The last time I saw Paris the cafes and streets bustled. Everyone was outdoors, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, perhaps in appreciation of the glowing sun gifting more precious moments to bask in the city’s favorite pastime: café people-watching. It felt like Indian summer and Paris was never merrier.
The last time I saw Paris was Nov. 12. I had spent several days there before the Nov. 13 “event.” My memories of Paris are sweet.
I meandered the lively streets of St. Germain-des-Pres. Here in the heart of intellectual Paris, I passed high-end art galleries, bookshops and designer boutiques around Boulevard Saint-Germain, Rue de Rennes and Place Saint-Sulpice. Stopping at Pierre Herme, on Rue Bonaparte, I sampled the city’s sinfully best macaroons.
CAFÉ CULTURE
The Left Bank is prime people watching territory so I grabbed a seat at Le Hibou, a trendy café in the Odeon district, ordered a vin rouge and watched the chic crowd of all ages, chatting, smiling, some with dogs and baby strollers in tow. One trip to the City of Light with the ever-stylish Parisians outfitted in fashionable hats, scarves and accessories does more for me than reading Vogue for a year. Many cafes have seats only facing out, for optimal viewing. The Parisians check you out, unabashedly from head to toe and make eye contact. They have not gotten the memo that staring at your cell phone is more interesting than looking at people.
With so many choices, where to go? Happily there’s a boundless array of brasseries, bistros, bars and cafes. I usually park myself at a scenic sidewalk table amid a colorful crowd and enjoy the spectacle. I’m especially fond of two of Paris’s most famous literary haunts. Les Deux Magots has been frequented by Oscar Wilde, Hemingway and James Joyce while the neighboring Café de Flore has hosted the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone du Beauvoir.
SEE
Nearby the estimable Musée d’Orsay houses a remarkable collection of French impressionists in the Belle Epoque train station turned museum. I could not resist the current exhibition, “Images of Prostitution” that displayed ladies of the night painted by Manet, Picasso, Lautrec and Van Gogh. Only in Paris!
From St. Germain-des Pres it’s a lovely walk to two small islands linked by bridges, which offer picturesque views all around. Ile de la Cité, anchored by Notre Dame, is where Paris began. After crossing the Pont Neuf, the city’s oldest bridge, I stopped at the magnificent gothic cathedral with its famed gargoyles, then made my way to the exclusive Ile St-Louis, dotted with private mansions and specialty shops, including the best ice cream in Paris at Maison Berthillon.
No trip is complete without my cherished Louvre. After a café and croissant I took a morning stroll from the gold-tipped obelisk at Place de la Concorde through the Tuileries Gardens to the renowned museum. I never tire of visiting its masterpieces: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid.
EAT
Hemingway described Paris as a movable feast. Here gastronomes find many extraordinary offerings amid the splendor of the city’s Palace Hotels. Eric Frechon’s 3 Michelin-starred Epicure inhabits the refined Le Bristol Hotel, whose ravishing interiors were the backdrop for the Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris.” In this fabulously French temple of haute cuisine, I started with a hedonistic dish of stuffed macaroni with black truffle, artichoke and duck foie gras, went on to perfect leeks in seaweed butter with oysters and lemon. The main course of whiting with almonds and spinach flavored with curry and pequillos pepper danced on my palate. This was followed by decadent chocolate in a cocoa pod with chocolate sorbet infused with lemongrass. I’ll never forget the parade of consummate professionals who staged a spectacular show attending to me!
Sophisticated and imperial, the Four Seasons George V, with resplendent floral displays throughout, houses acclaimed 2 Michelin-starred Le Cinq. This epicurean delight, oozing old world charm, is popular with locals and visitors alike. Dressed in grey and gold with views of the hotel’s courtyard, Christian Le Squer’s Restaurant offers a menu that draws on classic French culinary techniques embracing newer, lighter cooking styles with the freshest regional ingredients. Scallops with litchi and sea urchin was followed by a bliss inducing dish of spaghetti with lobster, truffles and cepe mushrooms, topped off with a delectable crunchy grapefruit sorbet dessert.
I made my way to the Hotel Plaza Athénée, the Grand Dame of swanky Avenue Montaigne and long a haunt of the fashionable and fabulous, for lunch at Le Relais. The charismatic and charming restaurant director, Werner Kuchler, a legend in his own right, regaled me with tales of the storied boite. Marlene Dietrich was a frequent guest. Her photo adorns the corridor along with those of Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Liz and Dick, to name a few. Marlene befriended the young Werner and frequently brought him her own home-cooked beef bourguignon in Tupperware.
I felt right at home in this chic and ever-popular art deco brasserie, a favorite of the cognoscenti and creative types. Chef Philippe Marc’s inventive cuisine included yummy cod with shellfish and chick peas in a flavorful green sauce, king crab with celery root and apples and heavenly lemon citrus mint sorbet. The last Wednesday of the month, the eatery transforms into a fun-filled musical soiree with Werner crooning standards to the accompaniment of piano or jazz band. The debonair Parisian sang a few bars of Je Ne Regrette Rien for me – with a voice soft as velvet.
THE MARVELOUS MARAIS
Sunday in Paris belongs to the Marais when it’s busiest, and unlike the rest of city, most of the stores are open. The Marais is cool. An eclectic crowd, from young bohemians to older bourgeois, is attracted to its artsy shops, hipster hangouts, edgy boutiques, trendy bars and cafes. Shopping enthusiasts like moi flock to ateliers of talented young designers as well as to the showroom of celebrated Martin Grant. The Marais is also the most famous Jewish neighborhood in Paris. In addition to artisanal pastries, chocolates, cheese and quiche, there’s hummus and baba ganoush to die for. (And no one gains weight here.)
I meandered the main streets and narrow medieval passageways against the backdrop of pre-revolutionary buildings, alighting at Paris’s prettiest square, the Place de Vosges. The author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame surely had beautiful views for inspiration. Victor Hugo’s home turned museum contains his original furniture, even his very inkwell. At the Black Gallery on the square I met personable owner Chantal Blumann. With adorable pooch Lulu by her side, she told me the fascinating story behind her collection of celebrity rock and roll photos of Jimmy Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Dr. John, to name a few.
STAY
In a city renowned for its exquisite aesthetic, luxurious lodgings are woven into the glorious fabric that is Paris. Steps from the Champs-Elysées, the Peninsula Hotel, which debuted August 2014 after a 4 year renovation, combines history, artistry, glamour and high tech wonders. It was here, in the former Majestic Hotel, that George Gershwin wrote “An American in Paris” during his stay in 1928, and the Paris Peace Accords ending the Vietnam War were brokered in 1973 in the salon that today is the oak-paneled Kléber Bar. Of course the Peninsula became an instant classic with a meticulous restoration of everything from the Belle Époque-style gilding to the trompe l’oeil frescoes. Cinzia Pasquali, who restored Leonardo da Vinci paintings at the Louvre, restored the ceiling paintings in the clubby Kléber Bar.
As soon as I stepped into the eye popping lobby adorned with a bespoke hand-blown Lasvit chandelier whose 800 crystal leaves nearly reach the floor, I knew I had entered the realm of the sublime. Schwartz & Meurer, who constructed the Eiffel Tower, created the ornate lobby staircase. My spacious sumptuously furnished suite with dark wood and posh modern décor contained an enormous walk-in closet, deep marble soaking tub, separate dressing area and digital tablet based room controls. From the open- air rooftop restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, I relished traditional French fare with spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower.
Regarded by many as the most exciting Paris hotel, Le Royal Monceau-Raffles is in a class of its own. Located on Avenue Hoche, it’s just minutes from the Arc de Triomphe. Luxury meets whimsy here to marvelous effect with fashion-forward interiors by Philippe Starck. My glamorous suite contained a lavish sofa, fantastical lamps and an acoustic guitar. With accommodations evoking the heady days of Paris in the 1930s it’s not surprising my very room induced a state of gaiety and joy. As an art lover, I was smitten with the hotel’s impressive art collection, the art-book shop, and the arty art concierge. And as a film aficionado, I was delighted to find out that Le Royal Monceau has its own 99 seat cinema.
Michelin starred Italian Il Carpaccio Restaurant known for using ultra-fresh products and traditional recipes, transported me to foodie heaven with their white truffle festival. Here, with views to the garden, I dined on beef carpaccio and truffles with extra virgin olive oil from Chef Roberto Rispoli’s grove in Sicily, then savored the most divine white truffle pasta ever. For dessert, pastry superstar Pierre Hermé created a creamy, perfect panna cotta. The extravagant tableside preparation was almost as thrilling as the magnificent meal.
The stunning Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, an exemplar of understated elegance, seamlessly blends contemporary architecture and classic design. This favorite of fashionistas occupies a coveted location on the prestigious Rue de la Paix, minutes from the Opéra Garnier and within walking distance of the Place Vendome and Paris’s most exclusive shops at Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay.
My custom-designed suite in gleaming walnut wood with cream and white hues offered a lovely oasis of comfort. I found my cozy in-room hammam and breakfasting amid the orchids and fireplace at Les Orchidées particularly pleasurable. Stylish and sensual, with original artworks throughout, this modern palace felt like my own Parisian luxury apartment – with all the amenities of a 5-star hotel. My guilty pleasure was lounging with an apéritif at fashionable Le Bar. Chef Jean-François Rouquette offers tasty innovative cuisine at Michelin-starred restaurant Le Pur. This is modern French gastronomy at its best amid a refined ambiance of soft hues and mahogany walls. Among the symphony of flavors I relished: scallops with sesame seeds and citruses, venison with red cabbage, gingerbread and chestnuts and addictive caramel chocolate cake.
One early evening I walked along the lamp post lined riverbank of the dreamy Seine and crossed the Pont Alexandre III bridge spectacularly decorated with cherubs, nymphs and gilt-bronze statues. As I glanced at this romantic snapshop, imprinting it indelibly in my memory, the Eiffel Tower suddenly lit up and sparkled. It was magical.
Watching the news since the Nov. 13 attacks, I see smiles slowly coming back to the spirited Parisians as they prepare the City of Light to be all decked out in her Christmas finery. As I think of my recent trip and those unforgettable sights, Oscar Hammerstein II’s lyrics come to mind: “The last time I saw Paris , Her heart was warm and gay. I heard the laughter of her heart, In every street café.” And I hear my own voice echoing, Edith Piaf’s in “La Vie en Rose”: “I love you Paris, always and forever.”
I cannot wait to return.
How To Go:
La Compagnie, an all business class boutique airline offering spacious seats with a lie flat pitch of 180° has daily flights between New York and Paris without the business class price tag.
Chabe, used exclusively by most of Paris’s top hotels, provides the utmost in ground transportation and seamless airport transfers. With their VIP meet and greet service, I was promptly picked up at my hotel by a driver and a company representative. He handled my check in, then accompanied me through security and stayed with me until I boarded my plane. It was fantastic – the only way to travel.
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