Paris General Tips by Radiomom

Favorite Thing: ...find neighborhoods where you feel almost like a local. On our first trip, purely by accident, we stayed in a fairly non-touristy part of town, about halfway between Bastille and Place de Republique. (1998 trip) The market that travels up-and-down Boulevard Richard Lenoir was gorgeous. I enjoyed just walking around 'our block' and buying necessities at the local bakery, pharmacy, film developer, and telling the lady who ran a tiny but immaculate meat market how lovely her store was arranged. How can I forget walking through the Marais and seeing teenage students as they rushed to start school in a truly ancient building,(muttering the same complaints as my son, no doubt.) One afternoon we saw a father with two little children, backpacks and all, balanced on a little motorscooter. Sure, we had to take the Metro to see the famous 'sights' but I can't imagine missing out on these simple glimpses of daily-life. (Click to enlarge the photo to catch the full image)

Fondest Memory: Our first night ever in Paris (1998), jet-lagged and leg-weary from walking, we stopped at a cafe that was open for early dinners. (We aren't usually the 'early-bird' kind of folks, but you can only stave-off that jet-lag for so long.) The special that evening was braised veal chops. As we were finishing off our meal, the owner's (?) German Shepherd came and sat nearby, gazing longingly as we sopped up gravy with our bread. We fed him the last few scraps, and he laid his head on my lap as if I was part of his 'family.' I couldn't tell you the name of the place -- it was not ancient nor new, or even it's location for sure other than it was on the right bank (we were headed back to our hotel from a stroll across the river and around Notre Dame). It was extremely inexpensive compared to some of the more well-known places we dined later in the week. But it was our first meal in Paris, and could not have been more perfect.

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Fondest Memory: ...Chestnuts in blossom...
I've heard it is a gamble to visit Paris in April, in spite of the old song's lyrics. But we truly lucked out this year (2002). Only one day when it seemed to be rainy and chilly, but we survived that easily! This picture is of those chestnuts in blossom, at Luxembourg Gardens.

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Fondest Memory: May is a terrific time to visit. It is finally warming up and bringing everyone out to enjoy many beautiful parks. The fountain in the Jardin de Tuilleries (bet I really blew the spelling?) was totally surrounded by locals and French tourists on this day. We heard little Englais on this trip. (Not a problem, rather refreshing)

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