I Prefer Paris

Autolib

With the phenomenal success of the Velib public bicycle system introduced in 2007, Paris has now introduced the car version, Autolib. The set up is similar: you apply for a day, week or year pass at the automatic kiosks around the city, where you will need your drivers license, a valid form of identification (passport or national identity card) and a credit card. During a videoconference with one of their representatives, you identify yourself and chose the subscription you want. (Insurance is included). Your transaction will be validated and the kiosk will print a personal badge, which will give you access to the Autolib service. You can then take out a car at any of the 250 rental stations around the city. Once you are done, you return the car to any of the other stations and connect it to a recharging station.

Best of all, the cars are electric and have no fumes or make any noise. The overall goal is that with 3000 Autolibs on the streets, it will eliminate 22,000 gas-powered cars, meaning less pollution and traffic. A French or international drivers license is required to use the service. The rate for a day card is 10 euros, week card 15 euros, and the yearly card 144 euros. The first 30 minutes ranges from 5 to 7 euros depending on what type of pass you buy, the second 30 minutes ranges 4 to 6 euros, and each additional 30 minutes after that ranges 6 to 8 euros.

http://www.autolib.eu/

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

 New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Paris Tourist Do's and Don'ts

My new favorite Paris blog is Paris Do, Paris Don't. It's hilarious, irreverent, and oh so true. Clearly the writer has a gift for irony and sarcasm. Right up my alley. Because I like it so much, I asked Paris Do, Paris Don't (he or she wishes to remain anonymous, which I can appreciate) if they would write a guest post with their top Paris tourist Do's and Don'ts. Here they are and I hope your find them as fresh and funny as I do. Photos were also provided by Paris Do, Paris Don't.

Don't Seine by Night
We all know that Paris is the City of Light; some might even argue that it is most beautiful under the shadows of the night. There is nothing more titillating in Paris than the reflection of these lovely lights upon the Seine as they create impressionistic colors and movements across the dark waters. Your first instinct is to make like the movies and take a romantic moonlit stroll along the rippling Seine, don’t. No sane Parisian would dare do it and neither should you. The only thing that takes to the Seine after hours are big fat marauding rats and maybe some teenage boys playing the bongos. The banks of the Seine are positively crawling with nightlife, but of a sickening variety. If you simply can’t resist the Seine at night, do a cheesy boat tour or better yet, stay above sea level and keep the bubonic plague in the 15th century where it belongs.

Do Parc des Buttes Chaumont
Hands down best park in all of Paris. Nestled in the southern corner of the 19th, Buttes Chaumont is the most picturesque of the many Parisian parks. From the grassy knolls to the waterfalls, lake, cupola, grottos and fantastic vistas of Montmartre, Buttes Chaumont is the full pastoral package. Undoubtedly, it is the inspiration behind the Swiss Family tree house but it’s one hundred times better because it’s real, free, and the only way to spend your weekends and lazy afternoons. Do go, it is a complete country escape without ever having to step foot on the RER, and the cherry on top is you will be the only tourist traipsing around. So expand your horizons, spread out that picnic blanket and bask in the charming Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

Don't de Flore
Every travel book will tell you to stop, drop, and roll out your euros at the famous Café de Flore. I won’t because it’s a Don’t. Frozen food is great and all, but when it comes in the form of a greasy croque monsieur that will set you back 18 euros, no thanks. Sure it has ‘history’ and is pretty inside, but so are 89% of any given corner cafes in Paris. You can gage the level of meh this cafe provokes by the ¾ eyeroll a Parisian will give you upon hearing the words de Flore escape your lips. But beware; Parisians will not directly discourage your enthusiasm because they rely on places such as de Flore to keep your touristy self out of all the good cafes--classic Parisian decoy. So if you want to pay for overpriced food and drinks and watch hordes of tourist walk by, then by all means I suggest you go and enjoy all Cafe du Flore has to offer. Otherwise, be brave, walk a block in any direction and find another terrace table to be Parisian at.

DO Marché aux Oiseaux
It’s weird, but it’s worth a peek. Every Sunday all the strange old birdmen gather on Île de la Cité to buy, sell and trade their feathered friends. I’m no bird expert and probably any bird aficionado wouldn’t dare waste their time admiring the wide selection of common street pigeons; but it’s not about the birds, it’s really about the people who love and care for them. The bird vendors will undoubtedly give you suspicious looks as you admire their cockatoos, but that just adds to the charm of the entire experience--I mean, this wouldn’t be Paris if you didn’t get at least one disparaging glare. And if nothing else, a morning at the bird market makes your Sunday poulet rôti taste so much sweeter.

Don't Moulin Rouge
You all saw Moulin Rouge, listened to Lady Marmalade and fantasized about paying homage to that infamous red windmill haunt of bohemians and cancan girls. Today if you venture to Pigalle, I regret to inform you that your Toulouse-Lautrec green fairy dreams are about to be crushed by a neon sign wave of cheesy, sleazy, raunchy sex clubs. So don't sully your pristine Baz Luhrmann fantasies with the tacky Parisian reality. The thing is, it isn’t even very good at being sleazy (you would be more wowed by the red light districts of Amsterdam, Tijuana or even Miami), you will be overwhelmed by how underwhelming it all is. Moral of the story: if you ever do venture to the edge of the 9eme, just grab your poppers and make like the wind--not the windmill.

DO Opera Garnier
Get ye to the Opera Garnier. This ornate spectacle had been deemed the jewel box of the city and it couldn't live up to its name more with every visible surface dripping with gilt, glass, murals, gems etc. Quite frankly, it gives Versailles a run for its bijou. The best part about the Opera is if you arrive an hour before the performance you can score a 9e rush ticket and then you can enjoy the world-class Paris ballet, sit in a private box that looks like a bordello (forget Moulin Rouge) and then sip champagne in the grand foyer during intermission. Yes pliése.

Don't Les Halles
Emile Zola immortalized the great Les Halles Parisian food market in his famous The Belly of Paris. His vivid descriptions of cheese, meat, flowers and ragamuffins have all contributed to Paris’ reputation as the gastronomic center of the universe. 150 years later, the only thing that remains of this once gluttonous mecca are a few abandoned construction sights, a lot of fecal matter (of the human variety), some pan handlers, a McDonald's, a souvenir vendor or two, and that’s about it. If Zola were around now, he would probably call it The Rectum of Paris, and rightly so, as nothing but waste remains of its once rich commercial history. Go left or right of center and find the weekly neighborhood markets to fulfill your food fantasies but don’t get lost in Les Halles.

DO Tour Eiffel Light Show
Most Parisians will tell you they abhor this, they’re being sincere, they really do, but this is because they're French and hating the Eiffel Tower is a prerequisite for citizenship. You, on the other hand, are a tourist and no matter what, you cannot resist the charms of this iconic structure. Don’t fight the inevitable, do the tower, but more importantly do the tower at night every hour on the hour because that’s when it puts on a shimmery light spectacular. It probably is a ploy by Parisians to give seizures to the likes of you, but brain spasms or not, there is nothing more enchanting than that light display at 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 on the dot--you literally cannot miss it.

Please DO read Paris Do, Paris Don't . http://www.parisdoparisdont.com/

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis
 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Painting Workshop with Laurie and Blair Pessimer

I met Laurie and Blair Pessimer at a dinner party before the summer and took an immediate liking to them. They reminded me so much of another couple that were dear friends of mine in New York that I knew for over 30 years. They are artistic and quirky (not in any sort of cliched way) and have had interesting careers in the design business and in the art world, much like my friends in New York. Having lived on and off in Paris over the last 20 years, in the last few years they have settled here again and now teach painting workshops.

They invited me to the Jardin du Luxembourg one afternoon last month to checkout one of their workshops. It was a crisp autumn day filled with sun and clouds with the light constantly changing. I found Laurie and Blair next to the bee house in the southwest corner of the gardens with their easels set up, busily painting away. It looked like they were capturing the last leaves clinging to the trees and the ones that had already littered the floor of the garden on their small blank canvases. They looked so happy and cute. It turns out their student had gotten sick but they decided to come to the gardens anyway to paint. I watched Blair skillfully mix colors in what looked like a wooden round cover from a hunk of Camembert. Looking much like modern day Impressionist paintings, I was very impressed with their work. I asked them about how the classes work and the teaching process. Here is what they told me in a much more accurate way than I could write.

“Paint with Me” is a painting workshop, rather than a painting school. Although Blair and I can “teach”, most of the time we just guide people along their own path. We give artists the confidence to paint in public – a kind of “safety in numbers”. We are very organized, and provide all the supplies (acrylic paints, brushes, canvases, easels, etc.) needed to produce a painting in a beautiful French setting.  Our students always leave with some painting they are proud of.

We usually visit sites where other artists painted. I provide pictures and art historical material about wherever we are painting, although all of our painters are most eager to paint, and could likely do without  background material. I persist – one day someone will find Sargent’s painting of the Luxembourg Garden inspirational.

All of our sites are beautiful: whether it is the Luxembourg Gardens, the banks of the Seine, or Monet’s gardens at Giverny. We will also take our painters wherever they’d like to go.  We’ve made day trips to Versailles and other sites outside the city.  I’d like to plan a South of France tour in 2012.

We really enjoy working with painters from all over the world – we mostly lead in English, but of course, we speak French, too.  Our painters have come from intensely different backgrounds – from abstract to realist and much in between.  Maybe Blair and I have been the painters who have learned the most.

I love what Laurie and Blair do and if you come to Paris please take one of their workshops. I promise you it will be a unique Paris experience with two joyous, fun, and passionate artists.

For the full information about their workshops, click link below.
http://www.parispaintingworkshop.blogspot.com/

Laurie and Blair also sell their their wonderful Paris paintings. checkout their other site.
http://www.artnotesparis.blogspot.com/

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Best of EPP: Shopping Tips

I am taking a blogging break this week, so enjoy the Best of Eye Prefer Paris for the next four days.

I write a monthly column about Paris for www.travelagentcentral.com, a website for upscale travel agents. I am reprinting last month's article because I thought it would be useful to my readers.

Paris Shopping Tips
One of the most joyous activities in Paris is shopping. Whether it’s the designer boutiques of rue St. Honore, the grand department stores Printemps or Galleries Lafayette, or some special trinket from a unique boutique, there is something for every one.

Here are some insider shopping tips to make your experience even better.

1. Store Hours & Closings
Most stores are open Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays. Department stores, and shops in more commercial areas like the Opera are open 10AM-7PM. Areas like the Marais and St Germain des Pres, the individual boutiques are usually open from 11AM-7PM.
Sundays – the only place where stores are open on Sunday is the Champs Elysees and the Marais. Stores are usually open 11-7 but some in the Marais open later, sometimes after 12PM or 1PM.

Most food shops & gourmet stores- small neighborhood food shops like cheese stores, butchers, fish stores, chocolate shops, patisseries, etc. are open Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday 8AM till 2PM. Some fish shops, butchers, and cheese shops will close for an hour or two in the middle of the day for lunch. Store opening hours vary between 8AM & 10AM till 7PM or 8PM.

2. VAT/Tax Refund

If you spend 175 euros or more in one shop, you are entitled to a tax refund. It usually varies between 10 & 15%, depending on the store’s administrative costs. It can be refunded to your credit card later on or given to you in cash, in whatever currency you prefer, at the airport. You must do this before you go through security. Also you must present your passport or have the number when making the purchase at the shop.

3. Sales

Unlike the United States, where there are sales all year round, sales in France are regulated by the government and happen twice a year during summer and winter. Winter sales usually start the first Wednesday in January and summer sales the last week of June and sales last about 4 to 5 weeks. Stores can be fined heavily for having sales at other times than the government allows. However, last year the government let shops have an extra two weeks out of the year to let them have additional sale days. Some of the upscale boutiques will have private or un announced sales about a month before the government sales, whereby when you are in the shop, the sales people will discreetly tell you there is a sale going on or there will be red dots on the pricetags. One exception is that stores can have a sale of certain items marked “Promotion” with 20-30% off all year round.

4. Store Etiquette

•    When you walk into a shop, always say “Hello/Bonjour”

•    Don’t ask how much something is without saying “Hello/Bonjour”
•    Don’t go into a clothing or non-food shop eating or drinking
•    Don’t touch things in the window without asking
•    Ask the sales person if they speak English and don’t automatically assume they do.

5. Sizes

European clothing and shoe sizes are different than American sizes, so either know what size you are before you arrive, or have a size converter printed out from the internet or on your phone.

Bon shopping!

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
 

 

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

Definition of Brasserie, Bistro, Café, and Salon de Thé

I was asked to explain the different distinctions of French eating establishments by a client last month, and I thought it would make an informative blog post. Below are four categories: Brasserie, bistro, café, and salon de thé.

Brasserie
A brasserie is a restaurant that serves the same menu all day, sometimes with a few specials/plat du Jour. The cuisine is classic French with dishes like charcuterie, plats de mer, steak tartare, onion soup, and confit de canard.  Brasserie also means brewery and many of them serve a good selection of beer on tap. Some well known Parisian brasseries include Brasserie Lipp, Bofinger, Vaudeville, and La Coupole.

Bistro/Bistrot
A bistro is a small, informal, neighborhood restaurant with simple food, usually with a single owner or chef-owned. They are open at set times, approximately from 12PM to 2 or 2:30PM for lunch and 7:30PM to 10:30 or 11PM for dinner and most of the time closed either Sunday or Monday, or both. Legend has it that how the name bistro came about is when Russian soldiers were at a restaurant in Montmartre on Place du Tertre in 1812, their food was too slow in coming, so they yelled "Bistrot! Bistrot!", which means quickly in Russian. Some of my favorite bistros are Le Reminet, Chez Janou, L' Atelier d'Antan, and Chez Dumonet.

Café
The most common eating establishment, the café, focuses more on beverages including coffee, tea, wine, and beer, and many now have cocktails and Happy Hour. Cafe's are open all day and night serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the same menu is served throughout the day, with more casual fare of sandwiches, croques, omelets, and salads. Most cafes have outdoor terraces which open all year round with heat lamps in winter. Some classic cafes include Cafe de Flore, Cafe de la Paix, Les Deux Magots, and Le Fouquet's.

Salon de Thé

More informal than a café, a salon de thé specializes in cakes and pastries along with tea and and coffee.They are usually open from morning to early evening and sometimes serve light lunches and small dishes. Popular salon de thé's include Ladurée, Carette, Angelinas, and Mariage Freres, and one of my personal favorites is Comme a la Maison.

 Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Diner en Blanc 4

My new friend Mark Pendell is quite the man about Paris, always being invited to the best and exclusive parties and events. But please make note, that Mark is a really nice, down to earth guy. Here are some notes he made about a very special annual event that he suggested I should put on Eye Prefer Paris.

Diner et Blanc is the most secretive, exclusive annual event in Paris(always in June).This year it was last Thursday, June 16.

No one knows who the organizers are and designated rallieurs are allowed to invite 10 friends. Everything has to be brought in: tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, food, champagne, etc
and everyone must be elegantly and completely dressed in white. It's equal men and women.

The meeting point is communicated at 7:30 and guests must be prepared to leave for the secret location and table position at 8:30 and move with military precision, with the set up completed at 21:00 at a location always in a beautiful public space in Paris with a view of a monument.This year for the first time, it was celebrated in two locations: in the front plaza of Note Dame and the courtyard of the Louvre.

At 11PM everyone lights up a sparkler!

I hope to stay on Mark's A-list and be invited to next year's Diner et Blanc.

I would love for you to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Eye Prefer Paris with me, so please join me at the fabulous, newly opened O'Chateau wine bar on Wednesday, July 6 between 7PM and 9PM. The address of O'Chateau is 68, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Metro: Louvre-Rivoli or Etienne Marcel. I look forward to seeing you and meeting some of my readers I have never met before. Please RSVP to  r.nahem@gmail.com

 

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New York's best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
 

 

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

Insider Tips: Restaurant Tipping

 A tour client of mine who was leaving 15% tips on all her meals for three days before she met me prompted me to rerun this post about tipping. She said said she wished she had seen this post before she spent enough money overtipping to buy at least another two or three scarves.  

My partner Vincent had an unnerving incident happen at a restaurant that prompted me to write this post.

Vincent was at Cafe Ruc, a popular and fashionable restaurant/cafe right near the Louvre that attracts Parisians and tourists.  He was dining with an American friend, and although they ordered in French, they spoke English during their dinner. When they asked the waitress for the check, she evidently overheard them discussing whether or not to leave her an additional "tip" beyond the 15% service charge already included in the bill. The waitress immediately--and a bit smugly--piped in,"you know, the tip is not included". His friend challenged her and said that it was French law that the tip was included. She sheepishly backed down and said that they didn't have to leave anything.

So here is the the simple truth about tipping in Paris and the rest of France: A 15% tip is ALWAYS included in your bill, regardless of what the waiter or anyone else says. Again, it's a French law that the tip is included.  If they say it's not included, they are lying and trying to rip you off. If you are charging a meal, notice there is no tip box on the credit card receipt. It's because the tip is included.

With that said, it is customary to leave a 3 to 5% gratuity in cash on the table. For instance, if you have a lunch that costs 20 euros, you should leave a one euro or 75 centimes gratuity. For a coffee, leave 25 centimes.

Many of my tour clients take my tour at the end of their stay and it kills me when they said they have been leaving 15 & 20 % tips all week long. I tell them they could have bought an Hermes scarf or a half pair of Louboutin shoes with that money. ( I like to think in practical shopping terms).

So now you know how to be a savvy local and show the Parisians you are not a dumb American tourist.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Paris Taxi Tips

Hailing a taxi in Paris is not as easy as New York but the following tips should help for a smooth ride.

Taxi Rates

The starting rate is 2.20 euros when you hail a taxi on the street. If you call for a taxi, it's usually higher because the meter starts from where the driver is called from. The minimum taxi ride is 6.10 euros, so don't think you are getting ripped off if the fare reads less on the meter. A fourth passenger is an additional 2.95 euros. Fees are listed in the rear door window. There is a 1 euro charge for bags, strollers, and large items that go in the trunk. Don't pay the driver any additional fares besides the ones listed above.

How to Hail a Taxi

You can hail a taxi on the street or at a taxi stand. You must take the first taxi available on the taxi line. A taxi with a white or green light on top means they are available. Taxis with a yellow light that's on underneath the taxi sign, a red light on top, or an unlit sign means they are not available. Some drivers will balk at taking a fourth passenger, but by law they should.

Communicating with Your Driver

Some drivers speak english. I find the best way to tell them where you are going is to write the name and address down on a piece of paper including the arrondissement, or a card from the place you are going to (e.g. hotel restaurant), and hand it to them. Even with my semi-fluent french and a decent accent, drivers still have a problem understanding where I am going.

Calling for a Taxi

You can ask your hotel or restaurant to call a taxi for you. Here is a the name and number of a English speaking line for the Taxi G7 service. You must give them an exact street address. Usually it takes between 8 and 15 minutes, unless it's a busy time.

G-7 Taxi service 01 41 27 66 99 locally or +33 1 41 27 66 99

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Best of EPP:Paris Museum Pass: Is it Worth Buying?

I am taking a blogging break this week. I am posting some of mine and your favorite posts from last year. Enjoy them again or for the first time if you are a new reader.

One of the most frequently asked questions when a client books an Eye Prefer Paris Tour is whether they should buy a museum pass or not. I say yes and no.

If you are visiting more than one museum per day, yes, buy one.The best buy is the 4 day pass-48 euros, which averages 12 euros a day or the 6 day pass -64 euros, which averages 8 euros a day. If you are here 4 days or less and are going to only one museum a day, no, don't buy one. One of the advantages of the pass is that you bypass the long ticket buyers line at the big museums. However, you can now buy tickets online in advance for the Louvre, Orsay, Versailles, the Pompidou, and the Eiffel tower (not part of the museum pass) at their websites and still bypass the ticket buyers line. Children under 18 are admitted free in most museums, so no need to buy one for children.

The other disadvantage of the Paris Museum Pass is that if you want it in advance, it has to be ordered at least 10 days before and it costs 13.50 euros ($17.50) for delivery. The museum pass can also be bought in many museums and at the airports.

The official Paris Museum Pass website: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/ 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

5 Paris Safety Tips

A friend of mine's mother was recently pick-pocketed while waiting on line at the Louvre and thieves got all her money and credit credits. This incident prompted me to write a post about safety tips in Paris. Paris is pretty much a safe city all around especially with violent crime. However, like any big tourist city, there is a population that thrives on stealing from or scamming innocent tourists. Here are 5 safety tips so your trip won't be ruined by a pickpocket or thief. 

1. Never carry your passport. Have a copy of it in your bag or pocket or you can keep the number in your phone or on a slip of paper in your wallet. You don't really need it as long as you have another photo ID such as a drivers license. Also, you don't need your passport to get the VAT refund at shops, as long as you have the number to put on the VAT form.

2. Always keep cash in your front pants pocket or a money belt if you are not wearing pants. Don't put cash in a purse, hand bag, or knapsack.

3. Beware of pickpockets in busy tourist areas/attractions like the Louvre, Notre Dame, outside Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower,the flea market, and the Champs Elysees. Also beware in the metro and train stations Gard du Nord, Montparnasse, Gare de Lyon, etc.

4. The ring trick. Beware of men and women who come up from behind and "discover" a gold ring on the sidewalk in front of you. They will innocently tell you that you should keep it and then try to extract money from you. Just ignore them. Also beware of people coming up to you and asking if you speak English. Again, they will try and extract money from you and just ignore them even if you think you are being rude.

5. Unfortunately there has been a rash of I-Phone and smart phone robberies on the metro lately. I just heard of a friend who took his I-Phone out on the metro to call someone and thieves grabbed his phone as the doors were closing. Try and not take your phone out in the metro or on the platforms unless it's absolutely necessary, especially at night. Also, don't leave it out on the table at a restaurant or cafe. There's a new trick where someone will come over to your table and lay a newspaper or magazine over your phone and start to talk to you and then they will quickly grab the newspaper or magazine with your phone and leave. 

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
 

 

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.