This is coming in many forms: pastries, shopping, music, museums, and cafes. So far, there is nothing disappointing about this decision. The question now, is when is too much? Is there such a thing as too much culture, too much good food, too much fun music? I really don't think so but here are a few highlights:
Live music. Whether it is Cignale or Point Ephemere (PE) or the Opera or the random Afro-Cuban nightclub (oh, and, yeah, the jazz!), Paris is a music city. It is made for people like me who love live music. I am in awe of musicians and am so not looking forward to the day when I'm too old to go to places like Point Ephemere or the 930 Club. PE is a great space in the middle of a rather random section of Paris. It is a live music venue, performance art space and restaurant. If you're here for a bit, check it out. Totally off the beaten path, it is a great place to hear live music and hang out with 'cool' people. I went to see Mike Snow, a very groovy American/Brit indie group that is best known for writing Britney Spears' Toxic. But don't hold that against them.
Galleries and More Galleries. I don't think it is possible to visit too many galleries or museums because, and let's be honest here, we don't do it enough. I live in Washington DC, the land of the free museum, and I rarely go unless there I have visitors or there is a new, major exhibit. And NYC is only a short train ride away. But, again, unless it is something special, I'm rarely found perusing a gallery or entering a museum. So spending hours upon hours absorbing art, of all forms, in Paris is delightful. Of course my late night visits to the Louvre are wonderful but so is wandering in and out of the galleries on r.d Seine. This weekend, I'll be spending hours at Paris Photo, one of the largest collections of still photography in the world. Highlights from my walks: Michael Kenna's retrospective at La Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF; the Richelieu location); Monet's Water Lilies at Musée de l'Orangerie (where they have been since the 1920s); the Paris news bureaus photo archives; and the public sculpture garden within Jardin des Tuileries.
Patisseries! Another wonderful thing to do, when you have loads of free time, is to wander the streets and find fantastic patisseries and salon de thés throughout the city.
I have tried more than a dozen and my favorites are currently:
Laduree. This is an obvious choice and I won't waste space writing about it except to say, GO!
Dalloyau. The location by the Jardin du Luxembourg is my favorite. Fewer tourists, quieter
Dalloyau. The location by the Jardin du Luxembourg is my favorite. Fewer tourists, quieter
space. A special touch: the pastries are identified by the year they were put on the menu.
Gerard Mulot. There are several of these located around the city and they make the most
Gerard Mulot. There are several of these located around the city and they make the most
beautiful cakes and made-for-home meals (if you like pate and salad at home, that is).
Le Meurice. Technically, this is a hotel. But it has high tea, is a great place to people watch
Le Meurice. Technically, this is a hotel. But it has high tea, is a great place to people watch
and is the home of Camielle, a to-die-for pastry chef that makes the most beautiful tartes I have
ever seen or eaten.
Skeptical that pastries belong in the culture category? Don't be. In Paris, these places, and pretty
much throughout the city, the bakers/owners of the various patisseries are artists.
At Le Meurice, my chocolate torte was covered with a deep red raspberry creme that was
piped to look like roses. And for a second, I thought they were. The glistening dots on top?
Roasted pistachios dusted with gold leaf. Seriously, every bite, in every place, has felt a little
like eating art.
I wish were one of those people who took pictures of their food so I could share pictures of the
Saint Honore Rose-Frambroise or Rose du Chocolat or many of the other things I have eaten.
But I don't so you'll just have to try them for yourself.
Enjoy!
