29 Nights in the City of Light--The Highlights

The Travelers: A married 30-something couple (dangerously close to 40 something) with a 2 year old toddler in tow.

Previous Trips to Paris: 5 (all sans child)

The Dates: One month (February 9-March 11, 2009)

The Goal: Live like Parisians for a month. Wander, eat, drink, people watch and soak it all in.

With no set agenda and no ‘must sees’ or ‘must dos’ we simply wandered and explored. To our great benefit, our son surprised us by taking his nap in his stroller every day that we were there, which meant 2 to 2.5 hours of adult time for my husband and me. Occasionally we ventured into a museum, but more often than not we simply strolled or sat in a café for a glass of wine and leisurely lunch.

The Apartment: 39 Rue de Turenne. On the border of the 3rd/4th arrondisments, but technically in the 3rd; one block from Place des Vosges.
2 bedrooms
1 bathroom
750 square feet
Free Internet and Free phone calls to the U.S.
4th floor with lift
In the back of the courtyard, not facing Rue de Turenne.

After looking at approximately 150 apartments to rent all over the city, we settled on this one and could not have been more pleased with our decision. I eventually found it on vrbo. A very important factor in our decision was that the landlord has a 3 year old son and was willing to share their babysitter with us while we are there. Also, they had a portable crib that we used for our son’s bed, which eliminated an extra bag for us to bring.

I’ve always been a left bank girl, but am now a right bank convert. Honestly I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED our neighborhood. As I mentioned we were about one block from Place des Vosges and in the heart of all things Marais. Three parks for our little one were all within a block walk, we accessed the metro stops St. Paul and Bastille and Chenin Vert in 2 blocks each.

The Recommendations:

Restaurants

Café Baci-35 Rue de Turenne-Outstanding food and exceptionally elegant décor. Modern vibe, but subtle vintage details as well. Not cheap, but not over the top either. Crowd was trendy, lots of models and model types, but it was still a ‘comfortable’ vibe.

Le Tartine-A nice, friendly wine bar with decent food. Nice atmosphere and some of the most pleasant service in town.

Chez Janou 2, rue Roger Verlomme. Right down the street from Place des Vosges. A sunny 2 room bistro with good food and a quirky feel, somewhat loud, but I chalk it up to being lively. Service is a bit stiff and the latest reviews on trip advisor have not been great, but we had a lovely lunch there and enjoyed ourselves.

Bouillon Racine- 3, Rue Racine. The art noveau décor is beautiful and the food quite good. You fall back in time with the décor. The service was pleasant and the meal a good deal for 15 euro for a 3 course lunch. Close to Jardin du Luxembourg.

Market

Marche des Enfant Rouges-We got lunch from here at least 3 days per week and typically bought dinner provisions 2 times per week. A total gem and the oldest covered market in Paris. There is crepe and sandwich vendor that serves the most outstanding sandwich I’ve ever eaten. You’ll know the guy as there is only one such stand at this small market and he generally is wearing a hat and has Credence Clearwater Revival on his radio. To die for crepes and sandwiches. There was just something about the bread, meat and 20 or so spices that he seemed to put on the sandwich that just made them outstanding. There is also wonderful Moroccan food for a quick lunch a few other lunchtime vendors as well. I also bought several bottles of wine that I didn’t see anywhere else in Paris. Overall, a wonderfully non-tourist market experience.

Parks

Square du Temple -Grab your food from Marche des Enfant Rouge and head over to eat in this lovely park. We were frequent visitors and our son adored the climbing equipment and playground.

Square Leopold Achille-A quaint little park near the Picasso museum. Perfect for a little afternoon rest.

Des Blances Manteaux-Tucked away off busy shopping street Francs Bourgeois, this little park is popular with those who have just bought falafels on nearby Rue de Rosiers. Our son loved the church bells ringing and it became known as ‘the bell park’ for us.

Jardin Des Plantes-We found this park to be an exceptional spot for a sunny day. While not as ‘glamorous’ as the Jardin du Luxembourg, this park has a more quiet feel, but still equally impressive. My son loved the small zoo as well.

A big thank you to all the fodorites who offered advice, reviewed apartments and more, it was invaluable.

As we settle back in to our everyday life in Chicago, I can only hope to plan our next adventure soon. For now, reality calls.

I wrote a blog for family and friends while we were there that provides many more specifics; please feel free to let me know if you would like a link to it.

Happy Travels Everyone!