Montmartre/Sacré-Coeur in the morning or the evening?
Aug 6th, 2023, 09:27 PM
#42
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I have to add my experience of eating at a restaurant on the east side of Place du Tertre, don't remember the name of the restaurant. Normally, I like to eat the local food, but they had a hot dog on the menu that just sounded do good. Yes, a hot dog! I know, it sounds ridiculous! But it was two hot dogs served on a long baguette with melted cheese on top. It was so delicious! And I figured that it being served on a baguette made it French. 😀 It was so good that I had it again when I was there a year later. Don't know if that restaurant is still there, as I'm talking 2002 and 2003!
Aug 7th, 2023, 06:29 AM
#45
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I have to add my experience of eating at a restaurant on the east side of Place du Tertre, don't remember the name of the restaurant. Normally, I like to eat the local food, but they had a hot dog on the menu that just sounded do good. Yes, a hot dog! I know, it sounds ridiculous! But it was two hot dogs served on a long baguette with melted cheese on top. It was so delicious! And I figured that it being served on a baguette made it French. 😀 It was so good that I had it again when I was there a year later. Don't know if that restaurant is still there, as I'm talking 2002 and 2003!
Personally, I think French Onion Soup is light years better in the US. Although it is a staple of French restaurants in the US, you will rarely find it in restaurants in France aside from places that cater to tourists.
Aug 7th, 2023, 04:26 PM
#46
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oh ... I have a side question...
Nominations for the best place for Pizza?
I stopped in at a pizza place along the champs elysees many years ago and came to the conclusion that the French/Parisians really know how to make good pizzas. Keen for any recommendations. I'm also staying in the 2nd Arr if that helps at Rue Saint-Sauveur in the district of Bonne-Nouvellein case anyone knows a place super close to there
Nominations for the best place for Pizza?
I stopped in at a pizza place along the champs elysees many years ago and came to the conclusion that the French/Parisians really know how to make good pizzas. Keen for any recommendations. I'm also staying in the 2nd Arr if that helps at Rue Saint-Sauveur in the district of Bonne-Nouvellein case anyone knows a place super close to there
Aug 7th, 2023, 05:51 PM
#47
But while we're on this topic, I am planning on dinner at the Eiffel Tower. I know I can get better hoity toity food elsewhere but for 2 things - (1) I don't know where, and (2) I mean its dinner on the Eiffel Tower - location location location right??? If anyone wants to talk me out of this plan then I haven't booked it yet. Planning on level 1 restaurant.
I wanted daylight so I could see more than just lights at night.
Aug 7th, 2023, 05:51 PM
#48
Aug 8th, 2023, 05:47 AM
#50
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I appreciate the rec, but I can get very good onion soup at dozens of places where I live in the US. Even if I don't want to put any effort to go to a good place. For a French restaurant in the US, it's the MDR baby, Minimum Daily Requirement. Having it in Paris is no better, and often worse.
I get a lot of questions from visitors to Paris about French onion soup because they know little about French cuisine except for the Cliff Notes version commonly found in the US, and they assume it's a staple that must be better in France. The fact is that it is a Winter dish that the French would not have in Summer and even then rarely available in restaurants other than for tourists.
But many travelers don't really want to learn beyond what they already know. I get that.
I get a lot of questions from visitors to Paris about French onion soup because they know little about French cuisine except for the Cliff Notes version commonly found in the US, and they assume it's a staple that must be better in France. The fact is that it is a Winter dish that the French would not have in Summer and even then rarely available in restaurants other than for tourists.
But many travelers don't really want to learn beyond what they already know. I get that.
Aug 8th, 2023, 06:13 AM
#51
You are welcome!
We ended up being a bit tipsy and hung out in the lounge for a while after lunch, drinking coffee and enjoying the view some more. One of my favorite days in Paris ever.
There's a new Hilton overlooking the ET with a rooftop view. It may be nice for seeing the lights at night.
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/par...cadero/dining/
I've not stayed there (yet) but I have reservations!
We ended up being a bit tipsy and hung out in the lounge for a while after lunch, drinking coffee and enjoying the view some more. One of my favorite days in Paris ever.
There's a new Hilton overlooking the ET with a rooftop view. It may be nice for seeing the lights at night.
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/par...cadero/dining/
I've not stayed there (yet) but I have reservations!
Aug 8th, 2023, 05:13 PM
#53
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I am in Washington, DC. Specifically Arlington, VA. If you look on a map, DC and Arlington form an almost perfect diamond, 10 miles squared. The capital was supposed to be on both sides of the Potomac, with the river flowing through the middle just as the Seine does in Paris. DC was designed Pierre L'Enfant.
But George Washington and other business interests were getting ready to build a canal on the Virginia side of the Potomac to compete with the C&O Canal in Maryland, so they took back the donation of the land. Soon after, the railroad cam along and the canal was never finished. You can still see remnants of the old canal along the Potomac.
But George Washington and other business interests were getting ready to build a canal on the Virginia side of the Potomac to compete with the C&O Canal in Maryland, so they took back the donation of the land. Soon after, the railroad cam along and the canal was never finished. You can still see remnants of the old canal along the Potomac.
Aug 21st, 2023, 09:13 AM
#55
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I prefer Montmartre in the morning :
- less tourists
- a charming atmosphere
- less risk of meeting thieves than at night. They tend to target touristic area like Montmartre and they still sleep in the morning...
- less tourists
- a charming atmosphere
- less risk of meeting thieves than at night. They tend to target touristic area like Montmartre and they still sleep in the morning...
Aug 21st, 2023, 02:59 PM
#57
Can you quote me referring to you or your recommendations, shelemm? I'd like to see that.
I think there are plenty of anonymous reasonable places in Montmartre without choosing a tourist trap. I don't know why people always need to recognize the name of a place. If I were to eat in Montmartre (which I won't since it is only 5 minutes from home), I check the menu, the prices, the way the place looks, what is in people's plates if there are any customers visible from the street, how close it is to specific tourist sights. I do not take into consideration whether a place is full or empty because I am not a lemming. And I do not consult Trip Advisor in either English or French. French posters tend to be snarky and disparaging about the smallest details. English language posters love things too easily and then criticize the lighting in the restroom or the noise the kitchen door makes.
I am in Hanoi at the moment and have made no bad restaurant choices, just using my usual criteria which works just about everywhere I travel.
I think there are plenty of anonymous reasonable places in Montmartre without choosing a tourist trap. I don't know why people always need to recognize the name of a place. If I were to eat in Montmartre (which I won't since it is only 5 minutes from home), I check the menu, the prices, the way the place looks, what is in people's plates if there are any customers visible from the street, how close it is to specific tourist sights. I do not take into consideration whether a place is full or empty because I am not a lemming. And I do not consult Trip Advisor in either English or French. French posters tend to be snarky and disparaging about the smallest details. English language posters love things too easily and then criticize the lighting in the restroom or the noise the kitchen door makes.
I am in Hanoi at the moment and have made no bad restaurant choices, just using my usual criteria which works just about everywhere I travel.
Don't even mind "familiar" food (guilty, especially around breakfast after a few weeks in an Asian country). As long as I haven't flown 30 hours to end eating something that reminds me of pub food. (The Aussie chicken parma surely must be a one-time joke that went over everyone's head) Ideally, we'll find a nice bowl of the famous French onion soup or the frog legs my daughter hopes to try. (Recommendations?)
Hope you had or are still having a great time in Hanoi. Without a doubt, my favourite city anywhere. You've probably already found the bun cha.
Sep 6th, 2023, 03:27 AM
#58
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You may be got your answer by now, Still I wanted to give my opinion. In the morning, you can experience the basilica and the Montmartre neighborhood in a quieter and more peaceful atmosphere but Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur Basilica are beautifully illuminated at night, creating a magical and romantic atmosphere. I personally prefer night
