mizilene - This may just be possible.
Take a boatride on the Canal St.Martin either from Quai de la Loire (Metro Jaures) or the other direction from Port de l'Arsenal.

The boat we travelled on had mostly seats under cover and no-one would pay you any attention if you quietly munched on a baguette and discreetly drank from paper/plastic cups.

This trip may not be running in December. If not maybe just picnic on one of the other excursion boats.

No, I didn't think you were a Clampitt; I just couldn't figure out what you meant, and I am still trying to think where one might go indoors in the US/UK for a winter picnic. I understand that you aren't just trying to grab a sandwich under the table but have something special to eat.

Certainly in Paris, even some of the places I have had delightful outdoor picnics (garden at Rodin Museum, for example) were technically not, I think, legal picnic spots even though people do eat sandwiches there.

If you are lucky, it won't be all that cold, and you can have a nice picnic in a park, perfectly possible if the temperature is in the 50's F, especially with a nice bottle of red wine to warm the innards.

I noticed that you mentioned you were staying in an apt.I dont think (given it will be December) that brown bagging it will be possible. If your apt in central you can easily plan to return for a quick lunch. A bowl of soup takes no time to prepare and you maybe thankful for a bit of downtime in the middle of the day.

Hi there mizilene,
What about a table 'outside' or near-outside (by the window inside) at the casual cafe/restaurant located in the gardens at Rodins museum.
The museum and/or restaurant may not be open in December though.
Bon appetite in Paris though .... kjay

Maybe this would be a time to try the dinner cruise on the Seine..since you're looking for a different venue.

Hello M,
I believe I know what you mean.
In NYC we found an enclosed solarium that seems to be made expressly for picnics. It is across the street from the Sony Wonder Theatre.

On a rainy day in Paris I remember wishing that I knew where something similar could be found. We ended up eating in the Orsay's cafeteria.

Also did the sandwich thing in Bercy station waiting for a night train to Venice. Not much fun so I'm interested to hear Fodorites suggestions for next trip to Paris.

If you just want to buy a sandwich and eat it somewhere, you could do that in a train station, as noted. However, lots of places that sell take-away sandwiches may have a small area where you could eat it, anyway.

You really aren't going to save any money versus eating at one of the cheap places that sell sandwiches. Some of them have tables for customers, like Paul, Brioche Doree (I think that's the one, they have a large store with lots of tables on Champs-Elysees). The Louvre has a cheap food court, anyway, so I don't understand why you'd need to bring in your own food to eat at those establishment's tables. You could just buy it there and not carry around food with you all day. I'm sure you probably could bring in your own food and sit there and maybe no one would notice, but I don't see the reason for doing that. Other than train stations, I can't think of any "public" picnic area for people that isn't a park. The concept just doesn't compute as people don't have picnics inside or in the winter, so a city wouldn't build such a thing.

2) Aligot is always available at Chez Flottes, on rue Cambon, across the street from Metro Concorde.

bkmk for restaurants.

There are vending machines on the Batobus, no? So perhaps nobody would mind if you munched your picnic food while floating down the Seine?

The picninc question is a super question, and it seems some good options are coming up, as people are using their creativity and knowledge.

I don't understand why people keep advicing to go to the hotelroom for lunch:)

I hope more people take some extra time to puzzle the little gray ones. I love this post:)