Monday, January 12, 2009

paris and sawyer

Lost is starting soon.  We can all listen to the Constants while we count down the days to seeing Sawyer's ripped bod.  That's what we're all waiting for, right?

Also, another question.  What arrondissement of Paris to stay in?  Opinions? 

13 comments:

deeann said...

Oh my god... I am crying (from laughter).

Anonymous said...

I stayed in the 6th and hated it. The outer areas are more borough-ey to me which I prefered. I was briefly in the 18th on a lovely street in the Montmartre that was full of genuine locals, no mimes playing the accordion.

While there I visited a wonderful bakery that was on the rue Damrémont. Here's a link about the bakery:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/07/macarons_et_chocolat.html

-Anna

Richard St.Ofle said...

I lived in the 5th for four years, and love it.
the fourth is also good.
the lower the number (generally) the more expensive.
do you have my number?
call me and we can talk about it.

Anonymous said...

I loved staying in the 4th--easy walking distance to everything (including the 5th), fun shops & restaurants, etc. I've also stayed in the 11th very close to the 4th--you may get a lower price that way, but of course it's a longer walk or Metro to everything.

On our last trip we stayed 2 nights in the 18th, and I was not wild about it. The neighborhood is very charming when you're well away from the Sacre Coeur hordes, and amid the locals, as the previous commenter says, but there are also a lot of the mime-and-caricaturist-dominated streets. More importantly, though, it is vastly less convenient to get anywhere else in Paris than if you're staying in one of the more central arrondissements. (That said, there is an amazing confiserie/chocolaterie in the 9th just south of the 18th, well worth a pilgrimage if you like that sort of thing--the proprietor, Denise Acabo, brings in fantastically wonderful artisanal candies, many very traditional, from around France. A L'Etoile d'Or, 30 rue P. Fontaine, Metro Pigalle.)

beckler said...

It's sounding like I should look in the 4th, 5th or 11th? Thanks everyone. I wrote down the name of the confiserie. Any other recs for specific restaurants I am down for. I am very interested in finding different places within Paris that well represent the cuisine of other regions of France. Provence, Brittany, Alsace (mmm....choucroute).

Richard St.Ofle said...

you MUST go to Les Abeilles!
(it's an artisan honey maker!)

21 rue de la Butte-aux-Cailles
13th
(Métro : Place d'Italie)

Richard St.Ofle said...

ohhh
and Dans le Noir!
(a restaurant run by the blind in which you eat your food in the pitch black! -- incredible! Corine and I ate there, and it was one of the best dining experiences of my life -- I'm not kidding)

51, Rue Quincampoix
4th
(you HAVE to have a reservation)
+33 1 42 77 98 04

Anonymous said...

I am considering going to a similar pitch black restaurant in Cologne, but I am worried about the language barrier. If all I have is a butler telling me what to do in German, then I really don't have much except a plate of food that I have to feel around for.

gbomb

Richard St.Ofle said...

call ahead, and ask if they speak English, or don't go.
you really rely on the spoken word so much that it would kind of ruin it if that component were missing as well.
Everything from the menu, to the check, to where the bathrooms are, is all vocal.

beckler said...

What about a place in the Marais that is quite close to the St. Paul metro stop?

Anonymous said...

I've stayed in Montmartre (18th) and the Turkish food was the bomb, and also in the 19th near the Parcs des Buttes Chaumont, which you definitely have to go to. It has this rad mountain island in the middle of it. I liked both neighborhoods - they're diverse and are where the kids live. Also, check out the flea market that's on the outskirts of the city - it's awesome! Francois Hardy singles and rad clothes.

Brew

Anonymous said...

I guess I forgot to make this connection but the street I really liked in the Montmartre WAS rue Damrémont.
-Anna

Alice said...

5th was nice to me. The Seine is nearby and there are some nice street markets.

Dang, I'm jealous!