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August 30, 2007
Restaurants & Bistros in Paris
This is going to be very hard. No matter what anyone says, France is the true mecca for all foodies, and Paris is the capital of French cuisine. It's hard to truly plan out what restaurants I want to go to because there. are. just. too. many.
Anyway, I've started to make a dent. Here are some recommendations from Chowhound for restaurants (in the Parisian sense, rather than bistros) to get us started:
- Chowhound thread: The one place I "must" eat in Paris
- Chowhound thread: Our seven nights of dining in Paris
- Chowhound thread: Chez L'Ami Jean or Aux Lyonnais
- Chowhound thread: Narrowing down the list again
- Chowhound Thread: What do you think of my 'food itinerary'?
The Chowhound boards are filled with recommendations, and if you're so inclined, take a moment to look up those things you're interested in. A few more links:
- Paris Guide to Cheap Eats
- An interactive map/guide to local bistros recommended by Parisians
Chowhound also has some excellent tips for eating out in Paris:
- Info about cheese courses
- Tips on ordering aperitifs
- Dinner attire
# Posted by Nicola | Comments (378)
August 29, 2007
Renting Bikes in Paris
Paris' new bike rental program has caused quite a stir, and I have to say, after renting bikes in Amsterdam, it really is a great way to travel around town. If you're curious about it, you should know the details, and here they are:
- NY Times: A New French Revolution’s Creed: Let Them Ride Bikes
- Offical Vélib site (with Google Translate)
- The Scoop on Vélib
- Roue Libre Bike Rentals - seems to be a different option sponsored by RATP, the company that runs Paris' Metro.
And in case you were wondering is there are enough stations to make this work, here's a screenshot of a map of all their stations:
# Posted by Nicola | Comments (2544)
Sleepless Night 2007
Apparently, a big art festival will be taking place in Paris on the night of October 6th, called Nuit Blanche (literally translated at "White Night," but more appropriately translated as "Sleepless Night). It seems that from 7PM to 7AM the next day, lots of Museums and cultural institutions are open all night, along with bars, cafes and the Metro.
I haven't been able to find a lot of information about it translated into English, but apparently, the official site says the full program will be available at the beginning on September. The events are all supposed to be near the Metro line 14 (Saint-Lazare Station - Olympiads, new station open to the south of the capital), so you can get to events and installations easily. However, some sites did note that there are often long lines at popular free events, so you may want to avoid the whole thing altogether, if that's your style.
Links:
Fodor's 'Hot List' for Paris Events
More information from Nozio (apparently some sort of travel site)
The Official Site for Nuit Blanche 2007 (en francais)
# Posted by Nicola | Comments (518)