The Paris Traveler

If you want to go to a great party while you’re in Paris, then the Quai Saint-Bernard is the place to go! Every year while the weather is warm, the Tino Rossi Square turns into a free dance for all.
It started around twelve years ago. I remember walking along the quay with a friend of mine, when we saw a group of about ten to twelve people mingling around. Someone turned on a cassette player and wonderful latin music began to play. Before we knew it, everyone started dancing and I don’t mean just moving your arms and legs; I mean like real ballroom …read more

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And I don’t mean Paris Hilton!  Just about everyone who goes to Paris goes up to the top of the Eiffel Tower for its spectacular view.
Well this is my list of other great places that you should definitely go to the top of for a fantastic view. (These are in no particular order; they’re all great for one reason or another!) Yes, I’ll include the Eiffel Tower because if I don’t, someone will be sure to say, “Where’s the Eiffel Tower?”
The top 10 are:
 1.     Eiffel Tower
 2.     Arc of Triumph
 3.     Notre-Dame Cathedral
 4.     Grande Arche de la Defense
 5.     Pompidou Center *
 6.     Galeries Lafayette
 7.     Institut …read more

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One of my favorite places in Paris is the Place Saint-Sulpice. This little square neatly tucked away is right smack in the middle of the Latin Quarter, just a few hundred yards from the Luxembourg Gardins in one direction and Saint-Germain-des-Près and the famous café, Les Deux Magots in the other. For some reason, many tourists seemed to entirely miss this beautiful square.
Believe me, I didn’t mind.  It was my quartier where I would sit on a bench under the trees around sunset, and watch the neighborhood children skate around the fountain, or observe other locals taking an evening stroll. It was the simple …read more

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Walking the streets of Paris is one of the pleasures of being in this beautiful city. The French have a word for this wandering aimlessly with no particular destination in mind; it’s called “flâner”. One fun thing to do while you’re taking a stroll through the streets of Paris is to keep your eyes open for Mr. Chat. He’s this wonderful fat yellow cat that appears in some of the most out of the way places imaginable.
This chubby feline with an infectious Cheshire smile began to mysteriously appear on walls in Orléans around 2001 and soon afterwards in Paris. Mr. …read more

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Pick up a Pariscope at any kiosk while you’re in the City of Lights.  The price is very reasonable at 0.4 €.  This weekly magazine tells you everything that’s happening in Paris for the week. It comes out every Wednesday and lists restaurants, art exhibits, theatres, clubs, cinémas, concerts, Paris by night, and much more.  Prices and times for all events are also included. 
You can even find freebies listed.  Free concerts or recitals, and even free shows that you can see now and again at Radio France.  I’ve attended several of these presentations which are fun; and it’s interesting to watch …read more

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Do you love to roller skate? Well you won’t be alone if you decide to join “le Friday Night Fever” in Paris.  Come rain or clear skies you can skate along with as many as ten to twenty thousand (yes, you read right!) other skaters who meet each Friday night to go roller skating throughout the streets of Paris on a three hour long journey.
It’s a wonderful way of meeting different people, or meeting up with those you met on an earlier excursion. People young and old, families, couples, just about anyone and everyone who loves to skate joins in …read more

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