Newsletter #88: January 2009

 IN THIS ISSUE:

* The Carte Orange is Officially Gone Baby, Gone
* Public Reimbursed for Paris Train Strike
* Three Dining Reviews: César, Marty, Scoop
* French Foodie Sites
* New 2009 Fooding Guide
* Fun, Food & Fraternité at Le Petit Ney Café
* Valentine’s Day in Paris
* French Discount Sites
* It’s “Les Soldes” at Secrets of Paris!
* Comparing Mobile Phone Offers
* Nightlife News
* Sites for the South of France
* SOS Help Seeks Spring Volunteers
* Secrets of Paris Correspondents Wanted
* Gold in Them Archives
* Secrets of Paris Blog & Calendar
* Heather’s Tours and Vacation Planning Help You Save
* Where to Find Naughty Paris

* From Heather’s Desk *

Paris got off to a very chilly start in 2009 with snow brought in by Siberian winds, the conflict in Gaza, and the sad passing of the Francophile writer Polly Platt and French director Claude Berri. But the mood in Paris has lifted with the start of the winter sales, the relative warm 5°C temperatures this week, and the upcoming inauguration of a new American president. And while the economy isn’t great, prices on flights to Europe from the US have gone down, the Dollar has gone up, and most hotels have maintained 2008 prices. Hope to see you in Paris in 2009! :) - Heather

* The Carte Orange is Officially Gone Baby, Gone *

The very last Carte Oranges, which have been slowly replaced by the Carte Navigo, will be sold this month. If you’re going to switch to the new Navigo this month, do it as soon as possible because there will be looooooong lines to do this beginning the last week of January. No fun. Think ahead. 

* Public Reimbursed for Paris Train Strike *

Back when I was a student in 1995 strikes were a lot different. They would close down the entire transportation system for weeks on end – train, metro, bus, even air traffic controllers. But that’s all a distant memory since the “minimum service” law that requires that some trains always run, and now that Sarkozy is president he has been making the RATP (metro) and SNCF (train) reimburse disgruntled travelers whenever they disrupt service. So for all of you inconvenienced by the Tuesday 13^th strike at the Gare St-Lazare will be reimbursed €30-50 off of your monthly Navigo card for February. The strike was spontaneous, in reaction to an attack on one of the conductors on RER A.

* Three Dining Reviews *

I’ve added three new dining reviews in the Paris Resource Guide, two in my own ‘hood -- Le Marty and Pizza César – and Scoop, near Palais Royal. And coming Monday, a review of the hidden restaurant called “Derrière”.

* French Foodie Sites *

January isn’t usually thought of as a great time to get fresh fruit and veg unless it comes from far, far away (and makes us feel guilty for all of the shipping pollution). But the Ile-de-France is a farming region (hard to tell if the only thing you see outside Paris are the nasty ‘burbs between here and the airports), and there are plenty of local fresh produce available from sites such as www.tousprimeurs.com or www.lespaniersduvaldeloire.fr from the Loire Valley. If you’re specifically looking for organic produce (not always local), check out the site www.mon-panier-bio.com, which is a directory of all of the sites by region where you can get “biologique” produce any time of the year. As an aside, you know you’ve lived in France too long when the work “Bio” (sounds like “B.O.”) makes you think of healthy food, not sweaty underarms. ;)

* New 2009 Fooding Guide *

For all of you die-hard foodies out there (you know who you are), I want to share one of my secrets to finding the best places to eat in Paris on any budget (that is, when I’ve over-pestered my food blogging friends for recommendations): Le Guide Fooding. Where I once relied on NOVA or Zurban (R.I.P.) or the Pudlo (too predictable) or even the Figaro Magazine (restaurants usually on the other end of town), I now can peruse the new 2009 Fooding Guide, available at the newsstand for €7.50 (or via their site with PayPal). If your French isn’t good enough to follow, you can still choose randomly and know you’re getting good value.

* Fun, Food & Fraternité at Le Petit Ney Café *

Le Petit Ney is a café littéraire collectif located on the northern edge of the 18^th arrondissement. Run and supported by the locals, this collective has a nice little café with plats du jours, an equitable commerce boutique, and a varied program of entertainment such as concerts, storytelling, poetry slams, art exhibitions, open mic nights, and ateliers in cooking, sewing, writing, flamenco. You don’t have to live in the area to join the association and enjoy the community benefits.

* Valentine’s Day in Paris *

Every day is romantic in Paris, so what to do on the most romantic day of the year? I’m a big fan of spa treatments, but I’m more likely to indulge if I’m treating someone else as well. Several spas in Paris have special spa packages for couples (and not just for Valentine’s Day, of course) including the Four Seasons George V Spa, L’Institut Payot, Institut Dior at the Plaza Athénée, Nuxe Spa, and the Valmont Spa at Le Meurice. One special “Eat & Treat” package for those of you on a more restrained budget can be found at the very romantic L’Hôtel, which includes lunch in the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, a 30-minute massage, and access to the private pool for €260 per couple.

* French Discount Sites *

If you're looking for some great sales on French websites, try Brand Alley, A Vos Soldes. There’s a great rental site in France called Zilok.fr  (sites in US and UK as well) where you can rent from companies or individuals, or rent your own stuff out, from tools, cars, Louis Vuitton bags, BBQ grills, electronics, vacations rentals or party space...almost everything, usually cheaper than eBay.

* It’s “Les Soldes” at Secrets of Paris! *

Since everything else in France is on sale, I’ve decided to join in on the fun. For the Secrets of Paris Tours, get a free half day added onto each full day custom tour in 2009 booked by March 1. For details go here: www.secretsofparis.com/customtours/

Looking for a good gift for Valentine's Day for that special lady...or why not yourself? Heather’s “Naughty Paris Guide” is on sale through February 1st (to ensure delivery by February 14th). For North American deliveries click here. For European deliveries (excluding France) click here. If you're in France, pick up a book at any Naughty Paris event!

* Comparing Mobile Phone Offers *

What a jungle out there. It used to be just the Big Three: Bouygues, SFR, Orange. Now there are a ton of budget and specialty mobile phone providers, including Coriolis (which uses SFR network), Virgin Mobile, Simpleo (which has a €100 reimbursement for anyone switching to their service before the end of January), NRJ Mobile, Tele2, Ten (on Orange network), Breizh Mobile (not just for Bretons!) and Transatel (which has a multi-country subscription for France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands). Some of the lesser-known ones are great for cheap pay-as-you-go phones and for people who don’t need to surf the internet or download music on their phones. To compare all offers, check out Meilleur Mobile.

* Nightlife News *

The former hot club of the 80s, Le Palace, is in trouble since they reopened in November as a “salle des spectacles” without their permit. It’s "en cours de demande,” they say. Uh huh. Lots of excitement (on Facebook anyway) of the new “NY Club Paris” which took over the old Slow Club at 130 rue de Rivoli, 1^st. Their official opening party is January 30^th, look for them on Facebook to get on zee list. And tonight the Flûte L'Etoile celebrate their first anniversary. Check out their Tuesday Happy Hour (2 for 1 Champagne 5-8pm), Live Jazz on Wednesdays (8-11pm), and monthly “Champagne School” seminars. And coming soon, the Coliseum Club, opening in February...

* Sites for the South of France *

Because it’s too dang cold in Paris right now I’ve got the South of France on the brain. Check out these sites if you’re planning on a trip down yourself: Art classes on the French Riviera with Scottish artist Jilly Ballantyne; Luxury fashion insider tours with La Mode – Le Club, and Sacred Provence retreats with Jill Mitchell.

* SOS Help Seeks Spring Volunteers *

SOS Help is a listening service for English speakers living in France. No matter how big or small your problem, they are there to listen every day from 3-11pm. They are currently recruiting volunteers for the spring, with training sessions beginning March 14. “If you are interested in people, empathetic and non-judgemental, come to a recruitment information session at the American Church, 65 Quai d’Orsay , 7th, on Thursday January 29th, Wednesday February 4th *OR* Tuesday February 10th. For more info email soshelprecruitment@gmail.com

* Secrets of Paris Correspondents Wanted *

As much as I’d like to be everywhere at once, my cloning projects just haven’t worked out, and I end up throwing far too many press invitations away for lack of time. So for 2009 I’m looking to create a Secrets of Paris posse of correspondents to check out the latest restaurants, clubs, galleries shops, and hotels around town. No pay, but you get access to some pretty cool places for free, and a large audience to read your fabulous prose (and an editor, in case you need some pointers on whipping those words into shape). Send Heather a brief, informative, and ideally engaging e-mail about yourself. Please, no CVs, and don’t call me “Dear Ms. Stimmler-Hall”. secretsofparis@gmail.com

* Gold in Them Archives! *

Browse the Secrets of Paris Archives for more holiday and money saving tips! www.secretsofparis.com/newsletterarchives

* Secrets of Paris Blog & Calendar *

Don’t forget to have a peek at my blog, where you’ll find news and photos from Paris and the latest news around town. The calendar has also just been updated, so don’t miss any of the great events!

* Where to find Naughty Paris *

You can now find Naughty Paris at American and Canadian bookstores (just ask if you don’t see it, they can usually get a copy faster than Amazon can send it), at every major online bookseller, and in Paris at Brentano’s, WH Smith, Abbey Bookshop, Shakespeare & Co., George V Four Seasons Gift Shop, The Five Hotel, Yoba Boutique, and the Yoba Luxury Lingerie stand at Printemps Haussmann, and the Boutique Dèmonia. For more info, visit www.naughtyparisguide.com/buy-the-guide/

* Are you on the list? *

If you’ve been getting this newsletter forwarded from a friend, please consider subscribing yourself. It’s free, and all you have to do is enter your e-mail address in the box at: http://www.secretsofparis.com/subscribe.htm. The benefit? You’ll get your own copy sent directly to your inbox every month, and I’ll have a better idea of how many of you are actually reading. Thanks! –Heather