The Buddha Bar, Paris

From the outside, the Buddha Bar doesn't look much different than anyplace else in the neighborhood. I sort of wondered why we were headed into the place at all, not being big bar hoppers. I was told it's a place to see and be seen in Paris. A late night hot spot where people like Madonna like to hang out. I like to explore new places, so I wasn't about to protest, but I didn't expect to be impressed.

I say expect to be impressed. Plan on going and having a lot of fun in an energetic crowd. They eat, they drink, they dance. Mostly, they socialize.

The Ritz, Paris France

The Ritz in Paris is a dining room heard of all over the world. Royals eat there, movie stars eat there, men doing business eat there.When I was there I saw couples and men in business suits. I dont think any of them were royalty or movie stars.

If you sit in one of the rounded red booths in the center of the restaurant, like we did, you feel like your'e in a fish bowl - and everyone's staring at you. They do stare. I tried to convince myself they were just trying to figure out what movies we'd starred in. It's a bit overwhelming for my standards to be stared at by strangers the whole time I have my meal. Especially when I managed to make a sugar cube do circus tricks, although I'm sure that wasn't the fault of the oglers.

Be sure to take a trip to the ladies/gents, as even the restrooms are worth a look. If you want to say you've been to the Ritz, go ahead and go. I'd never try to dissuade you. It's an experience worth having. But I'd vote for Le Train Bleu if I had a choice between the two.

Hotel Residence Des Arts, Paris

Do you have a picture of the place you got engaged? This is mine. The only thing is, we were still on the other side of the curtain, in the living area. For the first couple of nights in Paris we stayed at The Hotel Residence Des Arts.

There was a restaurant downstairs, part of the hotel. This hotel on the left bank gave us a different part of Paris within walking distance than the little apartment in Sacre Couer.

La Taverne Suisse

For a real dining experience I recommend La Taverne Suisse. We had delicious melted cheese, nearly a fondue, with big chunks of boiled potatoes.

Our waiter was quite a... character. As he stood behind the counter across from our table he amused himself by making a rather large show of playing with (and I'm not sure you're ready for this) his boogers. A HUGE show. Luis had to harshly chastise him more than once before he finally, begrudgingly, agreed to quit.

Do boogers make melted cheese better? We may well never know.

Try it for yourself at48, rue de Ponthieu, in Paris.

So You Think You've Had Good Chocolate Mousse?

Have you been to Le Bistro Romain? They have the best chocolate mousse anywhere. They present it in this big chunky dish resembling a candy dish on a candlestick. It's awesome. It's abundant. It's delicious. Check it out:

Right there at 73 Champs Elysées75008 Paristel: 01.43.59.67.85. There's another one further down the avenue at 122 Champs Elysées75008 Paris. The meal must have been good too, but honestly, who can remember? It was like a bowl full of the best brownie batter ever.

Laduree, Otherwise known as Laa-Dee-Daa!

If you like your waitstaff as cold as your ice cream, with less sugar, try Laduree at 75 Champs Elysees. They are said to be quite a treat, but a real chocolate connoisseur like myself can find good chocolate in almost any city.
This place was all show and no manners. The chocolate was okay, but not fabulous. The artistic presentation is good, but the French got their reputation for being rude because too many tourists frequent this establishment. It was the only place in Paris where people were downright rude.
The service was as friendly as their webpage, with spinning picutres which wont slow down for you to choose which one to click. Want to see what I mean? Click here: http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/maisons/champs_accueil.htm
If you want a chocolate fix that will fix you I reccomend Bistro Romain, on the Same avenue. The chocolate mousse there is worth the trip!

Where To Go, But Not Eat, In Paris

The Louvre. Go to the museum. Stand in awe of the Venus de Milo. Adore the Mona Lisa. Dining in the Louvre, however, leaves much to be desired. The people are well dressed, as they are many other places, but the decor and food are just so-so. It's missing that special something, both in the kitchen and in the dining room. Even the chocolate mousse was disappointing.

The gift shops, on the other hand, are almost worthy of a whole day themselves. There are fantastic things for sale downstairs, but especially upstairs.

The day we went to the Louvre, the museum workers were on strike, so we didn't have to purchase tickets, and the lines were moving at warp speed. The most unusual thing about it was all the people using flash photography in there, with nobody on duty to stop them. Are you surprised the museum was open for visitors with nobody to protect everything? I was.

If You Require Fried Cheese In Your Salad, Go Here

If you require fried cheese in your salad, this is THE place to go.

This place was funny, because the table linens, the food, the waitstaff were all impeccable, but the place was grand in such a funky sort of way. It was far from stuffy. Another great meal in Paris was had at 4 Boulevard des Capucines. From the first bite of the salad until the last of the dessert, this place served up great food. There was a lot of mmmmmmimg going on at our table.

Forgive me for not having a better picture, the place is hard to find online. You can go here to see a 360 view: http://www.toptable.co.uk/details.cfm?spos=22&rid=2178&showMoreReviews=1#ratings

Hemingway ate here. La Closerie des lilas

According to Frommers, the famous people who have sat in the "Pleasure Garden of the Lilacs" include Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Ingres, Henry James, Chateaubriand, Picasso, Hemingway, Apollinaire, Lenin and Trotsky (at the chessboard), and Whistler.

The bartender was perfectly happy to answer our Hemingway questions and tell us about his favorite places to sit.

We didn't see anyone famous, as far as I could tell. We seemed to have caught many lovely, large families with adorable children enjoying brunch. It's a beautiful setting for a sunny day, which is how we got to enjoy it.

It's walking distance to Luxembourg Gardens. What better way to walk off a meal?

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Features/Cafe_Creme_Closerie.shtml

Le Train Bleu, Paris

My favorite "WOW" dining place in Paris is Le Train Bleu. Fabulous dining at a train station? Gare de Lyon train station, to be exact. It was so stunning and yet so comfortable. You know those places where you pay gobs of money to feel uncomfortable? Forget about them and visit Le Train Bleu instead. The menu is excellent, as is the service.

Perfect Apartment for Parisian Romance

There have been some updates to the look of this penthouse apartment since the photo. In my opinion it looks better now. I love the location. You can look out the large living room windows and see the Sacre Coeur. You can look out the little window in the lavatory and see what seems like all of Paris. Mornings with soft rain, accompanied by the opera singer practicing downstairs, make you feel like you're living in some romantic movie. In fact, maybe you are. This place exudes romance.

When you finally do force yourself to leave, you don't have to go far until you're faced with grand choices for food, shopping, or sightseeing. Monmartre has it all. We set up everything with the owner via email and phone calls. Erica sent Isis to take care of us. Isis has a beautiful, warm smile and was available to help us with anything at any time. It's my understanding that Isis is no longer with Erica, but from what I've read Erica still has great people working with her here: http://www.goin2travel.com/bermanliv.htm

April in Paris? Yes!


I've found the online review I left for Erica after our stay. Here it is:

Service: 10 - Best

Value: 10 - BestAttractiveness: 7 - Nice

Overall: 9 - Outstanding


I can't say enough good things about our stay at Erica's Rue Livingstone apartment. There are so many other categories that could also be rated a "10". The bathtub/shower was perfectly appointed. I'm certain that anyone would be pleased with the cleanliness of the apartment. The appliances and fixtures are all very nice and work without any nuances. I loved the windows- both the amount of light they let in and the ease of operation. Speaking of the windows, the view is, to say the least, inspiring. Sunrise is soft and sweet from the bed in the corner. The view of the Sacre Coeur is so much better than the pictures show.

Actually, the whole apartment is so much better than the pictures. It's my opinion that it's bigger 'in person' than I was expecting. The only noises we heard that weren't our own were: the rain on the roof in the morning (how romantic) and the opera singer in the apartment below, also in the morning. I think she added that last speck of perfect romance to our engagement trip to Paris. We had heard (from friends, family) that it was difficult to get a taxi, especially weekends and evenings, but we never once had any trouble, no matter the day or time.

The location was such a great suprise. This apartment is just a hop away from the bottom of the steps to the Sacre Coeur. (that's a great help in telling the Taxi drivers where to take you, since, when you say "Rue Livingstone they seem to be/stay lost.) We found the most charming man in the little cafe at the bottom of the steps.

The single thing that makes this apartment (or any of Erica's rentals) the BEST place to stay in Paris is the kind of attention offered by this team. Erica was always so fast to respond to any email we sent, and once we arrived, Isis was the warmest, most wonderful hostess I've ever encountered. She was thorough and sweet. I felt reassured that if we needed assistance of any kind she would take good care of us. Anyone running a business could learn how to treat people by taking a lesson from this team - they really have that special something. We would stay again and again, and we'll definitely spread the word.