European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Quot a a. A amps Mich Labram a night View of the arc Detriomphe As seen from the Eiffel Tower a getting around forget about buying maps and just front. Some old ones still have a romantic open Balcony pick up a plan de Paris by a. Leconte from any tobacco at the Back. If you want to hire a bicycle then stick to the Kiosk or bookshop As soon As you arrive. This mini a a Parks As cyclists risk their lives in the narrow congested neatly fits into a coat pocket. Paris is a Small City divided streets. Into 20 quarters arrondissement easy to explore of you arrive by car the Good news is that clamps Are and very walkable. Never seen the bad news is trying to Cope with anarchic if the weather is Fine then wandering around on foot is parisian parking. Your Best policy is to leave the car at the really the perfect Way to discover Paris. Just remember hotel. That French cars Are most unlikely to Stop at Zebra taxis Are the one bugbear of parisian life. There simply Crossings. If it Rains there s always a metro Stop a couple Aren t enough of them. They disappear As soon As it Rains of Hundred Yards away. And the Drivers Are invariably rude and always expect a to travel on the underground system pick up a special tip. Go As you please pass rather than expensive single tickets. The most original Way to travel around the City is the last train on the metro is around 12 30 . Bateau us which regularly sails up and Down the Seine at every metro Entrance there s a Large map of the from the Eiffel Tower to the hotel de Ville. If you arrive at local Quartier. Most parisians travel around their City by the Airport a taxi will Cost around $27 to the Center bus when they can but it can be complicated to work alternative and cheaper routes Are the air France bus or out the route As Only the destination is shown at the the re underground line. A continued from Page 3 j people continue to live fight in the Center of their City so there Are local markets and shops in most quartiers even a feel of what parisians Call Quot Village life a the Ideal Way to get a taste of the Paris of the parisians is to concentrate on one Quartier. Take the Bastille area As an example. Most tourists whisk round the place de la Bastille past the Monument to the burning of the prison during the French revolution and president Frangois Mitterrand s obtrusive modern opera House the main Street a urdu Faubourg , looks uninteresting lined with tasteless furniture shops. But if you have the time to explore there Are dozers of cobbled passageways and Shady courtyards hidden off the main streets. Armed with the proper plan de Paris maps you can find places like the court de Bel air and the passage d homme where there Are Art galleries antique bookshops and artisans workshops. At night in the narrow Rue de Charenton a Paris longest Street a you May walk into the Simonaire Bistro no. 88 where there is live accordion music accompanied by a chanteuse h a Piaf most nights and a meal won t come to much More than $18. A it s the same Story in Pialle where there s a lot More than the Moulin Rouge to Admire. Pigal be nightlife sets the trend these Days. The Motoko in Rue Fontaine is the most fashionable cocktail bar the club Pialle v introduced acid jazz to Paris and is the place to go to hear French rap while Les Folies Pialle formerly a strip joint now doubles As a nightclub and cafe s even life in the Quartier a round Les Hailes behind the fagade of the monstrous shopping Complex that replaced the belly of Paris the City s fruit and. Vegetable Market now a favorite hangout of punks and school kids playing truant. On Rue Montmartre still find delicatessens specializing in foie gras from Gascony an old Market cafe that refuses to die but be Cochon a i Oreille while opposite the Beautiful Church there s a great old fashioned jazz bar l matter which Quartier you choose to explore Paris always has something new to display. Even for those who come to live in the French capital it takes some time before you manage to do More than just scratch the surface and really get a feel for parisian life. A. Distributed by Scripps Howard nows service a. A a amps Michael Abrams the Moulin Rouge cabaret is a Paris landmark. A health and safety no problems with health care and Paris is a pretty Safe City though always keep an Eye out for pickpockets. Despite a Green army of can Effes a motorcycle riders armed with vacuum cleaners a Paris Large dog population continues to leave its Mark on the pavement. Be restaurants it s a Good Rule to Book for dinner especially at weekends when Paris by families from the suburbs. Eating late is no problem. Most. Restaurants serve at least until 10 30 p.m., and you can always eat at a Brasserie after m Midnight. A when to go the Best periods Are Spring and autumn a May june and september october. Christmas and new year Are fun times while in August the City is a a quiet As this is the time parisians take their annual Holiday a and a lot of shops still shut then. A John Buriton 4 stripes Magazine Juty 21, 1994
