Hi there,
Does anybody on this forum have a link or text of %26quot;Three Perfect Days%26quot; in Paris that was published on United in flight magazine Hemispheres? It looks like the Hemispheres website archives section is down.
hemispheresmagazine.com/3pd/three/default.htm
I am currently in Paris and that article would help me tremendously.
Thanks!
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I found it on the internet archive:
…archive.org/web/…
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I see an article on the archives site for Three Perfect Days--Rio de Janeiro--not Paris. Am I wrong? How do I get to it. Now I am curious too!
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The link was to the October 2006 issue. The Paris article is in the September issue. Hopefully, here%26#39;s the correct link.
…archive.org/web/…
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Looks like this link also went to the October issue. At the bottom right of the page, click on %26quot;September issue%26quot; and it will take you to the correct page.
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Thanks for the site and the clarification. I got a few good ideas from it which have been printed and placed on my 4%26quot; pile of other good ideas for my Sept %26#39;09 trip to Paris.
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I could not open it either?!
Can somebody sent a link that works? It looks really interesting!
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The link works for me, but since it doesn%26#39;t for others, here%26#39;s the text:
Paris is a city that abounds with beauty. It surrounds visitors with grand architecture and regal monuments of the past, while boasting some of the most revolutionary innovations of the present. The computerized Minitel network existed long before many of us ever heard of the Internet, and the 100-year-old métro speeds passengers underground with an efficiency that’s still the envy of most cities today.
Paris has grown quite a bit from its beginning as a small island in the Seine, the Île de la Cité. But it retains the feel of a large village, a mélange of small neighborhoods dotted with lively cafés with no shortage of Gallic characters. As you crisscross the city, from the bookish Latin Quarter to the bustling Place de la Madeleine, you’ll discover a place rich in culture and history.
You’ll find Parisians fascinated, some say obsessed, with appearances. While you don’t need to don a beret and puff Gauloises to blend in, manners and appreciation go a long way. Parisians are justifiably proud of their city and are pleased when visitors demonstrate a similar appreciation. What’s not to like? So come along on a moveable feast through Paris, and for three perfect days, you’ll find an abundance of memorable experiences, perhaps enough to enrich the rest of your life.
DAY ONE / Pull back the curtain at Le Meurice and marvel at the Tuileries, the splendid garden originally created for Catherine de’Medici. Have breakfast downstairs under the glass-domed Le Jardin d’Hiver, sampling the haute cuisine of super-chef Yannick Alléno.
Afterward, wander across the Seine via the Pont Neuf, which, in spite of its name, is the city’s oldest bridge. Follow the towering spire of Sainte Chapelle that majestically tops the 13th-century chapel. Ascend the Gothic staircase and find yourself surrounded by the most jaw-dropping stained-glass windows in Paris. In spite of its beauty, during the Revolution this holy space became a warehouse for storing flour.
Next up is a visit to La Conciergerie, a former prison whose most famous inmate was Marie Antoinette. You can see she was given a far more comfortable space for her final days than less-fortunate inhabitants, who waited in squalid dungeons before meeting their fate.
Cross the Pont St-Louis to the Île St-Louis. In recent years, the island has regained lost luster and is now one of the most desirable neighborhoods in town. But eclecticism survives, and you’ll find its streets lined with unusual shops including Clair de Rêve, selling handmade marionettes, and colorful objets de maison at Pylones. The perforated church tower that presides over the island gained its unusually large gaping holes to prevent it from being toppled during fierce winds.
Pull up a seat at Mon Vieil Ami, one of the city’s hottest baby bistros. On chef Frédérick Crochet’s market-based menu you might find braised beef from Salers smothered with caramelized garlic baked under cloudlike whipped potatoes or baby beets with herb-flecked halibut cheeks.
Although desserts at Mon Vieil Ami may be tempting, queue up at Berthillon for the best ice cream in the world. Try a scoop of bittersweet chocolat paired with caramel beurre salé, a flavor inspired by the salted butter of Brittany.
If you’re wondering how French women and men always manage to look smooth and polished, it’s because they’ve perfected the art of relaxation. Taxi to Les Bains du Marais, where it’s ridiculously easy to melt away in the steamy vapeur of the tiled hamman. Opt for a massage; finish with gommage, where an attendant scruffs your skin, buffing you to a rosy glow.
Float outside and you’ll find yourself in the heart of the Marais, one of the most diverse arrondissements in Paris. Promenade down the rue des Francs Bourgeois toward the Musée Carnavalet, a Renaissance mansion showcasing the history of Paris. Madame de Sévigné, the town gossip, lived here and wrote prolifically to family and friends, allowing present-day historians to eavesdrop on everyday life in 17th-century Paris.
Nearby in the symmetrical Place des Vosges, snag a table outdoors under the arches at Ma Bourgogne, overlooking the stunning square. Start with a slab of silky foie gras or a garlicky salad of frisée tossed with chunks of crisp bacon and blue-veined Forme d’Ambert. The waiters are happy to divide an expertly grilled côte de boeuf, a slab so enormous that you’re expected to share. (Parisians like their meat nearly raw, or bleu. Specify saignant for rare, a point for medium.) True to the restaurant name, the menu offers quaffable Burgundy wines en carafe.
DAY TWO / Don’t bound out of bed early—it’s just a few steps to Angélina, which opens for breakfast at a Parisian 9 a.m. Break open a buttery croissant and sip le chocolat Africain, hot chocolate so impossibly thick you’re expected to cut the richness with a soupçon of crème chantilly. Thus fortified, you’re ready to tackle the Musée du Louvre. Skip the lines at I.M. Pei’s no-longer-controversial glass pyramid and use the entrance via the Carrousel du Louvre (99, rue de Rivoli). Although most people can’t visit without a glimpse of the Mona Lisa in her newly refurbished space, there’s far less jostling in the serene Richelieu wing, resplendent with French and European sculptures.
Walk or hop a métro (line No. 1) from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde to view simultaneously the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the commanding Obelisk de Luxor, now standing regally in the center in lieu of the dreaded guillotine. Take the rue Royale toward the Place de la Madeleine, impossible to miss with the massive Eglise de la Madeleine commanding most of the square.
The Place de la Madeleine has perhaps the highest concentration of upscale edibles in the world, but it’s unlikely you’ll miss Fauchon. In the pâtisserie you’ll find specialties such as blood-orange éclairs and cinnamon- scented madeleines. Be sure to indulge, since it’s de rigueur to sport a Fauchon black-and-white bag as you circle the square. You can drop some serious euros at La Maison de la Truffe, home of earthy truffles in all shapes and sizes. But inhaling the musky aroma is gratuit. And the Dijon mustard at Maille flows like tap water, literally. The trademark spicy mustard is dispensed from a spigot with a tilt of the handle.
You’ve come full circle, so head back down the rue Royale, passing the dainty Ladurée. This salon de thé was conceived by Madame Ladurée (the proverbial baker’s wife), who established a tea salon in 1871 where unescorted women could gather, a faux pas that no respectable mademoiselle had ever previously attempted.
The sensuality of the French language translates window shopping to lèche-vitrines (“licking windows”), and you’ll find plenty to drool over on the rue St-Honoré, home to the top couture houses in France. Be sure to stop at Collette for the ultimate in edgy accessories. Forget au courant; if it’s at Collette, it’s a fad for the future.
Wine is such an integral part of French life that there’s a movement to classify it as food. But if you need more proof, look no further than the three-story wine emporium Lavinia. It’s rooted on French terroir, and the temperature-controlled basement boasts fine wines from across the country, some priced as stratospherically as a petit pied-à-terre.
Pick a bottle from the shelves that fits your budget, and the wine bar staff will be happy to pop the cork along with lunch, charging just the shelf price (after the complimentary pour of a featured wine to start things off). Afterward, sniff out the collection of Alsatian eaux-de-vie, the high-test liquor known as the water of life. You’ll find clear distillations of everything: cocoa beans, dandelions, raspberries, and—gulp—asparagus.
At Chocolat Michel Cluizel, formerly La Fountaine au Chocolat, the chocolate flows like luscious lava in the cascading fountain. But there’s no shortage of edibles, from mounds of nutty chocolate bonbons to cocoa-coated “mushrooms” oozing buttery caramel.
Tonight, take in a performance at the resplendent Opéra Garnier. A riot of Italian marble and mirrors, the opulent interior retains its original beauty and was updated in 1964 with a dome painted by Marc Chagall.
You may not be romancing Keanu Reeves (or Diane Keaton) in the film Something’s Gotta Give, but there’s nothing sexier than a late-night dinner rendezvous at Le Grand Colbert.
DAY THREE / Now that you’re feeling un peu Parisian, head to the Palais Royal métro station and take line No. 7 to Place Monge. Mingle with the locals at the outdoor market on rue Mouffetard, a cobblestone street that once led to Rome. Have breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien while locals peruse the newspaper and sip steaming bowls of café au lait.
Duck inside Androuët, considered one of the top fromageries in Paris. You’re guaranteed to find a luscious Abondance or pungent Epoisses among the collection of cellar-ripened cheeses.
Hail a taxi to Saint Sulpice, where the disconnected, neoclassical architecture has bothered residents for centuries. But most visitors are searching for the astronomical gnomon, which recently starred in The Da Vinci Code. Don’t leave the church without checking out the Delacroix murals in the chapel by the entrance.
Walk to Le Grand Épicerie at the Bon Marché, the oldest department store in Paris. Although most visitors come for the shopping, notice the splendid and pioneering use of metalwork, much of which is attributed to Gustave Eiffel, who simultaneously designed a more-famous structure. Stock up on Provençal olive oils, hand-harvested salts from Brittany, and a sweet selection of jams and jellies from Christine Ferber in Alsace.
Head upstairs for lunch at the space-age Delicabar. The undulating sofas provide a plush place to discover the cuisine of Sebastian Gaudard, who tips the balance between sweet and savory. Don’t be surprised by grains of sel on chocolate palmier cookies or a smoked salmon pastry bathed in champagne sabayon.
Métro (line No. 12) or taxi back to the hotel before your swank dinner in the Palais Royal, a pleasant walk under the arcade on the rue de Rivoli. Should you choose the métro, you’ll exit under the metal and Venetian glass station erected by Jean-Michel Othoniel in 2000 to honor the métro’s centennial.
Celebrate your final evening at Le Grand Véfour. This jewelbox of a restaurant is the picture-perfect place to be coddled by chef Guy Martin in three-star style. While the cooking reaches celestial heights, the earthbound charm of his cuisine is rooted in his native Savoy. The double veal chops roasted with anchovies and capers and Breton lobster with vanilla and root vegetables demonstrate Martin’s rare ability to segue smoothly between ocean and earth. As you polish off the sweet petits fours, you’ll miraculously find just enough room to finish with a feathery slice of gâteau de Savoie, a nod to the chef’s grandmother (who provided the recipe).
Cross back through the Palais Royal and, if you feel like you’ve overindulged during your visit, shake the night (and kilos) away at the hotspot Le Cab, toasting the finale of three perfect days.
David Lebovitz is currently churning out ice cream in his Paris apartment for his next book, The Perfect Scoop (Ten Speed Press), due in spring.
Getting Around
The speediest way around town is the underground métro. Multiday transit passes, called Paris Visite (ratp.fr), are available in all métro stations. Hail a cab at any clearly marked taxi stand at an intersection. For museum-hopping, a Paris Museum Pass (parismuseum pass.fr), available at museums and tourist offices, will allow you to skip the inevitable cashier lines. Louvre tickets can be purchased at louvre.fr.
Paris for Kids
A Palais de Tokyo (13, avenue du President Wilson; Tel: 33-1-47-23-38-86 or palaisdetokyo.com) The latest in cutting-edge, interactive art
B Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (Parc de la Villette; Tel: 33-1-36-68-29-30 or cite-sciences.fr) An indoor/outdoor science museum with a submarine, interactive exhibits, and a 3D cinema
C Musée Grevin (10, boulevard Montmarte; Tel: 33-1-47-70-85-05 or grevin.com) Hundreds of wax figures and a sculpting demo
D Cirque d’Hiver (110,
rue Amelot; Tel: 33-1-47-00-28-81 or cirquedhiver.com) A year-round circus hall
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I found this rather odd. Of course you can%26#39;t see everything in 3 days but after the itinerary leaves the Conciergerie you%26#39;re crossing the bridge to Ile St Louis... say... what was that large building with those funny soaring arches out the back we passed on our right? LOL
I%26#39;d never consider sending someone to see a dank basement over Notre Dame but that%26#39;s just me!
;^)
Rob
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