Topic Wiki

Dan's TRs:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/7517
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/27356

AJK's (very long) TR:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=1573.msg150317#msg150317

Tzfas's TR:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=1573.msg271358#msg271358

Yehoshua's TR:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=53999.msg1209038#msg1209038

Other TRs:
Yitzy93,
Moishy36, deals, chuchem, milechazzer, LAXtraveler, fdg9, ChAiM'l, rots5, Ergel, steve L, sy guy, waterpri, MC dvol
CGR

Map of Jewish Paris
Kosher Paris Map
Kosher List-July 2015 or Here.

RESTAURANTS (the best of)

There are hundreds of kosher restaurants in Paris.  The locals generally don't eat the meat under Beis Din as they don't require Glatt meat.  But they will eat everything else under Beis din.

Search for restaurants by cuisine and hashgocha here.


NameLocationMetroTypeHechsherNotes
Darjeeling17thArgentine-1MeatRottenberg
Sar Eden19thOurcq-5BakeryRottenbergOrganic bakery
Charles Traiteur19thOurcq-5BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur20thSaint-Mandé-1BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur11thRue-Des-Boulets-9BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur16thVictor-Hugo-2BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur Halavi17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din Chalavi
Korcarz4thSaint-paul-1BakeryBeth-DinIn the Marais
Ardely’s19thOurcq-5Milk ChocolateKatz
Damyel19thOurcq-5Parve ChocolateRottenberg
L’As Du Fallafel4thSaint-paul-1FallafelBeth-Dinin the Marais
L’Inte Cafe12thMiromesnil-9,13DairyBeth-Din15 minute walk from the Park Hyatt
Kosher pizza4thSaint-paul-1PizzaRottenberg
Le Shine17thPorte Maillot-1ChineseLubavitchnear the Arc
Soumsoum11thVoltaire- 9MeatLubavitchGreat Israeli restaurent, there is a second one in the 8th
Doron ba Laïla19thGare Saint-Lazare 3-12-13-14MeatRottenbergNice meat restaurant
Tibs19thOurcq-5DairyKatz
Thai One2ndSentier-3MeatRottenberg
Le XXV16thTrocadéro-9-6BakeryRottenberg Chalavi
Le XXV8thTernes-2BakeryRottenberg Chalavi




Activities:
-Segway Tour. Please do not PM Ergel with requests for coupon codes. The codes are long dead
-Seine River Tour
-Eiffel Tour (Metro: Trocadero -6,9)
-Versailles Palace and Gardens. Never wait on line to buy tickets. 1. Use museum pass 2. Buy in advance 3. There are vending machines near the bathrooms (you have to poke around to find them) without lines. (if you go during a really busy time and the line seems endlessly long, go to the gardens first and return to the palace in the afternoon when lines are shorter). To get an audio guide, you usually proceed across the Royal Courtyard after passing security. If the lines for the audio guides are long, turn left in the Courtyard, to the Apartments of the daughter's of Louis XV’s. There you'll find another counter where you can get audio guides, with no lines at all. You can then exit the apartments and continue along the tour, bypassing the longer line.
-Louvre Art Museum (Closed Tuesday) (Metro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre -1,7) Shushan/Purim artifacts that can be seen at the Louvre, per the book Purim and the Persian Empire.
-D'Orsay Art Museum (Closed Monday) (Metro: Solférino -12)
-Musée de l'Orangerie des Tuileries (closed Tuesday) small museum featuring Monet's lilies (Metro Concorde: -1,8,12)
-Centre Georges Pompidou modern art museum open 11-9. closed tuedays (Metro: Rambuteau -11)
-Tuileries Gardens. (Metro: Tuileries -1)
-Paris sewer museum Smells really bad but an interesting look at the sewer system
-Champs Elysees shopping (Metro: Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau -1,13)
-Arc de Triomphe (Metro: Charles de Gaulle - Étoile -1,2,6)
-Operan National De Paris opera house. tours daily 11:30 and 2:30. Admission included in Museum Pass, tour extra
-Montmartre (Great neighborhood to walk around with boutiques, artists, and great views, and a funicular that kids will love) (Metro: abbesses -12, Anvers -2)
-The Great Synagogue (La Victoria) is beautiful but the main shul is only open on Shabbos mornings for Shacharis, but definitely worthwhile if you're there over Shabbos (Metro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette -12)

Hotels:
-Park Hyatt Paris (Hyatt cat 7) is an outstanding value for your points. They used to give a phenomenal kosher breakfast but now it's barely even worth requesting.  Still rooms are a decent size for Paris, the Spa facilities are very nice, and the intoxicating smell used throughout the hotel for forever be linked with the romance of Paris. Ideally located between the Opera and Tuileries metro stations.
The Park Hyatt has free parking, though driving and parking elsewhere in Paris is very difficult.
The Park Hyatt has also complimentary bikes for guests.
There is a backdoor for entry on shabbos.

-The InterContinental Paris - Le Grand is not far from the Park Hyatt. It cost 70k IHG points per night or you can use IHG free nights. It is a good alternitive if the PH is not available or if you don't have/don't want to spend 30k Hyatt points per night.

-The Westin (SPG cat 6) is not as luxurious at the Park Hyatt but is located nearby and does the trick if you only have Starpoints and not Chase or Hyatt points.

Shabbos meals:
-Chabad of Champs Elysees has great shabbos meals and you're sure to bump into other tourists there as well to share tips.
It is a 30 minute walk to the Park Hyatt, but the walk is quite lovely via the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees.
Reservations are required: http://www.chabadchampselysees.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/888847/jewish/Shabbat-at-Chabad-Champs-Elyses.htm
-if you don't/can't eat at Chabad, they suggest getting takeout from Ben & Cook located in the 8th. Hashgacha: rabbinate Lubavitch De France 33 1 45 61 03 95. 35 Euro for 2 challas, 2 dips, meatballs with noodles or veggies for 2. they close at 3pm on Fridays (in the summer). call for more info
- Friday night meals at Grand Synagogue http://www.tiny.cc/chabbat

There is no eruv in Paris. Consider taking the metro to shul with your talis bag along with return tickets for motzei shabbos.

Transport from CDG:
-If you are going to the Opera area you can take the RoissyBus (pronounced Wahsee-Boos as you will get blank stares if you ask for the Royzee-Bus) which goes there nonstop. You can pay by credit card in the RoissyBus waiting station or on the bus.  The cost is €10.  It is a 5 minute walk to the Park Hyatt.

-There are also train options from CDG: the subway is located in terminal 2E/2F, to get to paris its ligne B (Blue) it should take approximately 30minutes to get to Gare Du Nord
it cost 9€10 each way per person

- Mendy Taxi: 0(1133) 6 50 99 82 93 http://mendystransport.com/en/
- Shimon taxi: 0(1133)6 98 27 16 08  Tamidshuttle@gmail.com

- Uber, Bolt are the best option to get to paris cheapest and fastest

Metro:
The subway is fast, efficient, and cheap. A book of 10 tickets is 13,30€ for adults and 6,65€ for kids.
The subway closes between 12:30 and 2am.

Map:
Streetwise Paris cannot emphasize enough, this is really a must. Of course, if you have GMaps and data you don't need this map unless you really like paper.

Guidebooks
Rick Steves' Paris 2013
Fodor's Paris 2013 (Full-color Travel Guide)

Other Tips
-If you plan on visiting several of the items covered by the Museum Pass - make sure to check it out and price out your options.  Many times it is worth it to get a one-day or multi-day Museum Pass to save some money and more importantly, time (see link for more details: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/)
-Double check days when museums/sites are closed as many do close on different days of the week.
« Last edited by yitzy93 on November 27, 2023, 04:50:39 PM »

Author Topic: Paris Master Thread  (Read 947186 times)

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #340 on: November 28, 2011, 09:41:42 AM »
So I'm sitting in the KLM Lounge in AMS (huge), and I realized my TR is already 4 pages long and I'm only halfway done.

Would you guys prefer a shorter one with just the highlights, or a longer one with details? (I'd separate each heading in a different post to help streamline the conversation.)
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline chuchem

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #341 on: November 28, 2011, 10:13:42 AM »
I was last week in the AMS business lounge. Didnt like it, to big.... For a airport like AMS the homeairline KLM should have more then one lounge.


Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #342 on: November 28, 2011, 10:19:46 AM »
I was last week in the AMS business lounge. Didnt like it, to big.... For a airport like AMS the homeairline KLM should have more then one lounge.

Oh, but they do. They have at least two, as last week I was in a completely different one, but smaller than this one (though also quite large).

They may have more, I'm not sure.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline chuchem

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #343 on: November 28, 2011, 10:21:34 AM »
Well I was in the big one (think 25) and didnt like it....

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #344 on: November 28, 2011, 10:26:18 AM »
Well I was in the big one (think 25) and didnt like it....

I'm in 52, and its huge. Can't remember which one I was in last week. You didn't like it because it was big?
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline chuchem

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #345 on: November 28, 2011, 11:53:48 AM »
it has no style, no nice couches, no service. I was in 52 and its way to big. Its like a big waiting hall with free food. I have been to alot of lounges. Male had the worst, after this was AMS.

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #346 on: November 28, 2011, 05:47:28 PM »
So I'm sitting in the KLM Lounge in AMS (huge), and I realized my TR is already 4 pages long and I'm only halfway done.

Would you guys prefer a shorter one with just the highlights, or a longer one with details? (I'd separate each heading in a different post to help streamline the conversation.)
One vote for details.

Offline Saver2000

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #347 on: November 28, 2011, 06:33:42 PM »

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #348 on: November 29, 2011, 06:45:55 PM »
Two votes for the longer one, zero for the highlights. Longer one it is.

Will try and finish it in the next day or so.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline YudiG

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #349 on: November 29, 2011, 06:49:17 PM »
Two votes for the longer one, zero for the highlights. Longer one it is.

Will try and finish it in the next day or so.

maybe have an executive summary at the top or at the end in bullet point form? might be helpful for quick review...looking forward!

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #350 on: November 30, 2011, 07:02:27 AM »
it has no style, no nice couches, no service. I was in 52 and its way to big. Its like a big waiting hall with free food. I have been to alot of lounges. Male had the worst, after this was AMS.
You've never been to TLV?!

AJK - how did you get into the lounge?
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #351 on: November 30, 2011, 07:59:08 AM »
AJK - how did you get into the lounge?

See upcoming TR :P
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #352 on: November 30, 2011, 04:39:47 PM »
Introduction:
As many of you know, during a short window several weeks ago, KLM--through a seeming price-glitch--was offering US-based travel to Europe at a fraction of the usual cost. My wife and I couldn’t resist the opportunity, and we took advantage of the glitch by buying tickets from JFK-CDG with a short layover in AMS for ~$440.

Wednesday Evening:
After checking in at JFK, but before going through security, we chose to bide our time in the Oasis Lounge in Terminal 4. Though one could gain entry to the Oasis with Priority Pass, because my wife did not get the AMEX Platinum (and thereby the Priority Pass), I chose to use my Delta status, which gave my wife complementary access as well. The usual entry-fee is $45 per person.

The Oasis is definitely above-average, at least in relation to the lounges I’ve been in before. Among the amenities: self-serve bar including hard alcohol, beer, and wine; private shower (but only one); assortment of cookies, chips, fruit etc. After grabbing a Heineken and chocolate chip cookies, I settled down to do a few last minute preparations.

Heads up for those with Sprint: In the past, when I went out of the country, I simply called Sprint and added the pro-ratable international plan to my line, which gave me unlimited data for what I think was about $70/month. However, when I called Sprint to add the plan this time, I was surprised to hear that their “international plan” cost $1.29/minute + $19/mb of data. Apparently, they completely axed their flat-rate plan sometime last year and don’t seem to have any plans to bring it back. I took this as an opportunity to become unwired for four days.

A few minutes before we left the lounge, I bumped into fellow DDF’er twentie4hrs who also got in on the KLM bonanza, but he chose instead to take his wife to TLV.

Once at the gate, they were offering business class upgrades for 25,000 Delta Skymiles. The thought of flying business to AMS for, essentially, $170* + 25,000 Skymiles was almost too good to pass up. In the end, though, we didn’t do it for a number of reasons. First, for 25,000 Skymiles I can get a transcontinental Delta flight worth $400-500. To my wife and me, it wasn’t worth the $800-1000 it would “cost” us to fly business class for a relatively short seven hour flight. We both agreed, though, that had it been 10+ hours, we would have splurged.

Second, once we had decided against paying the miles to upgrade, we went up to the gate agent and simply asked if they’d upgrade us anyway, without miles. Surprisingly, we were given a complementary upgrade from coach to Economy Comfort (more on that below) simply by asking. The usual cost for that upgrade is about $110/seat.

Third, and finally, as it turned out, due to massive tail winds of up to 190mph, the 7 hour 15 minute flight actually ended up being a 5 hour 50 minute flight, further reinforcing our analysis to forego business this time ‘round. (Again, to us—and each person would likely conduct this analysis differently—it wasn’t worth paying in excess of $150/hr to sit on the second floor with the big-wigs, like, say, twentie4hrs :P Though, in his defense, for him it made a lot of sense.)
« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 04:53:27 PM by AJK »
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #353 on: November 30, 2011, 04:44:23 PM »
Flight to Amsterdam:

Just a few thoughts – First, let me start off by saying there actually is a large difference between KLM’s coach and their Economy Comfort. Though their EC does not include seat power (like Delta does), the individual seat has a great deal more leg room (think an entire cabin of exit row seats), and it reclines noticeably much further. Also, the ECs are up front, so you’re the first ones to deplane, which is nice.

Second, though the 190mph tail winds helped shave over an hour from our flight, they caused some of the worst turbulence we probably have ever felt. Though it lasted only a few moments, it worried me just enough that I reached down and fastened my seat belt, perhaps in an abundance of caution, but nonetheless endeavoring to avoid this.

Third, the KLM entertainment system was probably the best I have experienced, if only for the breadth of titles they offered. My wife and I were able to pick from what seemed like well over 100 titles, all on demand. She chose Water for Elephants; I chose X-Men: First Class. (Don’t read into either of our choices :P)

KLM Lounge:

The KLM lounge in Amsterdam was quite large. And, unlike the Oasis at JFK Terminal 4 (which only has one), this lounge had a number of showers, one of which I took full advantage. Also, the chairs here seemed more plentiful and more comfortable. The lounge itself was on the second floor of the airport, and overlooked the terminal below. The one drawback, however, was that because this was AMS and not JFK, none of the snacks and such were kosher. That being said, they had some of the tastiest tangerines we’ve had in awhile. Also the service seemed to be better: at one point two lounge attendants came by, one with a tray of sausage and cheese sandwiches, the other with mustard and napkins.

Flight to Paris:

Pretty quick hop over from AMS to CDG on a KLM flight operated by Air France. There were three classes of service (first, business, and coach). We were upgraded from coach to business, but as has been mentioned before among our ranks, international first/business is a joke. First class simply means that the middle seat cannot be booked, and business class simply means a coach ticket with the service of first class. Seats aren’t roomier, no more leg room, no seat power, nadda. Definitely not worth using miles or (gasp) paying for an upgrade. Also worth noting is that of the 108 seats in business and first, only 11 were occupied. We were also the only 2 people (out of 48) in business, so we had 8 full rows of six seats to ourselves, which was nice.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #354 on: November 30, 2011, 04:46:10 PM »
Arrival in Paris:

Walked to Roissy Bus and tried to buy tickets using my CSP for 20 frustrating minutes before remembering the whole “chip & pin” ridiculousness. We finally ended up exchanging money (at a terrible rate) in the airport and giving the driver cash on board. Because of traffic, trip took about 60 minutes. (Ironic tidbit: On the way to the hotel, we drove past a Vente-Privee store/factory!)

Park Hyatt Paris:

About a week before we left for CDG, I called PHP to book a room and was told there was absolutely nothing available. I called a few times during the days leading up to our departure and thankfully was able to secure the PHP for Thursday night and then later on for Friday night as well. (The CSR who booked us was extremely surprised there was any availability at all let alone award availability given the holidays and proximity to travel.) We stayed on points, with each night requiring 22,000 Hyatt points. Though I had tried to secure a suite upgrade using one of my upgrade certificates (both a day prior to our arrival and at check-in), the PHP’s reservations manager said there were no suites available as they were chock-full. Given the booking CSR’s reaction to availability, I wasn’t surprised they couldn’t upgrade us to a suite. They did, however, upgrade us to a Park Deluxe room (which is a bit larger than their standard room). The room, if paid for, would have been ~$972/night. Thus, we got about 4.4cpm, a pretty great redemption rate.

The hotel, in terms of location, is amazing. It is in the heart of Paris, right down the street from the Paris Opera and Vendome Place (a shopping promenade for the uber-wealthy with stores like Patek Phillipe, Cartier, Tiffany’s etc.). Perhaps more importantly, it’s also only a two minute walk to the Opera Station of the Paris Metro (more on metro below).

The hotel is luxurious, and the service is impeccable. Like someone mentioned on here before, it felt as though there was one employee per guest. While most of the time it was appreciated, there were times when my wife and I felt it was slightly overbearing, almost Big Brother-ish. Our room did have a balcony, but aside from briefly checking it out, we never really sat outside because it wasn’t warm enough outside. We also had occasion to take advantage of the PHP’s hot tub and sauna, which after a full day of running around was extremely relaxing. The bathroom we had was also nice with a separate rain shower and bath, and a separate room for the toilet. Although we weren’t in the hotel very much to use it, we appreciated the free WiFi (which we got with Hyatt Platinum status). All that being said, I can’t say we were blown away by the PHP. Perhaps it’s because we didn’t get to experience a PHP suite, or maybe because we should have done a better job at managing our expectations despite some extremely positive reviews? I’m not sure. But would I stay here again? Absolutely.

Thursday Night:

We hopped on the Metro and went to Darjeeling. Because we knew before hand about a general lack of English menus in Paris, we avoided the problem entirely by, before leaving the PHP, looking up the menu online, and deciding what we wanted using Google translate.

When we got there, Darjeeling was so busy they were turning people away. Luckily, I had made a reservation using my computer + Google Voice. (When will hotels stop charging for local calls?? I know, I know, probably never, but at $1,000 a night, I think they should consider throwing it in.)

The food at Darjeeling was tasty...the ambience terrible. We thought the restaurant was horrendously decorated and the tables were so close to one another it felt like the people next to us (on both sides) were sitting in our laps. But, as I said, the food was tasty. Also, we felt the portions, considering their cost, should have been 150-200% larger (or cheaper).

After dinner, we hopped back on the Metro to the Eiffel Tower--despite basically falling asleep in our main course--because we wanted to utilize every moment we had in Paris. As soon as we got off the train and turned the corner, the Eiffel Tower was having its famous hourly light show. It was truly a sight to behold. It was then I got down on one knee and proposed to my wife again. She said yes. OK, fine, just kidding (about the proposal, not the answer), but it sure seemed like it could have been appropriate. We spent about an hour there and then took the Metro back to PHP.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #355 on: November 30, 2011, 04:48:20 PM »
Metro:

A word about the Metro: Unlike the MTA in NYC, we never waited longer than about four minutes for a train which, if you’ve ever had to wait 30+ minutes for a train in NYC, is extremely convenient. Also, each station has a sign showing the ETA of the next two trains which, again, is very convenient. And, as noted by others, the Metro can basically take you wherever you need to go in Paris. During our time there, we never stepped foot in a cab, thus getting to better experience Paris and save money. Personally, we bought 10-packs for 12.50 EUR and went through about three of them. Note: Like buying tickets for the Roissy Bus, you cannot buy them with an American credit card from the kiosk. You have to buy them from someone behind the counter who can swipe the CC. Unfortunately, though, not every station has the ability to sell/swipe for tickets.

Friday:

On Friday morning, we went back to the Eiffel Tower to meet up for a 9:30-1:30 Segway tour of Paris. This may have been the highlight of our trip. (A special thanks to Ergel for helping me get a sizeable discount.) More details of the tour can be found here. First of all, riding a Segway is super fun. It only takes about five minutes to get the hang of it, and then you’re ready for primetime. Second, seeing Paris on a Segway (mine was nicknamed Segs and the City) was just… perfect. It’s like taking a walking tour, except without having to walk, while at the same time retaining the ability to stop and look more closely at sites as if you were. Our tour guide spoke perfect English (which for Paris was pretty uncommon in our experience) and was quite knowledgeable. Among the things we saw were the military academy that Napoleon attended, his tomb, Museum De Orsay, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Plaza De La Concorde.
After the tour, we hopped on the Metro to the Jewish District of La Marais to eat something and get some goodies for Shabbas. For lunch we picked up some falafel at L'As du Fallafel. The falafel itself was the best falafel I’ve ever tasted, hands down. But for some reason, when it was added to the entire sandwich it lost some of its flair. (Maybe that’s because I’m not such a huge fan of red cabbage.) While eating our falafel outside, a car full of Chabad kids hanging out the windows and sunroof came down the alley singing and playing “Mashiach, Mashiach, Mashiach, oy yoy yoy.” Was quite a sight, and it seemed from people’s reactions that it was a pretty usual occurrence. Afterwards, we walked to Korcarz bakery right down the street and picked up some French pastries and some challah. Most were good, one was spectacular (the brownies). On our way back to the hotel, we picked up some food for Shabbas lunch, which we ate at the hotel.

When we arrived back at the hotel, we changed and headed downstairs for a little pre-Shabbas relaxation in the hot tub and sauna. Shortly thereafter, we changed for Shabbas, stopped at the front desk to let them know to open the side staircase for us for Shabbas, and took the Metro to Chabad.

Friday night:

Davening was a bit longer than I would have liked (they have an hour shiur between mincha and kabbalas shabbas that was in French), but the entire experience was wonderful. The food was good, and even though we were sitting at a table mostly comprised of French and Moroccan people, their English was good enough that the conversation flowed smoothly enough.

The walk home, along Champs Elysees, was the second highlight of the trip. With the lights, and the holiday additions, the street is just alive with beauty. Though the walk is supposed to only take 35 minutes, it took us over two hours to make it back to the PHP. We took detours along the Seine, we watched the Eiffel Tower light show (albeit from farther away), and we hung out in Plaza De La Concorde. It was probably the best walking experience we’ve ever had.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #356 on: November 30, 2011, 04:51:53 PM »
Shabbas day:

On Shabbas morning, we davened at the Great Synagogue of Paris or “La Victoire synagogue.” It is a truly breathtaking shul with vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, and antique wooden pews. Also, we quite enjoyed the choir that performed along with the Chazzan. There was a gala Kiddush afterwards, and then we walked back to PHP.

On our way home, we spied a beautiful red Ferrari 458 parked in the fire lane with its hazards on right in front of a jewelry store. I had a sneaking suspicion its owner was buying some extravagant piece of jewelry for his lucky lady, and we wanted to see who belonged to that lovely piece of machinery, so we stuck around. Just a couple minutes later, some <30 year old with a large bag comes prancing out of the store, flings his purchase in the trunk (which is in the front of the 458) like a bag of bananas and zooms off. Ah, the life.

Saturday night:

Because we weren’t able to secure more than two nights at the PHP, we had to look for another option. A special thanks to E for suggesting--and then helping out with the reservations to—the Intercontinental Le Grand, a 45 second walk from the PHP. At about 6:00 PM we checked out of the PHP and walked to the Intercontinental Le Grand. Initially, while checking in, the agent balked at upgrading us. After a bit of sweet talking, he upgraded us to a junior suite. The room, if paid for, would have been ~$840/night. Suffice it to say, we got a 5.6cpm redemption.

There is an entirely different feel to the Le Grand than the PHP. Whereas the PHP is subdued and somewhat secluded, the Le Grand is and splashy and stately. To give you a bit of perspective, each floor of rooms has >1km of hallways, and our room was, at least to us, enormous. The bathroom was about twice the size of the room at the PHP, though you have to keep in mind we did not have a suite at the PHP, so it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges.  The Le Grand, although service oriented, was not as “overbearing” as the PHP and we found that we liked the Le Grand’s approach slightly better. Also worth noting is that there was no hot tub or sauna at the Le Grand. All told, we absolutely stay here again.

After checking in, we hopped on the metro back to Le Marais in the 4th district with plans to eat at Pitzman. Unfortunately, though, Pitzman’s was closed. (Mind-boggling, really – why is a pizza store closed on Motzei Shabbas?) Improvising a bit, we hopped back on the metro and went to Tib’s for the main course and La Marina for dessert. We thought Tib’s had fantastic food with super-fast service. When we asked our waiter what ”champaignons” were, he actually went to the back and brought us back some sliced mushrooms. Keeping in mind what was coming next, we only ordered two mains: a crepe filled with mushrooms and cream, topped with cheese and then baked, and a pizza with tomato, olives, mushrooms, onions, and tuna. We also ordered a chocolate milkshake which was apparently made with European chocolate and was the best milkshake we’ve ever tasted.

When finished, we walked 50 feet down the street to La Marina and had the famed “Farandole” dessert raved about by Dan. It truly was good, and so big that we weren’t able to finish the whole thing. After we paid, we hopped back on the metro and went back to the Le Grand for the night.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #357 on: November 30, 2011, 04:52:49 PM »
Sunday Morning:

We woke up super early to be at the Louvre at 9am. Though we heard that the Louvre was tremendous and impossible to do even in an entire day, we felt that it just wasn’t right to go to Paris and not spend at least a few hours at the Louvre. The Louvre is so large, in fact, that we were told that if you spent looking at each piece of art for only 30 seconds, for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that it would take over 9 months to see everything inside. Once there, we each turned on our iPods and listened to Rick Steve’s free walking tour Louvre podcast that’ll bring you to, and explain, the highlights of the museum, such as the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, some Michelangelo pieces and other Leonardo DeVinci pieces.

At about 12:00, we got on the RER, the Metro’s train system (as opposed to its subway system), and headed southwest to Versailles. It’s a rather quick trip—only about 35 minutes—and we arrived at about 12:30.

In our opinion Versailles is a must see. There are four words we’d use to describe it: opulent, decadent, extravagant and expansive. There is simply no way I can do it justice to it using words. It is a veritable monstrosity that must be seen to be understood. We spent about 5 hours there touring the main Chateau and, oh, the other castle he built for his wife Marie Antionette about a mile away. By the time we got back on the train for Paris, our feet hurt so badly we were limping (we probably walked close to five or six miles throughout the day). Even with that, though, we wouldn’t have missed it.

Sunday night:

We got back to the hotel at about 6:30, showered, changed, and went to our 8:30 reservation at Il Pilazzo, about an eight minute walk from the Le Grand. When we walked in, we were immediately seated, and after a while trying to discern and translate the menu (we couldn’t use Google Translate because there was no free WiFi in the Le Grand, and I wasn’t about to pay $15 for an hour), the waiter came over to us and thankfully placed English menus in our hands. We ordered a Gratin di pasta (pasta with four cheeses), Parpadelle al funghi (mushrooms de Paris, oyster mushrooms, fresh cream, pesto), and Salmone (tomato sauce, mozzarella, smoked salmon, cream). Here, like at Tib’s, the service was fast and the food was good.

By the time we were done, we were so exhausted; we went to the Le Grand, packed and turned in for the night.

Monday:

Head back to JFK! I won't bore you with the details :P
« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 04:59:43 PM by AJK »
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #358 on: November 30, 2011, 04:58:45 PM »
Great TR! Sounds like a great trip.

Offline YudiG

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #359 on: November 30, 2011, 05:03:58 PM »
Nice!