I can't land in Paris for my Birthday this year. Does anyone have any suggestion on how I could celebrate in the spirit of Paris?
 

I was thinking of going to a French restaurant. Any other ideas???

wear a beret all day

Smell? of Garlic?

Where do you live? Close to San Francisco? Las Vegas?

Let the hair in your armpits grow.<BR>Take a stroll in the park with a baguette under your arm.<BR>Eat the baguette with camembert and a glass of wine to top the day.

Presume you were hoping to land in Paris, France??? There are "other Parises" --- how about a birthday in Paris, Texas?<BR>

yesssss

Go to Montreal!

Thank you for all your cute ideas. Ronda: I live in Los Angeles. <BR>Any ideas for the evening? Because I work all day. But the beret will definitely be worn, in the office or not. All of your suggestions for travel sounds great but I can't travel this year because my mother is ill and I need to be close by.

Wear an Hermes scarf..very French<BR>Happy Birthday!

Listen to an Edith Piaf or Georges Brassens CD and have a Kir, or even better a Kir Royal!<BR>

Wear your beret, as mentioned, maybe a long black skirt and lacy top. Watch French movies, or at least movies with Paris as the setting ( I even like corny ones like the one with the twins whose grandfather is the ambassador, or the Natl Lampoon Europe one). Play some old French music in the background, dine with white tablecloth and small bouquet on the table, red wine, candles. Decorate with some posters or enlargements of your own Paris photos, peruse your photo albums. Greet everyone in your office with "Bonjour!" and "Ca va?", and leave with "au revoir!".

Avec champagne, bien sur! Or perhaps with a kir or kir royale instead. Definitely French food and wine, maybe even some cognac or calvados after your dessert....<BR><BR>You could rent some French films for entertainment after dinner, if you're able to stay awake to watch them. Listen to some French music while getting ready to go out, and/or in your car? <BR><BR>Wear a silk scarf tied around your neck, or on your handbag. Suggest that someone give you a new one from Hermes (or at least a knock-off.) Buy a book about Paris so that you can start dreaming about the trip you'll take when you're able (Paris to the Moon is a sweet memoir, if you haven't read it yet.)<BR><BR>Happy Birthday!

I don't know where you live, but if you are anyplace near Las Vegas go to the Paris Hotel and go up the Eiffel Tower, there is a restaurant there too. The whole place will put you in the mood for Paris (sort of, if you can really feel like Paris in 'Vegas!).

Oh Merci for the wonderful ideas! I am really getting a kick out of them. I will certainly use your ideas and I am sure I will have a memorable and very Bon Anniversaire!! Merci.

Other than croissants and cafe au lait for breakfast and French onion soup for lunch how about only speaking French all day? At least an attempt might be fun. Bon Anniversaire!!

Paris, Las Vegas?<BR><BR>French Canada - Quebec city, Montreal?

Darlene, I once read a suggestion to purchase a perfume when you arrive in Paris and only wear it during your trip. Once home and you wish to remember your trip, open and wear the perfume. Have you any perfume you purchased in Paris you could wear? Have any particular scents you associate with Paris? Many like lavendar. I'm sure there are lavendar candles, lavendar bath soaps, etc.<BR><BR>There are many small bistro style French restaurants in San Francisco. Doesn't LA have any? If you can't leave home (because of Mom), put on French music, light your candles, sip a French wine, splurge and buy some good French cheese, make a nice salad:<BR><BR>Salad:<BR>Butter lettuce, washed, separated<BR>sliced, peeled pear apples or pears<BR>crumbled goat cheese with herbs (Safeway)<BR>optional: red onion, croutons<BR>drizzle with a mild oil such as safflower (not olive oil)<BR>drizzle with champagne pear vinegar or your favorite vinegar (balsamic works), toss, sprinkle with black pepper<BR><BR>OK, next course?<BR>

Since you're in LA, I'd suggest dinner at Brasserie des Artistes in Beverly Hills for a French celebration. And then maybe stop and rent Amelie on the way home and share the sights of Paris with your mom. Happy Birthday!

Speaking of perfume; how about a trip to Sephora and/or a L'Occitane shop? You could stock up on lovely French cosmetics, soaps, fragrances or whatever else strikes your fancy, and use them all on your b-day!<BR><BR>Ooh la la....

I just remembered this website and thought it might give you some ideas, depending on your LA location: http://www.laokay.com/French.htm

Thank you so much for the suggestions. sightseer: I checked out the web site laokay.com and found Brasserie des Artistes, and it looks feasible,fun,and casual enough because I am planning to go with family, including a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old, mainly for dessert. (We'll be having dinner elsewhere). Also, Ronda: you are so thoughtful in your responses: Yes, although not perfume, I bought some vanilla toiletries from Paris, which I will wear with pleasure. Lesli: And recently I found a wonderful perfume locally made in Paris and I might just splurge and get it. AGM: It will be fun to speak Francais all day. Good practice. This posting has been a lot of fun for me. Oh, and by the way, a friend of mine surprised me last night and drove me to a french restaurant to start the celebrating, and also surprised me with my family there! It was nice to have left over crepes for lunch today. Thank you again and I'm sure I'll have a birthday magnifique!

Rent Leos Carax' Lovers on the Bridge, ideally on DVD, and find the fireworks-on-the Seine thing to watch over and over until it's time to go to sleep.

Is that the movie with Juliette Binochet? If so, it isn't appropriate for 2 and 3 year olds. I really liked it as it shows the gritty side of Paris and has great sceanery in it, but ... Well, it is about drug adicts who live on the bridge across the Siene.

The French dinner, Edith Piaf CD in the car (or Chevalier or Michel Legrand) and then rent CHARADE. Nothing takes me to Paris like CHARADE: Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy suit with Cary Grant strolling and cruising on the Seine.

Darlene,<BR><BR>I know your plans are all set for your birthday, but I live in Los Angeles as well, and if you are ever looking for French dining with a more Proven&ccedil;al flair, try Pastis on Beverly Blvd., near Crescent Hts. Every couple months they have a wine tasting dinner. It is a 5 course prix fixe menu for which a French winery provides a different wine for each course at no additional cost. You can also go in just for the tasting and forgo the meal! It's a lot of fun.