Paris Wrap Up

I have now been back in the US for a week. Days filled with cheeseburgers, catching up with old friends, unpacking, and, in general, just moving back into my real life. At each step, people ask "how was Paris?". Generally fabulous is what I say but when pressed for details it is so hard to explain how wonderful five weeks (plus some) is when you have nothing to do except eat, sleep, read, walk, go to galleries, and relax.

It is so rare for anyone to have this opportunity and there is a piece of me that wishes I had done more. But I'm not sure I could have done more (oh, of course, I could have gone to Versailles or taken a day trip to Bourgogne) but I also believe it gives me something to do when I return (again and again).

I will write more about my "re-entry" into Washington (and the next phases in my journey) soon but I also wanted to answer a series of questions that others have asked concerning how to plan their own trips to Paris and my recommendations. There are links throughout the older posts but here are my top 10 favorite things to do in Paris (along with some practical tips and websites at the end).

10. Walk along the Pont des Arts - at sunrise, at sunset, or anytime - with a favorite song on the iPod.

9. Have lunch at Comptoir du Relais (or a late night crepe next store) and treat yourself to les petits pots de crème.

8. Enjoy Kir Royals most anywhere in Paris but definitely at Cafe Marly looking out at the courtyard at the Louvre.

7. Go for the Champs-Élysées Christmas Fair (Marche Noel), for the lights alone.

6. Friday night, late night, at the Louvre. Especially the Napoleon Apartments.

5. Buy a slice of quiche from Stroher, heat it at home and read a good book as the rain falls outside. The smell of cheese and butter fill the apartment, yum. Add a lovely Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2002 - bliss.

4. Climb one, if not both, the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower. The views are incredible. If open air experiences aren't your thing, try the views at Kong or Montparnesse Tower.

3. Petit Dejeuner at Angelina. Go early in the morning, especially if fresh off the plane, have the hot chocolate and the American-sized breakfast. Trust me.

2. Musee Rodin. Very few places are as beautiful, poignant, illuminating, and inspiring as the garden here. In the Spring or Summer, bring a book. You'll want to stay all day. In Autumn and Winter, you may not stay at long but you will be glad you came.

1. Wander. Wander. Wander. Paris wants you to explore it, really.

iPhone Apps

In addition to a currency converter, translator, Scrabble, NYT, Facebook and Twitter, I downloaded a dozen apps (probably a few more) specific to Paris. I found them thru National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler and just plain ole Google searches. Also, a one stop shop for Apps (both both iPhone and BlackBerry) is Garland's Digest. With a page dedicated to Paris, it provides brief descriptions, pricing and a link to iTunes. Thanks to the apps I spent a little less time being lost, knew where to eat, could entertain myself late at night and was able to navigate the city without caring a stack of guide books. The ones I used most frequently were:

• Paris Metro. Offline it is a great map of the Paris Metro; if you go online, you can plan travel, get traffic and construction updates and get information on bus routes.
• OffMaps. Download maps of Paris that you can access offline
• Free Wi-Fi. This will help you find free wi-fi (in Paris it's known as wee-fee) spots. For a iPhone user, this can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
• Musée du Louvre, Cluny and Le Grand Palais all have free apps to guide you thru the collections. Not as comprehensive as the audio guides; but, did I mention they were free?
• Zagats. The Michelin guide provides GPS tracking which definitely came in handy one night when we were lost and didn't know where to eat. But the Zagats is a comprehensive guide that includes both US and international locations so its cost efficient. Also, I've always found the Zagats reviews more accessible than the Michelin guides.
• Paris Travel Guide. I loved this app which breaks down information based on the arrondissements. Great for planning walks.

Travel Tips

A couple of things I did throughout my trip made it a little easier. These may not work for everyone but I recommend:

• ATM cards instead of money changers. One of the first things that most people do when they get off the plane is change money at one of the booths in the airport. These days it is easier, and in many cases cheaper, to actually use an ATM machine. Confirm this with your own bank but instead of paying a fee and getting poor exchange rates, most banks have better rates and minimal conversion fees.
• Paris Pratique. In addition to your guide books, invest in a Paris Pratique. This is a small book of maps, by arrondissement, that has a street-by-street guide and is incredibly useful in navigating Metro stops, small side streets and plotting routes around the city. You can buy it on Amazon before you go or you can pick one up at most stationary stores in Paris. The Pratique has a blue cover but some newstands carry a different brand with a red cover; it's just as good, really, but the Pratique is very Parisian.
• RER to/from Charles DeGaulle. If you don't have a lot of luggage (or enjoy the workout), I highly recommend taking the RER into Paris from airport. It's a great way to start to learn the Metro system and is considerably cheaper (and in many cases quicker) than a taxi.
• Learn a phrase or two. I went to Paris to learn the language. Admittedly, I failed miserably. But what I did learn was that a few phrases and attempts to speak French were (in most cases) greeted with smiles and encouragement.

Websites & Twitter folks I like

In addition to all the Apps listed above, I regularly consulted these websites for good humor, recipes, reviews, hints on what to do and theaters showing version orginale movies:

• Hungry in Paris. Alexander Lobrano's blog which will make you hungry, hungry, hungry.
• My Little Paris, insider guide to Paris. Similar to Daily Candy, this site is good for checking out "cool" Paris.
• David Lebovitz. He's a pastry chef but his blog is an often hilarious take on finding your way in Paris.
• Anglo Info. Need a date? A movie? Both and more can be found here.
• An American Mom in Paris. A friend of a friend's hilarious take on being an American mom in Paris.
• Little Brown Pen. Another fun take on Paris.

And "the Twitter"

• @ParisBuFF. Runs a vacation rental place in Montmartre.
• @AUPTweets. Official site of American University in Paris.
• @ParisHideaways. Rental agency but also good tips.
• @CoolStuffParis. Relatively new site that has links to stuff like funky art walks.
• @David Lebovitz. His Twitter feed.

Hope all of this is helpful. Feel free to ping me or email me if you want more.