le 114
Bo Zinc
Earth's Kitchen (but only on Wednesdays because cocktails are two euros for girls. Got this from Left Bank Manc)
Bus Palladium (disclaimer: this cost 20 euros to get in but I got two drink tickets and the music was awesome)
Never been to all those places I'm supposed to go to like Showcase and Social Club and Wanderlust... I will eventually. I just like my routine you guys, ok?
No comments:
Post a Comment