Paris cafe crawl: suggestions please
 

A group of 6 of us are planning a rather unique celebration of my husband's 60th birthday--a toast to him in each of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, his favorite city. I've developed a plan to do this pretty easily (only 8 stops or so) by scheduling several of our stops where 3 or 4 arrondissements intersect. We know places in the more widely touristed areas but aren't so familiar with some areas. Here's a list of places I could use your help on. If you're familiar with any of them and can suggest a specific bar, cafe, etc. where we can/should stop for drinks (wine, beer, coffee, even water--we'll have to pace ourselves) please give us those susggestions. <BR><BR>16th Mirabeau metro stop/Place de Barcelona<BR>15th Javal/Balard stops or Charles Michels stop <BR>13/14th Rue de la Sante, need to drink on both sides of the street<BR>11/12th on Place de la Bastille, both sides of Rue du Faubourg St. Antoine<BR>10,19, 20th at Belleville metro stop--all four corners<BR>8,9, 17, 18th Place de Clichy metro stop--all four corners<BR><BR>We think this should be a fun and memorable way to mark a birthday and get us to some areas of Paris we've not explored before. If yours is a selected suggestion, we'll include you in our toast at that spot. Thanks for your help.

Gosh, I really was hoping to get some replies on this. Any Paris experts out there who can help?

Julie,<BR>I don't know Paris well enough to help you, but I think it is a great idea.<BR>Are you going to do this in one day?<BR>Cheers & Sant&eacute;!

Julie, what a great idea! Maybe if you change the "trailer" on your posting to reflect the purpose of your query more people will respond. I have used suggestions of yours in 2 trips to Paris--thank you! I hope you & your husband have a wonderful, memorable celebration! Please give us a report when you return.

And Cheers to you, cheers. Yes, the plan is to start bright and early and hit all 20 arrondissements on the day of his birthday winding up at Chez Vong in the 1st, his favorite Chinese restaurant in Paris and in his known world.

well, I can give you one, anyway. I know a few of these stops and I think the problem is by focusing on major intersections and streets that divide arrondisements, there aren't a lot of good cafes there.<BR><BR>For the 15th, at place Charles-Michel (I don't know the Javal and Balard metro stops that well, but don't think they are as convenient or neighborhood-y as the smaller Charles Michels) -- there is only one cafe there that I can think of, and it should be okay. It's right on the edge of the place facing the intersection, the metro stop is right next to it (of course, the metro has several entrances, this would be the one probably with the name as exit rue Saint-Charles).. that is the cafe Le Linnois. It's a medium-size, very downhome typical neighborhood-y cafe, nothing glamorous. It is on the SE corner of that place. There is also some sort of place directly across the place from it (NW corner) but that appeals to teens, early 20s and is not an older typical cafe. So, I'd say Le Linnois.<BR><BR>As for your mention of rue de la Sante, I kind of know that area fairly well and I don't think there are any on the street, at least it's not a good bet. That's just kind of a big street for driving and there are a lot of hospitals and institutions along it, it's not a cafe-type street. I know the bottom of it best and can't think of one down there. There are a lot of good brasseries and cafes along bd de Port Royal at the top of that quartier, but that would be the 5th arrondisement, not the 13th.<BR><BR>Good luck on this -- one thing you can usually count on is that there are cafes around all metro stops. Are you going to have 20 drinks?

Around Charles Michels, you could go to either the Linnois as Christina suggested or the one diagonally opposite, next door to the Pizza du Theatre (forget the name but it has a railroad theme), which ever one has the sun when you get there. For place du Clicy try the Brasserie Wepler and Brasserie Charlot. This sounds like fun!

Thanks for the replies. cindi, for your kind words and Christina and francesca for your suggestions. To answer your question Christina, we plan to drink something in each arrondissement, but since we'll have to pace ourselves it might not always be an alchohol libation, e.g. we start in the fifth with coffee for breakfast, then cross the street to the 6th where we'll have oj or other morning breakfast drinks (though there will be those who might even do a quick snort of wine even then). Some of us will need an expresso at a stop or two and others will have a perrier or orangina but I'd guess that almost everywhere several among the group (but hopefully not always the same ones) will fancy a wine or beer for our toast. I hope Le Linnois is open when we get there so besides toasting my husband we can toast you and francesca since you both suggested we stop there. We'll be doing this on a Tuesday and I routed us to this area because the St. Charles market will be open so I'm thinking there's a good chance that places around it will be open also. Am I right that the French for happy birthday is Bonne Anniversaire? Merci.

Julie, these cafes are not in the exact locations requested but they may be of some help...<BR><BR>In the 20th, I can recommend Le Saint Amour (2, ave. Gambetta at blvd. de Menilmontant) at metro stop Pere Lachaise. Across the street on Menilmontant at rue du Chemin Vert (in the 11th), I recall seeing another nice looking cafe - sorry, I don't recall the name. <BR><BR>In the 16th, I can recommend a lovely place for tea and dessert. Its called Carette Salon du The - located at Place du Trocadero. <BR><BR>What a great idea - I hope that you'll let us know how it goes! And to your husband, Bon Anniversaire!

Paula, thanks. I hadn't thought of Saint Amour and that would be swell. If we get there near lunch I can get a side of aligote, that wonderful potato, cheese garlic concoction I've become hooked on. Great idea.

yes, happy birthday can be "bon anniversaire" (that word anniversaire is masculine, you maybe are used to seeing bonne annee). You also see cards with "joyeux anniversaire" quite a bit, it seems to me, perhaps more than the other. I think in Canada they may say just "bonne fete".<BR><BR>I guess that place I was thinking of as younger is what Francesca says has a railroad theme -- it had some theme, I do remember that, and it just seemed like a lot of younger clientele (maybe they were playing loud music of some kind, I don't recall). Well, they are not far apart, so you can decide, but the Linnois is right at the metro stop so convenient. It's open about all the time, it seemed to me when I was staying in that area, I think it's usually open when other places are closed (Bastille Day it was open, as I recall), although it may close a little earlier than some cafes in nightlife areas.<BR><BR>I'm not sure what you are calling the St Charles market. If they have a street market, I guess I missed it (I had an apt there about a month and always used that metro stop and shopped on that street) -- there are lots of small food shops along rue Saint-Charles, that might be what would be called a market (similar to rue de Buci, although not as many are completely open to the street). They have a couple very good boulangeries and fromageries in those two blocks. Anyway, those shops tend to close early FYI, as I recall--I remember I had to get home early in order to buy stuff for dinner. I think they close around 7 pm usually.<BR><BR>I realized you probably weren't going to drink alcohol at every stop after I thought about it -- that would be a bit much for most folks!