Jennifer

Oh l&agrave; l&agrave;, I had a MARVELOUS time! But then again, I knew I would.<BR><BR>I'll share my reviews of restaurants and attractions in that section of the website, but I'll just give a few thoughts here.<BR><BR>1. Cell phone. I have no idea how I got along without one before now.... I rented one from Rent-a-Cell in Paris. I haven't received the bill yet, but I prefer it instead of many of the cell phone companies that are based in England, because I would make most of my calls in Paris and wanted local charges. It was the absolute most convenient thing I've ever had. I'll definitely rent from them again.<BR><BR>2. Pickpockets in the Metro. Well, guess what? I experienced a first! I'm a complete idiot. A young girl asked me what time it was on the metro at 5pm. Of course it was busy and people were all crowded together. I told her in French but she didn't seem to understand. So I told her in English but she didn't seem to understand. Like a complete fool, I was preoccupied with trying to honestly help her, and during that moment her accomplice helped herself to a small bag inside my backpack. The good news is that the bag contained absolutely nothing valuable -- just a tube of lipstick, a tin of dental floss, a couple of band-aids, and those sorts of thing. I was *darned* lucky, though, and in a way I'm glad it happened. It could have been much worse, and it was a wake-up call that I really do need to be more careful. I've been told that this is a particularly bad time for pickpockets (though good for them....) in Paris. Please, please watch out!<BR><BR>3. I would VERY highly recommend Michael Ossman as a private tour guide. His e-mail address is: [email protected] and his website is:<BR>http://www.geocities.com/parisfinder/<BR><BR>He's very positive, energetic, and extremely knowledgeable about Paris. He totally tailors your day to your specific wants and needs. Personally, I think he's a very cool guy, and he's very easy-going. My biggest reason for contacting him was to navigate us through the Louvre to the exact pieces we wanted to see. He's simply marvelous and I can't recommend him highly enough. He's also *great* with children!<BR><BR>4. Disneyland Parks. If you decide to visit either the original Disneyland or the brand-new MGM Studios (literally next door), I would strongly recommend that you purchase tickets ahead of time. I stood in line for over an hour at Parc Disneyland, yet walked right into MGM because I purchased my tickets earlier. The rollercoaster at MGM is FAB! Aerosmith shoots out of the speakers in the cars while you go for a super cool ride.<BR><BR>5. Vegetarian food/restaurants and non-smoking restaurants. They absolutely exist, despite what tour books tell you, because I've been to several personally! <BR><BR>I could speak FOREVER about Paris! I'm already planning my next trip (probably winter or early spring next year) and if I can share any experiences I've had (I've been there 7 or 8 times; I can never remember!) you're more than welcome to e-mail me. <BR><BR>Jennifer<BR>

Betty

Jenifer-been to Paris 6 times and never experinced pickpockets. Maybe you look vulnerable. Never been to Disney--what is the point? Glad there are nonsmoking resturants--never seen any and they are not among most recommended in guide books I have.

en francais

Jennifer-you could have saved yourself some money if you had just purchased the guidebook for the Louvre and picked what you wanted to see! If this guide is the same guy who keeps advertising his website and ideas for a price(he emails everyone who ever asks a France question on the Fodors board)-you got ripped off big time!<BR>Disneyland in Paris-should have just saved the money and stayed in Orlando?There really is alot to see out of Paris-perhaps one of these days you might make the trip?

Gretchen

Oh, geez en francais. Was it YOUR vacation or Jeffifer's? Oh, yes, it WAS Jennifer's, wasn't it. Know nothing/contribute nothing.<BR> Others have reported the same about Michael--nice person, excellent value. Glad you had such a good time, Jennifer. On our trip last March we also "experienced" pickpocket gangs of children--saw them again in October. I just said "NON" to the girl trying to get in my belt pack. You just have to be wary.

Cell phoneless

I am baffled at the idea that you have no idea how you got along without a cell phone before. Who do you call? I've been to Paris several times and I believe I've made maybe 2 phone calls.

Jennifer

The point of visiting Disneyland is that some people enjoy it and some don't! If you don't want to visit it, then don't. We all have different tastes in life! I originally planned on visiting Orlando with my children (I've been there once), but I thought I'd just take the children to Paris so we could visit Disneyland *and* Paris both! And quite honestly, there wasn't a huge difference in price at all. I much prefer Paris Disneyland than Orlando.<BR><BR>I've ever seen Michael advertise his website at all on here. We visited a lot more than the Louvre. He simply tailored our day to what we wanted and at far less than 100 Euros a day, I have no regrets at all about hiring him.<BR><BR>One thing I loved about Paris is that there seems to be a "live and let live" attitude. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could share experiences and opinions here without others constantly making value judgments? We all enjoy different things in life, and I think it would be boring if we all had rote agendas for our holidays.<BR><BR>Take it easy,<BR><BR>Jennifer

whoa

Jennifer: Thanks for the info (headed to Paris in a few weeks, myself). What did the guide cost? As a side (or snide?) note what is with these other posters and what did you do (nothing!) to p*** them off. (I guess you and every other person who gets pickpocketed just "looks vulnerable"! what a hoot!). Thx again.

xxx

Why is it whenever someone gets pickpocketed, so many people rush to blame the victim? Do a search with the word pickpocket and see the kinds of responses you get. "I never experienced them...you looked vulnerable." "Pickpockets never bother me." "People who get pickpocketed must be stupid, drunk or unaware." <BR>Would you say that to someone who was carjacked or raped. "I've never been carjacked...maybe you looked vulnerable." In the old days, people used to say that women who got raped probably were "asking for it." It's disgusting to see that attitude now transferred to people who are victims of thieves and con artists. Jennifer, if it's any consolation to you, I've known big, tough cops who were pickpocketed on vacation in Europe. It can happen to anyone. You're not an idiot. And glad you had a marvelous time anyway.

youareanidiot

Dear Cell Phone-Less: <BR><BR>It's pretty obvious Jennifer brought her kids with her. It would be helpful to have cell phones if her party split up -- such as if her kids wanted to see one site with Dad, and she went shopping. There are many possibilities. Your question is idiotic.<BR><BR>Dear en francais: Another idiotic post. Jennifer is obviously trying to pass on useful info. Having a guide in a foreign city can really save you a lot of time and hassle -- much easier than reading a guidebook. And Disneyland Paris obviously has a totally different feel than the one in Orlando. If you're bringing kids on the trip, what's wrong with spending a day there. It clearly would not be YOUR choice, but why take the time to post your inane criticism?

Jennifer

Cell phoneless, I know how you feel because I used to feel that way myself! Here's how it helped me: I like to visit a lot of obscure little places and boutiques. I would often use my phone to call to make sure they were still in business! I would usually leave my apartment before most stores opened. It also saved me the trouble of having to find a phone booth. Or, I would call for dinner reservations. I also have several acquaintances and friends who live in Paris and it was great that they could get a hold of me (since I was rarely in the apartment) at any time. A couple of times when I was meeting someone for dinner, I was running late, so it was great to be able to call them to let them know. I understand that sometimes people get way too attached to cell phones, but for me personally, it saved a great deal of time and frustration.<BR> <BR>Jennifer

cellphoneless

Jennifer, I get it now (in your case). I hope I didn't offend. Thank you for your polite response and I'm glad you had a great time.<BR><BR>

goldmedal award

This is one of the best trolls I've ever seen. "She"'s got the right tone of bouncy helpfulness that makes you feel guilty for doubting "her" sincerity. You think "DISNEY?", then chastise yourself because, after all, it is "her" vacation. The whole cell phone thing is innocuous enough to make you twitch...and then reread. "Her" experience with a pickpocket is so very similar to guidebook warnings that it's questionable. If "jennifer" is confident enough to post "her" perceptions, "she" must visit this forum frequently. Why hasn't "she" seen the many, many posts about this very thing? Stating the same thing that's been in post after post after post doesn't make much sense, unless one wants to stir the pot a little.<BR><BR>My favorite bit is the little throwaway about visiting Paris 7 or 8 times.<BR><BR>Tres bien, jennifer. Chapeaux off to you!

Jennifer

To those who posted positive responses, thank you very much!<BR><BR>Michael charges $85 Euros a day, but that "day" can be the entire day if you want, from early in the morning until later in the evening! We met him at 10am and at 7pm, my children were tired, so we called it a day. I was particularly interested in Michael because of his art background. When my daughter visited the Louvre about 18 months ago, she was totally enamored by the art works and asked me all kinds of philosophical and technical questions that I couldn't begin to answer. My daughter is 12, and she (and I think he!) had a great time discussing many pieces. After we left the Louvre, Michael took us through lots of short-cuts to various attractions, which saved a lot of time. Certainly a private guide isn't for everyone, and I haven't used anyone else to which I can compare him, but based on my experiences with him, I'd hire him again in a flash.<BR><BR>Jennifer

Going2ParisinJune

Hi Jennifer! Thank you for your trip report! Did you do any shopping? If so, please advise!! =)

Jennifer

Shopping? Are you kidding? Mais oui! I actually didn't visit any department stores, but one of my favorite areas is Ste-Honor&egrave;. There is a fantastic purse store there called Maroquinerie, at 334, rue Saint-Honor&egrave;, that I love.<BR><BR>I read about so many cool little places, but the unfortunate thing I've found is that they often aren't there when I try to locate them! I read about a store that was totally dedicated to "cats" -- Au Chat Dormant. My kids are fanatical about kitty cats. I didn't even bother to call; I just went to the address to find something else! When I did call, I found out the phone number was no longer valid. After that, every little place was called first! Of course, I spent hours in FNAC, a chain of music stores in France. GREAT selection. One hint on cosmetics shopping: although Sephoria on the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es is wonderful, Marionnaud just a few doors down is much less crowded but still has an incredible selection!<BR><BR>I've also never been to Galeries Lafayette! But I definitely will next time.<BR><BR>A couple of books that I like are: "The Riches of Paris," by Maribeth Clemente, and "The Paris Shopping Companion," by Susan Swire Winkler.<BR><BR>For the person who thinks I'm a troll, why not post your e-mail address? I'll be glad to send you some photos of my trip! <BR><BR>Jennifer<BR><BR>

Going2ParisinJune

Thank you!!!! I will visit the cosmetics shop you suggested--I can hardly wait to go-1st time since high school (20 some odd years)--56 days and counting!

Jennifer

Going2ParisinJune, I hope you love it!<BR><BR>Something else I thought I'd mention is the H&ocirc;tel du Nord. It's a club that has music and comedy acts in English! I saw the South African comic Barry Hilton there on the 31st of March, and he was terrific! It's an intimate little place that's a bit hidden in my opinion but well worth the effort. Here's the website:<BR><BR>http://www.anythingmatters.com/index1.html<BR><BR>I just e-mailed Karel Beers at [email protected] and she reserved the tickets in my name, and I paid for them when I arrived. If any of the acts that are playing when you'll be there look good to you, I'll be glad to try and help you find the place because you can miss it if you're not careful!<BR><BR>Oh, and I nearly completely forgot about a fantastic toy store (if that interests you): Au Nain Bleu. It's on the Saint-Honor&egrave;, as well.<BR><BR>One thing that really helped me a lot was "plotting" out my addresses ahead of time. I plugged the address in a Paris search engine:<BR><BR>http://www.ismap.com/<BR><BR>And then Xeroxed a copy of that part of a map and symbols or numbers for stores or attractions in that area. It saved a LOT of time!<BR><BR>Jennifer

Going2ParisinJune

Thank you so much for the info! I'll play around with the map website this weekend. My friend and I are haveing a planning session next weekend and your suggestions will be very helpful! I was wondering what to do at night--we're not the big partiers. I have printed out the thread for future use! Merci!!!!

Jennifer

Bonjour! The question may be: what can one not do at night?! Very generally, I believe most stores are closed, although many stay open until 7pm. A pleasant contrast are a lot of stores on the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es! Many stay open until midnight, and some even a bit beyond! On the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es, there are FNAC and Virgin Record Megastores for music; Marionnaud, Sephora and others for cosmetics; several clothing stores, several sunglasses boutiques, drugstores (which are amazingly wonderful places for cosmetics, though they can cost a bit more than other places), and several others.<BR><BR>If you like films at all, Paris is a wonderful place! You can see new films, but you can also watch many classics from decades gone by. There are often little "film festivals" at various cinemas in the Latin Quarter that feature a certain director or actor, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Brian dePalma, Billy Wilder, and many others. It's wonderful to watch Charlie Chaplin on a big screen (at least much bigger than the average TV!).<BR><BR>Of course, there are marvelous caf&eacute;s, bistros, brasseries, and restaurants that won't chase you away after a meal, so you can just sit as long as you want!<BR><BR>Although I've not done it, one can visit some monuments at night, such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. There are dinner river cruises on the Seine. There are buses that give lighted tours of the monuments.<BR><BR>Even though you're not a big partier, there are also tons of places to hear just about any type of music that you may desire! <BR><BR>Ah Paris....I'm actually rather jetlagged right now, but I'd go back this very second if it were feasible!<BR><BR>Jennifer

greg gallagher

Jennifer I'm glad to hear you had a good time. To the mean people . Paris is my city of choice. I was there on Sept 11 and through that week and still had a marvelous time. I plan to go back again this September. May all of you to enjoy the beauty of this city.