Has anyone used Terrance Gelenter's "Paris Through Expatriate Eyes" online membership or taken any of his tours?
 

In today's San Francisco Chronicle, there is an admiring article about Terrance Gelenter, an American who lives part time in Paris and the SF Bay Area, and his insider's knowledge of Paris. I went to his website http://www.paris-expat.com, which offers everything from a Paris Survival Kit for $50 which has various 15% restaurant discounts, a French phrase book, etc. You can take a Flaneur tour with Mr. Gelenter for 200 euros per person. I did a search of his name on the Fodor's Forum and came up empty.
I saw links for potential advertising on the site, and part of the Survival Kit is a Galeries Lafayette discount card, which I know is available to anyone who shows a foreign passport at the Information desk (also at Au Printemps). I am a bit skeptical, and would like feedback if there is any about Mr. Gelenter and his projects. He's endorsed by Diane Johnson, writer of "La Divorce", and sponsors Francophile gatherings in San Francisco, with a $40 membership option which gives you a $5 discount at San Francisco "Literary Salons".

On a trip with Terrance Gelenter you will learn much more about him than about Paris. He is a self-promoting people collector and a testimony to the kindness of people when asked for something (such as an endorsement). I do believe people see that others have endorsed him, and there is a cumulative effect.

A friend signed me up for his newsletter, but I cancelled quickly. In his Paris par Hasard, he writes of his adventures in Paris, usually involving the women who are chasing him, and I felt I had wandered into a high school boys' locker room.

I'm sure a tour with him wouldn't be horrible -- you are in Paris, after all, but I don't know what he offers that you couldn't get with a lot less trouble and for less money.

Are you thinking of taking that expensive tour in Paris? Other than that, I wouldn't buy any products from him and what Diane Johnson thinks is irrelevant to me (or negative as I don't think she's a very good writer). I wouldn't ever pay that much for a tour like that anywhere, but if you have that kind of money, it might be fine for someone who doesn't know Paris at all. It's clearly for that kind of person as it covers the obvious. He does have some 22 euro cocktail dinner thing at his Paris residence which sounds like something I would be willing to do for the heck of it, if I weren't busy. I think he's copying that other guy who does the same thing, charges tourists 20 euro to show up for dinner (I forget his name, on the Left Bank). The website says that Flaneur tour is 250 euro, not 200. It is six hours, although it appears lunch is not included and so maybe he just says you are on your own for lunch, see you in one hour. So then the tour would be about 50 euro per hour.

That is pretty expensive, but I just never spend that kind of money on a city walk tour, only on excursions for the day outside a city (and then I wouldn't spend 250 euro). YOu can compare fees to basic city tours by Parisvision, for example. I know Paris Walks ones are cheap but can be very crowded. 250 euro is just a very steep price for a group tour, so you have to really think he is doing something special.

"you will learn much more about him than about Paris" - we had a guide like that on the Amalfi Coast but at least our 100E got us a delightful four hour drive along the water in a Mercedes. The man did chatter on tho - at one point he told us he knew Americans liked chatty guides. Our favorite nugget was when he pointed out the euneche aspects of the drive - oh make that UNIQUE!

If you Google TG, you find nothing except his own self-promotion -- he is a name dropper, loves to bask in the trails of others, and is a non-stop talker about little other than himself and women. Unless you are a very needy woman and willing to pay (and pay a high price) for a so-called "tour," undoubtedly full of flattery and hand kissing, I would skip this one. He is a "gopher" for writers when they're in town and charges a little on the side for what little he provides -- until you can find anything substantive or of value that he has done, I would certainly use my better judgment and skip this one. I think if you read between the lines you can see what you're getting, just a lot of "talk" and little else. If you have some need to go, however, I'd suggest talking along a roll of duct tape -- at least you could enjoy a more quiet experience!