benitakaren

I am taking my 14 year old son to Paris in April. Does anyone know which would be more interesting: City of Sciences and Industry or Arts et Metiers. I will be taking him to all the major sites but want to include some extra visits that would especially appeal to him. He loves anything mechanical. Thank you for your help.

missypie

Not mechanical, but my son loved the Egyptian section of the Louvre. Also, all of my kids loved anything that could be climbed to the top of and looked out of. Also, the chwarmas you buy on the street in the Latin Quarter were a big hit because they are huge. We also all became adicted to Orangina.

ira

Hi B,

Arts et Metiers has a lot of old stuff. The Cite' is more modern.

You can find out more if you google each of them.

I would go the A&M, but I'm not 14.

julia_t

I remembered Famous Uncle Art posting a while back about the Arts et Metiers, so I entered those words in the search box here. Up came many results, and I copy here just one post I read from PalQ, and I'm sure he won't mind:

Author: PalQ
Date: 11/12/2004, 12:53 pm
Well not an art museum but i love the Arts-et-Metiers museum not far from the Pompidor Center. This science or engineering museum showcases scientific and mechanical inventions from French history - pendulums, machines, old bikes, scientific apparati, vehicles, etc. Definitely a special interest place.

So try searching here for both museums, and you'll get lots more information that may be of help to you.

benitakaren

Missypie:

What is a chwarma?

missypie

It's a gyro. Meat in a pita, with either fries or salad added. They tend to be huge, which 14 year old boys tend to like.

julia_t

And I found this thread from a 14 year old boy asking about alternative museums....

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...&tid=57196

Have a great trip.

lobo_mau

shoarma? a typical bread of the midlle east. Probably the style of bread Jesus cut and delivered to his followers during the last supper.

lobo_mau

Yes, I was not very accurate. Let me rephrase: it's a midlle east sandwich. It was cecoming popular in Germany and other european countries by Turkish communities. It's delicious. There is plenty of offer in Les Hales area and Pompidou center.

benitakaren

Thank you for all the information. I think that the Arts et Metiers would best suit him. As an older mother, I am starting to get worried that I will not be able to keep up with him so am trying to think of things to do where I can sit occasionally.

cheryllj

14 year old boy? I think the underground Sewers tour might be of interest. There are also the Catacombes with all those piles of old bones, which would probably appeal to a lot of boys his age. Creepy but interesting, but not for the claustrophobic.

http://triggur.org/cata/

sheila

There is a private museum at Bercy
called the Musee de l'Art Forain- the fun fair museum. I can't seem to find a web site for it, but there are references to it on the web, and I seem to recall it as referred to in the Rough Guide.

AnthonyGA

The Cité des Sciences at La Villette is interesting if he likes science and technology—lots of hands-on exhibits and cool stuff. The Palais de la Découverte is similar, and also has more live demonstrations (cryogenics, radioactivity, electricity, lightning, etc.), but it's strictly in French, whereas the Cité des Sciences has a lot of stuff with signs in French and English.

Kate_W

Too bad you won't be arriving until April. The Institut de Monde Arabe has a great exhibition on the Islamic World's Golden Age of Science (which coincided, more or less with what is considered the "Dark Age" in Europe). There is, however, a small permanent exhibition at the Institut that focuses on science. Given that you'll miss the special exhibition, the Institut probably isn't a "must-see" but if you have some time, it's worth exploring. The building itself is very interesting and there is a great view from its top floor restaurant north over the Seine. Expensive for dinner, but lunch might be worth it.

yeadonite

julia_t,
This is the post on Arts et Metiers, I don't know if it will help benitakaren:

During my Metro travels, I would pass the stop called Arts et Metier,and the stop itself was intriquing. It was built to look like a submarine hull, a bronze metallic sheen with large portholes placed here and there. It was enough for someone to feel a bit claustaphobic.

I knew what Art means, but Metier? could it be about subs?.. I looked up Metier in my handy dandy French American Book and it means trade, profession, craft, occupation and the like. It didn't grab me. I put it into a file I have in my mind called Gotta See What It's All About Sometime Soon As I Get Around To It But No Big Deal.

Later I saw a poster advertising a special exhibit of the building of the Statue of Liberty at the Arts et Metier museum. I thought it would be interesting and I went there. The building looked very small and was nestled next to St Martin des Champs, which was found in the 11th century, an impressive church. I went in, paid two fares, one for the exhibit and one for the musee. Okay!

The Lady With A Torch was built by August Barthold and paid for by both the French and American people, and it was difficult to build. The exhibited clearly shows that photos I've not seen before. One example, was he constructed a replica in a small village, Plaine Mongeau in 1884. In the photograph, which has a great deal of detail, the statue towers over this village, and in a corner one can see a blur of people or persons viewing the statue.The image of them were blurred since they moved when the long exposure was made. If you've seen the Statute, you'll understand that the statute towers over the whole village. It must have been a sight and I got the feeling the villagers were walking away from the monster!

There a dupicate of her thumb in the exhibit which is huge and displayed just so we could get the size, and a model of her face which illustrated how she was modeled and scuplted. All the information about the work and effort to build it was in French. I know, I know, it is a French museum but since Americans might be interested in it, they could have a hand out in English. Never mind, I knew enough about it to overcome my language skills.....or lack of them.

It was over and I decided I would see the rest of the museum. There was a game show, I dont remember the name, but the emmcee would say something like "Name as many Things That Work!" And that's what this wonderful place was,an answer to that question. I expected more from the Liberty statue and nothing from the rest of the museum. I was wrong, it was opposite!

It was wonderful, a combination of the Ben Franklin Science Museum in Phildelphia and one I saw in London about how steam engines evolved. Arts et Metier goes into how most things were built or evolved over time. I pondered over using the word "things" to describe them since it didn't catch the scope of this place. "Things" belittle it,

I am glancing at my notebook and will share some of the 'things', the astrolab 1569 by Arenius wich measured the height of the sun on the horizon and marking the time and place. The task of location on the seas wast the beginning of the exhibit.

The museum points out that many of this 'things' were prompted by commerce or going after the buck, the france, the shilling and the yen. Solving the navigation problems was started by the shipowners and insurance companies.

Even if the idea doesn't appeal to you, the sheer delight one must feel when they see how the beginnings of travel lead to the plane, the train and our old stand bye the car. This isnt done with illustrations, they have the real 'things'. From the magic lantern to modern motion picture projectors. I never knew that Gaumont had a sound sync devised in 1910! Just one fascinating detail after another.

There is throughout the huge building tracks embedded in the floor to bring structures that are heavy and difficult to move. Like a huge professional loom. It is part of the development of looms moving from the women weaving at home to these 'computerized' commercial versions.

I was also struck how man was developing devices to calculate prices, inventory etc,some of the methods and machinery were ingenious.All precusors to the commputer There is an example which the public can use of an ancient attempt to compute. When I saw it there were a group of children and their parents learning how to compute it. They were mostly boys of the video games age and were in awe of this machine which, incidentally, wasnt as easy as a modern hand held computer.

There were no real planes but real locomotive (There is one at the Ben Franklin a engine as kids could operate). There were wonderful real cars. Our own Model T Ford was there next to a Peugout (sp),bikes galore, old tv sets ( I had forgotten how small they were) irons, and gosh and gee just about everything.

Speaking of Franklin, the new Nicholas Gage film in which he goes on a treasure hunt using the Declaration of Independance, titled the film as ' Ben Gates, etc'. His name in the film is Benjamin Franklin Gates. Did the producers think that the French wouldnt recognize Franklin? Come on, there are probably distant great, great, great grand children of his running around in Paris. Shame on the producers.

There is, for me, smething exciting about seeing how modern progress evolved from the simple to the most complex step by step using the knowledge of the time and adapting,improving. This is the only place Ive seen that so clearly outlined. Come to Paris, see the Louvre and the like but also the Arts et Metier.

benitakaren

Yeadonite:

Thank you for the informative post for Arts et Metiers. I have shown it to my son to, hopefully, peek his interest in this museum. It sounds like an interesting visit for all ages.

risab

shwarma is an NYC way to spell it

FainaAgain

They sell sh'warma in a pita as a sandwich in Paris? Interesting!!

Actutually sh'warma is a specially prepared meat. Originally lamb, but can be anything.

FainaAgain

Opps let me take it back It can't be pork as muslims and jews don't consume pork.