Le Grand Hotel
We're still wandering the streets of Paris, probably having one of the least tourist-y experiences possible. It's been nice just to see the neighborhoods and people, but avoid the crowds.
Two adventures yesterday. First we stopped by Fauchon, for the sole purpose of a croissant quailty check. Fauchon is an uber-expensive gourmet food market. When I was here with my grandmother (age 11), they had small café where you could order espresso and sit for a bit. They are decidedly less friendly these days, unless of course, you're a serious buyer. But the croissant was darn good. You can taste the difference in butter. And a chausson aux pommes (apple pastry) was almost better. We had lunch close by at Cojean, an business lunch crowd sandwich place, but really tasty (for those of you keeping notes).
The second aventure occurred at the Le Grand Hotel. We were on our way to brave the crowds at Galeries Lafayette, Au Printemps and other mega-stores (with Toby a reluctant participant), but I had on my list to go by Cafe de la Paix - the restaurant at the hotel. Built by Napoleon III in the 1800s, it's super luxe today. But when I was here at age 11, my grandmother and I had dinner there (my first taste of escargot). I wandered into the other room, where a huge reception was going on for the high fashion crowd. It was quite a sight, and my grandmother and I hung out for a bit. Eventually everyone disappeared into the other room. As we were leaving, a young man was complaining to us that his friend had his ticket, and he couldn't get into the fashion show going on. He noticed the guards had stopped paying attention and were playing cards. In two seconds flat, he snuck us into the Vivienne Westwood fashion show, in a stunning 1800s ballroom. At age 11, it was pure magic for me.
So, I wanted to head back, to make sure I didn't imagine the whole thing. Toby and I wandered around (trying to act like we belonged). It started to look familiar, but no ballroom. I asked a gentleman standing by, who smiled and said it was my lucky day - he was the manager and though it was closed, we could look. He lead us back, and switched on the lights. Pretty incredible.
The warm summer nights are wonderful, as people fill the streets. Toute à l'heure!
Two adventures yesterday. First we stopped by Fauchon, for the sole purpose of a croissant quailty check. Fauchon is an uber-expensive gourmet food market. When I was here with my grandmother (age 11), they had small café where you could order espresso and sit for a bit. They are decidedly less friendly these days, unless of course, you're a serious buyer. But the croissant was darn good. You can taste the difference in butter. And a chausson aux pommes (apple pastry) was almost better. We had lunch close by at Cojean, an business lunch crowd sandwich place, but really tasty (for those of you keeping notes).The second aventure occurred at the Le Grand Hotel. We were on our way to brave the crowds at Galeries Lafayette, Au Printemps and other mega-stores (with Toby a reluctant participant), but I had on my list to go by Cafe de la Paix - the restaurant at the hotel. Built by Napoleon III in the 1800s, it's super luxe today. But when I was here at age 11, my grandmother and I had dinner there (my first taste of escargot). I wandered into the other room, where a huge reception was going on for the high fashion crowd. It was quite a sight, and my grandmother and I hung out for a bit. Eventually everyone disappeared into the other room. As we were leaving, a young man was complaining to us that his friend had his ticket, and he couldn't get into the fashion show going on. He noticed the guards had stopped paying attention and were playing cards. In two seconds flat, he snuck us into the Vivienne Westwood fashion show, in a stunning 1800s ballroom. At age 11, it was pure magic for me.
So, I wanted to head back, to make sure I didn't imagine the whole thing. Toby and I wandered around (trying to act like we belonged). It started to look familiar, but no ballroom. I asked a gentleman standing by, who smiled and said it was my lucky day - he was the manager and though it was closed, we could look. He lead us back, and switched on the lights. Pretty incredible.The warm summer nights are wonderful, as people fill the streets. Toute à l'heure!
posted by Lauren Sommer at 7:56 AM
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