Just ready for another trip but before let me tell you about the newbies I found on my last one passing by Paris.
The famous restaurant Thoumieux at 79 rue Saint Dominique is changes colors to the restaurant , new chef of Pakistani origins Sylvestre Wahid with subtle cuisine now with a brasserie on ground floor and a gastronomic resto on first floor (2nd US).http://www.thoumieux.fr/
Try taste wines and even take it home at the Les Caves du Louvre, 52 rue de l’Arbre-Sec,1éme. sommelier led wine tasting with high tech sensory ambiance. visits and tastings from 11€ to 35€. The building facade dates from the 17C raised by the sommelier of king Louis XV, it houses wonderful vaulted cellars re arrange with taste for the wine aficionados. http://www.cavesdulouvre.com/
You want to eat in style while visiting the museum Baccarat (crystals) then head for the Cristal Room Baccarat, 11 place des Etats Unis, 16éme. Decorated by Philippe Starck in the former home of Marie-Louise de Noailles who host the who is who of Paris now Under new chef Baptiste Trudel (disciple of Guy Martin) menus at 119€ (who said we cannot dream!); http://www.cristalroom.com/
Do not know if posted on earlier posts but if you want to rent a hotel for a few hours in Paris or elsewhere now you can on this site dayuse. WWW.DAYUSE.COM
If you want to catch a meal or drink in a restaurant late in Paris well do it at my favorite Chez Denise (Denise Benariac) open until 5h (5AM) Near the halles no webpage but one of my favorite gourmand pages in Paris here ; http://www.paris-bistro.com/choisir/paris1/chezdenise.html
For chocolates to die for go to La Manufacture de Chocolat, 40 rue de la Roquette ,11éme; where Nicolas Berger transforms the cocoa beans into art. For the season try the Flocon de Noêl for 5€. The shop was founded by great chef Alain Ducasse. http://www.lechocolat-alainducasse.com/fr/
Now for the season to come, Christmas and New year, Champagne is in order, have yours yet? mine is on the cellar. The Philippe Gonet cuvée Belemnita Grand Cru 2005 is on, buy in Paris at les Caves de Passy, 3 rue Duban, 16éme ;http://www.cavesdepassy.com/
Another great caviste or cellarmaster in Paris closer to the sights is Legrand filles et fils, 1 rue de la Banque 2éme; http://www.caves-legrand.com/fr/
The musée Rodin opens its doors after renovation with great new rooms and more to see! 3 yrs of rénovations to boot all restore and redesign! The museum is at the old Hotel Biron (where Rodin lived since 1908 until his death in 1917) the tour has been redone to what in actuality is a new museum really! It has 18 rooms with a new space for graphics arts and photography. The paintings from Munch to Van Gogh are also on display now. 79 rue de Varenne, 7éme. http://www.musee-rodin.fr/
In the Philharmonie de Paris, 221, Avenue Jean-Jàures, (Cité) 19éme come to see the work of Marc Chagall (1887-1985 born in Bielorussia). The presentation is of le Triomphe de la Musique lasting until January 31 2016. http://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr
You can see at the Galerie des Gobelins, 42 avenue des Gobelins ,13éme a recreation of the military camp of Napoleon with tents and all, luggage items, folding furniture and others. Until December 13 2015. 6€ with free admission last Sunday of the month, http://www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr/fr/infos-pratiques/paris-gobelins
If you want to know Parisian French ::) parigos we call them, then buy the book , dictionnaire Je Parle le Parisien by Jean-Laurent Cassely et Camille Saféris, Parigramme, 144 pages 11,90€ It can be found in leading libraries in Paris such as FNAC.
Anécdote, you know there are 6100 Streets in Paris? yes. the shortest is rue des Degrés 2éme with just a stair of 6 meters linking it to rue de Cléry to the rue Beauregard. The longest is the rue Daumesnil 12éme that has 6 kms from the place de la Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes.
And Under construction the new palais de justice estimated by June 2017 will be the second tallest building in Paris behind the tour Montparnasse. It will be near the boulevard périphérique and the porte de Clichy with 160 meters high in 38 floors. It will house all the courthouses social security,police,and civil courts. It will be connected to metro lines 13 and 14 and tramway T3. To see ::)
From the end of October past, the metro line 14 is bigger!! leading from the gare Saint Lazare to the Pont Cardinet (where i like to park my car ::)) , by 2019 it will reach the mairie de Saint Ouen (where the famous flea market is) and will have four new stations , it will be automated and will reach eventually Saint-Denis-Pleyel to the north, Orly airport to the South to become the most frequented line!
A special mention for Grenoble that will have at its Musée de Grenoble a presentation on Georgia O’Keefe photos until February 7 2016. open every day except Tuesdays from 10h to 18h30 at 5 place de Lavalette. http://www.museedegrenoble.fr/1702-georgia-o-keeffe.htm
You can shop to die for not far from Roissy CDG Paris airport terminal 3 has a free navette bus to it!! even opens on Sundays. shopping,restaurants, cinema, great for the rush traveler who wants to see a bit more of France; This is Aéroville; http://www.aeroville.com/W/do/centre/accueil
Back to Paris proper, want shopping for women clothing…head for Brand Bazaar, 33 rue de Sévres, 6éme; over 100 designers names all in one place, to shop for it…! http://www.brandbazar.com/
For children clothing and toys something different in Paris and elsewhere in France ,to me they are in Nantes too. Moulin Roty, in Paris at 22 blvd des Filles du Calvaire 11éme; http://www.moulinroty.com/fr/partners/moulin-roty-paris/
Paris is underground too you have heard of the Catacombes but do you know there is the regard de la lantern or Manhole of flashlight in Belleville 20éme? the underground of the Canal Saint Martin (can be seen on guided tour) in all 2350 kms!!(1460 miles) of sewers, 211 kms (131 miles) of metro lines and 260 kms (161 miles) of hallways in the metro, ghost stations included. You can get guided tours of these by contacting the stone quarries of Capucins, SEADACC here, http://www.seadacc.com/ ; canal st martin contact the boat rides of Canauxrama, one of my favorites boat rides in all of France, http://www.canauxrama.com/ ; and the aqueducts du nord de paris or ASNEP you can contact phone email and see photos of what they do here ; http://keblo1515.free.fr/souterrinterdit/sourcesnord.htm; for something different to see in Paris, you are not done yet ::)
And I will missed it this year as will be traveling abroad just this afternoon, but the Salons des Vins des Vignerons Indépendants or independent wine producers will be held again at the Porte de Versailles expo center from November 26 to the 30th. 10h to 20h except the 30th will be from 10h to 18h. The best small wine producers of France will be there,and if you love wine like me and are here go there! And yes no matter the events in Paris all of these will be open YES! http://www2.vigneron-independant.com/37%C3%A8me-salon-des-vins-des-vignerons-ind%C3%A9pendants-paris
Finally, cannot dismiss the events in Paris recently, my condolences to all the families and friends touch by this event where one Young American women was one of the victims in Bataclan, an entertainment place I love and participated in many events there lastly the Festival de Rio Brazilian extravaganza. Paris will be and is and will stay Paris, the most beautiful city in the world! RIP and life go on.
Paris1972-Versailles2003 