Secrets of Paris

* Paris in August
* Summer Cruising on the Seine
* The New Paris Docks
* Wine Museum & Cruise
* Wine Shop Open for Business in August
* French Crackdown on Underage Drinking
* Vélib Celebrates its First Birthday
* Zen Living at BHV
* Shake Your Booty
* Rental Cars and Trucks
* Money Issues
* The Naughty Paris Guides have Arrived!
* Secrets of Paris Blog & Calendar
* Heather’s Tours and Vacation Planning

* Paris in August *
It used to be totally uncool to stay in Paris in August. And those who have left the city, all at the same time, all in the same epic traffic jam heading to the same overcrowded beaches, are probably going to be stubborn and still insist it’s better than sticking around when “everything is closed”. But those of us still here know the secret: there are fewer things closed in the city than ever before, there’s more to do in terms of culture and outdoor activities, and the streets (and metro) are blissfully uncrowded. Of course, most people leave in August because that’s when their kids are out of school. I tend to take my vacation in June or September because I can. This August I plan on getting some vitamin D (sunlight), of which, despite the periodic storms, there is plenty this summer in Paris. See you on Paris Plage! – Heather

* Summer Cruising on the Seine *
Aside from the lovely Paris Plage, there’s no better way to enjoy the Seine than a river cruise, especially when it’s hot and sticky outside like it is this week. There are many options for you this August, here are a few:

- Canauxrama offers a new “Bistro en Seine” cruise for €11 with advance tickets (€15 without advance tickets), a two-hour round-trip Seine cruise from Port de l’Arsenal (Bastille), passing via the Eiffel Tower, with snacks and Champagne on board. They also run Marne River and Canal Cruises, for a more leisurely cruising experience. 

- If you don’t plan on eating or drinking, I recommend the Vedettes du Pont Neuf, which take off from the Pont Neuf at the Square du Vert Galant. Buy tickets online for a discounted price of just €7 (you need to be able to print off the voucher).

- Another option is the Champagne-tasting cruises hosted by O-Château: one hour, three Champagnes, €40.

- If you’re daring and curious, you can take a special summer canal boat cruise from Paris Plage at La Villette (19^th) up the Canal Ourcq all the way to Bobigny sur Orcq (Seine-Saint-Denis) for just €1. The down side is that it’s not round trip, you can only go one way and then you have to take the metro (or tram) back to Paris. There are multiple stops and the friendly cruise operators can direct you to the nearest public transport station.

- Although the “hop on, hop off” Batobus was originally intended for residents to get around Paris by Seine, it’s now also used by tourists as well, despite the lack of commentary (actually, sometimes there is when the drivers feel inspired, but I can’t understand a word of their English, bless them for trying). I like it because you get tickets for the day, and can get on or off at any of the 8 stops between the Jardin des Plantes and the Eiffel Tower. If you’re a resident, an annual pass is only €55, and RATP pass holders get discounts off the 1-day pass (€8 instead of €12), 2-day pass (€9 instead of €14) or 5-day pass (€11 instead of €17). The Batobus does not run at night, but it does operate year-round. http://www.batobus.com

- The concept of a real public transportation system on the Seine seems to finally becoming a reality. This month the Voguéo started service along the Marne River (an eastern tributary of the Seine). The average commuter can now take the RER C or Paris Metro to the Gare d’Austerlitz, exit onto the quais of the Seine and board a catamaran (included in the Pass Navigo, €3 without it), and ride along the Seine to the Marne River and the towns of Maisons-Alfort. Other stops include the Pont Nelson Mandela in Charenton-Le-Pont, the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, and the Parc de Bercy. The catamarans hold up to 70 passengers and come every 20 minutes between 7am and 8:30pm on weekdays and 10am-8pm on weekends. Operates year-round. Check out a Voguéo video here.

* The New Paris Docks *
While you’re cruising around, you may notice what looks like a parking garage with a fluorescent green glass structure clinging to its façade on the quais near the Gare d’Austerlitz. That’s the new “Docks de Paris: Cité de la Mode et du Design”, set to open this fall. The hundred-year-old industrial building has been redone to house a prestigious fashion school, a huge design exhibition hall, cafés, boutiques (a rumor that the new Apple Store will open there is unconfirmed), a restaurant and a huge rooftop garden and dock-terrace open to the public. The Voguéo already stops nearby, and supposedly the Batobus will be making a stop there as well. Will Parisians come to hang out on the immense terrace between the Bibliothèque Nationale and the Jardin des Plantes? It’s always hard to say what will catch on in Paris, but for those of us who love the contemporary architecture of the new Rive Gauche Project (rehabilitating the eastern edge of the 13^th arrondissement along the Seine), it will be a must-see. More images here.

* Wine Museum & Cruise *
On days like today when it’s hot and humid, consider a visit to the Paris wine museum. Located in an exceptional setting, the Musée du Vin (Rue des Eaux, 16^th tel 01 45 25 63 26) was built in the ancient limestone quarries mined between the 13th and 18th centuries to provide the stone to build Paris, so they stay exceptionally cool. In the 16th and 17^th centuries, the Friars of the Minimes Monastery used the location to store the wine they made in the vineyards that used to occupy the land surrounding the museum. Today it’s a museum, with exhibits creatively set up in the maze of tunnels, and a restaurant offering wine-tastings (from €14-26, including museum entrance). The museum visit alone is €7.50. An English guidebook for the museum is available for €2 in the boutique. You can purchase a combined ticket for the Musée du Vin and a Seine sightseeing cruise with the Vedettes de Paris (Port de Suffren, 7th) for just €13 (ask at the museum for more information).

* Wine Shop Open for Business in August *
All this talk of wine is making me thirsty. Luckily for me (and you, too, if you’re still in Paris), La Dernière Goutte (6 rue de Bourbon Le Château, 6^th, M° Mabillon) is not only open every single day, for August they will also be having daily dégustations, or wine tastings. Conveniently located between St-Michel and St-Gemain-des-Prés, with a friendly, bilingual staff and reasonable prices on “vins de propriétaires”. Tel 01.43.29.11.62. Open Tue-Sat 10am-8:30pm, Sun 11am-7pm, Mon 4pm-8:30pm.

* French Crackdown on Underage Drinking *
Speaking of alcohol…when I was a student in Paris (okay, that was over a decade ago), it was never a problem getting alcohol. As far as I could tell, no one ever carded, either in wine shops nor in bars, and no one ever even mentioned age when the wine was being poured at a meal. Most people don’t even seem to know that the official drinking age is 16 for wine and beer, and 18 for liquor. But then again, none of the French students I knew ever over-indulged, at least not the way I had seen in my days as a bar manager in a college town back in the States. “Why do Americans drink until they throw up?” asked one of my French friends at the Irish bar where we all hung out. “Because it’s funny,” I said, jokingly. It’s hard to explain to a French person what the absolute ban on alcohol for minors in the US inspires us to do as teenagers. I never thought they would have the same problem here in France, but apparently now they do. So next month the government will be voting to pass new laws that strictly enforce the drinking age, as well as banning open bars (“all you can drink” at one price) at night clubs, and, supposedly, drinking in public (“open container laws”, as we call them in the US). What?! No more bottles of wine with our cheese on the Pont des Arts? The laws will come into effect in January 2009…stay tuned to find out whether they actually enforce this.

* Vélib Celebrates its First Birthday *
If you watched the Tour de France arrive in Paris last weekend, you may have seen the 365 Vélib riders cruising down the same route along the Champs-Elysées, a symbolic gesture to celebrate one year of municipal bike service. Aside from three deadly accidents and the high cost of repairs and theft, the Vélib has been a huge success, and has migrated to 16 other French cities. Unfortunately, unless your credit card has a microchip in it (you can see it if it does), then you can’t use the bikes. There are still alternatives if you’d like to feel a bit of wind in your hair and enjoy the relatively uncrowded Paris streets. The site www.mdb-idf.org (under “Pratique” and “Vélocistes Parisiens” ) has bike rental shops listed by arrondissement. Another great site is www.gepetto-et-velos.com, who have two locations in the Latin Quarter. The Roue Libre site (www.rouelibre.fr) seems to be under construction, but they have two shops, one at the Forum des Halles (on the Rue Rambuteau side) and at the Place de la Bastille (on Boulevard Bourdon) with inexpensive daily, weekly, and monthly rentals.

* Zen Living at BHV *
While we are saddened by the loss of the Brico Café in the Sous-Sol of BHV, this summer we can get some fresh air up on the “BHV Terrace Apartment”, with seven outdoor home décor displays for every area of your home from the bathroom to the kitchen. Metro Hotel de Ville, open during store hours Monday-Saturday. Summer only (or until a storm blows it away).

* Shake Your Booty *
For the most up-to-date news on Tango and Salsa events and classes in Paris , check out www.tango-argentin.net and www.salsafrance.com. If you understand French, try calling the Allo-Danse hotline for all dancing events in Paris , 08 92 70 50 25 (€.034/minute). Another great resource is http://danse-a-2.com, which covers all kinds of dancing in and around the city.

* Rental Cars and Trucks *
All of the major car rental companies can be found in Paris, but I had such a great experience with Sixt when I used them earlier this week, that I’d like to recommend them. I had reserved a Renault Kangoo (small transport truck), and when I arrived at the agency near Invalides, it hadn’t been returned yet. They then suggested a VW Touran, which, while it looked smaller, had the same storage capacity (about 3 cubic meters) and was easier to drive. And cheaper. The whole day, with 500 kilometers included, was just €68. Of course, the gas still costs €1.53/litre (even for diesel), thus €60 for a half tank of gas, but it’s hard to beat that price for a 24-hour rental. Actually, I was supposed to have it back before the end of the day, but I was late and was there when they opened in the morning, so they didn’t charge me.

Another agency I haven’t used yet but which could come in handy is City Cars, which rents Smart Cars by the day, week, or month (€29/day for monthly rentals) as well as a similar car called Aixam that can be rented without a driver’s license (it can only go 45km/hour). Perfect for running errands around town! If any of you test this, do let me know how it goes.

* Money Issues *
Sometimes visitors have problems getting cash in Paris, either because their cards aren’t working, they forget their PIN, or, worst case, the card is stolen. You could always bring the cash from the US, but you’d have to carry it all on you while traveling, and don’t even think of bringing dollars to exchange, the rates are horrible. One option is to wire yourself money before you leave and pick it up in Paris. Western Union is the best known, with agencies all over Paris, but you may want to compare prices and exchange rates with MoneyGram which now has several locations in town, although the most central is at 45 bd Sébastopol, 1^st, tel 00800 8971 8971).

* The Naughty Paris Guides have Arrived! *
After a treacherous, month-long journey across the high seas, “Naughty Paris: A Lady’s Guide to the Sexy City” has finally arrived in Paris! Stop by www.naughtyparisguide.com if you’d like to get a copy of your own (at a special pre-launch discount) before they arrive in bookstores in September, or to attend special Naughty Paris events.

* Secrets of Paris Blog & Calendar *

Don’t forget to have a peek at my blog (www.secretsofparis.com), where you’ll find news and photos from Paris in July including the new blue Eiffel Tower, Paris Plage, Bastille Day fireworks, Heather’s cameo on a new ABC television show, and her unfortunate encounter with professional pickpockets. The calendar has just been updated for August as well, don’t miss any of the great festivals, concerts and events going on this month.

* Heather’s Tours and Vacation Planning *

Coming to Paris and want to make the most of your trip? Don’t have any friends here to show you around and give you the lowdown on all of the best places to eat, shop and go out at night? Read about my custom tours and vacation planning services here.

* 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