A neighbourhood
Indian restaurant...
This
may surprise you, but my favorite neighborhood restaurant
is Indian. Within the last five years a large immigrant
community of both Indians and Sri Lankans have found a
refuge in Paris, many living just south of my neighborhood.
The restaurant is called .  Large
windows allow light to stream into the airy space. With
Indian music playing in the background, plus the pink
and gray walls, you can well imagine yourself on the set
of a Bollywood movie. And, the owner, Ali, is almost as
cute as a Bollywood movie star. Definitely a plus!
The
service is friendly and efficient. The last time I was
there I had the "menu" for 9 E. First came a small silver
platter of samosas and carved carrot flowers on toothpicks,
accompanied by a selection of 3 chutneys. My main dish
was lamb ("agneau") curry with plenty of basmati rice
and then gulab jaman for dessert. All excellent.
Mounshi
Taj is located at the end of a pedestrian
shopping street, Rue L'Olive, which, with it's bazaar-like
atmosphere, is growing livelier each year. At the other
end of Rue L'Olive is one of Paris's covered food markets
where they sell all sorts of fresh food. Address: 92 rue
Riquet, 75018 Paris. Métro: Marx Dormoy. Tel: +33
(0)1 4209 3608. Open every day from noon to 3 pm and from
6 pm to 11:30 pm.
Jeanne,
Paris, France
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Three
Parisien shops I love...
I've
been living and writing in Paris for a while. Here are
three shops I'd like to share with other JourneyWomen.
- ,
5 rue St. Benoit, 6th Arrondissement, 33-1-40-1510-75;
great, practical bags, among other things, but not cheap.
- ,
196 Blvd. Saint-Germain, 7th Arrondissement, 33-1-42-84-12-12,
for terrific gifts, like embroidered travel laundry
bags.
- , 19
rue de Sevres, 6th Arrondissement, 33-1-45-44-20-40
(and other Paris locations), considered la creme de
la creme by connoisseurs.
Susan
Spano, Columnist, 'Her World,' LA Times.
Website:
http://www.latimes.com
(key Susan Spano into their search engine)
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Musée
Nissim de Camondo...
This
very special townhouse, bequeathed to France in 1935 by
the owner Nissim de Camondo,
houses exquisite furniture, tapestries and paintings of
the 18th century. It's built in the style of the Petit
Trianon at Versailles. Walking through the house one imagines
the de Camondo family in residence. Perhaps you can visualize
them in the beautiful dining room being served by their
butler, the table set with the Sevres porcelain (there
is so many pieces in this set that it is stored in its
own room next to the dining room). A glorious beginning
for the Camondo family but short-lived and having a very
sad ending indeed. Take the metro to Monceau and walk
through parc Monceau to 63 rue de Monceau in the 8th arr.
This women-friendly museum is open 10am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday.
Kathi
Oliver, Tour operator,
Kathi Oliver's France (A Woman's Paris)
Website:
http://www.oliver-group.com/paris
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Rent
an apartment not a hotel...
Many
visitors today are opting to rent an apartment rather
than a hotel for their stay in Paris. Here is 's
advice for finding and negotiating the deal that suits
you best.
- To locate rental sites, type "Paris, France
vacation (or short-term) furnished rental apartments.
- Check to see what the agency fees are (some
will be much higher than others, and if you search enough
on the Internet, you might just find the owner and be
able to wave the agency fee).
- Don't let pictures excite you so much you forget
to check out the square feet!
- If you are sharing a rental, make sure that
the only bathroom isn't accessed through one of the
bedrooms (or that you and your friends have a good understanding
of what to expect during the night)!
- Always, always, always ask for the all-inclusive
price before you get excited about the estimate. You
don't want to get caught with a phone and electric bill.
- Be clear about whether or not the cleaning fee
is included.
- Many apartments now have internet access (DSL/Noos),
or are willing to have it installed. Landlords who install
it are generally more sophisticated when it comes to
renting to Americans. Remember you'll generally be working
with a French keyboard.
- One more thing about checking your email; if
the apartment comes with dial-up, make sure to ask if
it has a local "forfait" -- or if you pay the regular
France Telecom rip-off rate. Ask how rates will be calculated.
- A Plan de Paris or a L'Indispensable (city map/guide)
is a must for traveling to Paris, and a should be required
material for serious apartment hunters.
- Some of these agencies are one and the same!
- Just because we might be missing certain things
from these sites, does not mean that the agency does
not have them. When requested, they often send them
immediately.
- Ascertain who will be meeting you and such details.
You need to know when, where and what.
- Request that the landlord leave you clear instructions
about how things work in the apartment.
- Request that the landlord leave you details
about his favorite neighborhood vendors, restaurants,
etc.
Have fun, everybody!
Karen
Fawcett, President of Bonjour Paris
Website:
http://www.bonjourparis.com
Ed.
Note:
Bonjour Paris is a great website. Check
it out!
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Womens
words on Paris...
The pearl-grey city, the opal that is Paris.
(Anais Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin, 1966)
One's emotions are intensified in Paris -- one can be
more happy and more unhappy here than in any other place.
(Nancy Mitford, The Pursuit of Love, 1945)
A walk through the Paris streets was always like the unrolling
of a vast tapestry from which countless stored fragrances
were shaken out.
(Edith Wharton, The Reef, 1912)
Source: The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women
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