Musée d’Orsay – busiest times 
Musée d’Orsay – busiest times 
Cimietière Montparnasse: a favorite haunt in our neighborhood
Cimietière Montparnasse: a favorite haunt in our neighborhood
Paris plans to banish all but electric cars by 2030
Paris plans to banish all but electric cars by 2030
Gotta have: MAISONS BULLES
Gotta have: MAISONS BULLES
Love this flow chart on use of vous vs. tu (via Quora)
Love this flow chart on use of vous vs. tu (via Quora)
La Cigale Récamier soufflé restaurant is gone
La Cigale Récamier soufflé restaurant is gone
Apartment neighborhood

More on the Rue de Vaugirard

March 22, 2010

The rue de Vaugirard is not as romanticized as some other streets in the 6th and 7th so it's always nice to see a glowing write up in an article that is really more of a review of a hotel at 4, rue de Vaugirard, the Hotel Fontaines. ... It spans the 6th and 15th arrondissements, a mostly one-way passage dating from Roman times, paved in the 15th century and well maintained by the city since it also is home to the French Senate. ... The first day I nibbled delicacies (a tough choice to make among three famed local pâtisseries: l'Atelier Pierre Hermé, the Japanese patissier Sadaharu Aoki and Des gâteaux et du pain, so I sampled something from each) and cruised past the former residences of American writers who lived on this street: at #42, William Faulkner; at #58. ... I was tempted by numerous three-course lunch specials and nearly settled for an 8E plat at the Brasserie du Luxembourg at nearby Rue Monsieur le Prince.

... Many of these sites are part of our daily experience when we're home in Paris, though I'm going to have to check out my history of American writers.

Apartment neighborhood, Restaurants

La Ferrandaise – 8, rue de Vaugirard

March 8, 2010

Okay, I feel ashamed I don't even know this one, but I guess now we'll have to try it, seeing as it is supposedly just a few feet from chez nous. Actually, on the map, numéro 8 is down a bit, just a few meters short of the 5th, where the rue de Vaugirard gets lively near the Boul' Mich. La Ferrandaise—located near the Sorbonne and frequented by scholarly types, this neighborhood bistro has a charming, effortless appeal. ... I had a pate, boeuf bourguignon, and a chestnut soufflé and could not eat again that day. La Ferrandaise, 8, rue de Vaugirard [From Family of One: Family of One Dines in Paris 2010 ]

Apartment how-to, Budget and cheap, Transports: Métro, Taxi, Trains and Planes

Worldtaximeter gives a pretty good shot at how much a taxi fare is going to run

February 26, 2010

I was skeptical, but this calculator is pretty dead on for a tax trip from CDG to our apartment. They even ask what time you'll be traveling so they can factor in waiting in traffic time.


[From Taxi fare in Paris from Aeroport de Paris Orly France to hote mercure tour eiffel - worldtaximeter ]


Worth a look so you can prepare your Euros and your shocked face ahead of time.

Apartment neighborhood

The near-Paris village of Vaugirard

February 14, 2010

Does anyone know more about the village of Vaugirard, which must have been somewhere along our street, the rue de Vaugirard, perhaps at the end?

...To the south, quartier Saint-Lambert occupies the former site of the village of Vaugirard, built along an ancient Roman road of the same name. ... The village, not yet being part of Paris, was considered by Parisians to be an agreeable suburb, pleasant for country walks or its cabarets and puppet shows. ... Today, the only notable attractions in this area are the Parc des Expositions (an exhibition center which hosts the Foire de Paris, agricultural expositions, and car shows), and Parc Georges Brassens, a park built on the former site of a slaughterhouse.


...Origins of the name: "Vaugirard" came from an old French noun-and-genitive construction "val Girard" = "valley of Girard" (Latin vallis Girardi), after an Abbé Girard, who owned the land over which the road passes.

Apartment neighborhood, Architecture and Design, Travel with Kids, Understand France and the French

Best parks for Kids in Paris – Jardin du Luxembourg always tops the lists

February 11, 2010

But day in, day out, except when it rains, they want to go back to "Le Jardin," as everyone, at least in the 6th and 7th, calls it. Aside from being classically beautiful, designed by architect Salomon de Brosse under Marie de Medici's supervision (1615-1627), and a wonderful place for adult pursuits, like making out on the grass, playing tennis, or dozing by the bassin, this place is filled with stuff kids like. ... Paris is a great place to take your children on holiday as there are many tourist attractions, museums and parks in the city that cater to children. ... Jardins du Luxembourg (Rue de Médicis, Rue de Vaugirard) – This garden has a long history, it was established in the 17th century by Marie de Medicis from Italy.

... Take your pick from the attractions below made for the under 10 set: Pony carrousel with "grab the ring" feature Zipline ride Immense play structure and sandboxes (n.b. pay for entry, even for parents) Cotton candy Rental sailboats in the fountain Pony and donkey rides Famous marionette theatre Flying two person swings There is plenty to enjoy here without paying a cent, but go with kids, and expect to shell out plenty of 2 Euro coins to enjoy the full experience.

Apartment neighborhood, Cafés and coffee

Cafe Medicis (19 rue de Vaugirard) is always a good place for a café midday

January 22, 2010

Unfortunately, the Sénat has retaken control over the Musée du Luxembourg, so new exhibits here are on hold. I don't know what that means for the café which is always packed with French museum-goers. Cafe Medicis is located on 19, rue de Vaugirard 75006 PARIS – and their tel # is 01 42 34 37 99 [From Cafe Medicis « FIVE ONE EIGHT ]

Cafés and coffee

Why is it so hard to find a Great Coffee in Paris?

January 21, 2010

My experiences on this trip brought back vivid memories of when I lived there lots of cafes served coffee that tasted like tar, and the milk added was almost always UHT milk – milk which doesn’t need refrigerating, and which has a smell which is hard to describe. === Caf Malongo – 50 rue St Andre des Arts, 75006 Paris === I found Cafe Malongo mentioned on the internet, so I took the metro to St Michel, walked along the gorgeous Rue Saint Andre des Arts and stepped inside Malongo’s wide glass doors. ... I was overwhelmed by the size of the caf, and delighted by all the little sections where I could sit down and read the paper; some people had laptops plugged in, everyone was savouring their coffees in a great atmosphere, with easy-listening music in the background.

... I dislike French coffee less than I hate that they only serve demi-ecreme or 2% milk, which I always thought was reserved for obese Americans giving them an excuse to add extra sugar. I like my lattes strong enough to break through the rich taste of whole milk, not a watery mess like the French serve almost 100% of the time.

Where to stay

10 new questions I’d ask if I were renting a short-term apartment

January 20, 2010

It looked great in photos and even better in person, but we couldn't wait for our vacation to be over so we could get a good night's sleep. ... In many places, there is no legal ability for neighbors to protest short-term rentals, but they can go out of their way to make short-term renters feel uncomfortable and unwanted. ... This likely won't happen to you, but as a student, I once rented a place where you had to go out in the hallway to use the toilet. "Chambres de bonne" in France often have shared facilities including showers, so don't take this for granted, especially for low-price offers. ... You don't want your first excursion to be to a store to buy plates and towels, as I had to to do at a sublet in Corsica.

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