A Neighborhood Experience in Paris

If you want to truly experience the Parisian way of life, skip the hotel and rent an apartment in a small neighborhood away from the center of Paris. In our case, we selected Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The area around Montmartre is a hub for artists and renowned for its role in the bohemian culture that thrived there. What better place in Paris to ‘turn right’? It is even located on the right bank. I can’t make this stuff up.

There are countless options for rentals in Paris. We opted for a small apartment from the group Feels Like Home in Paris. The staff was wonderful and provided great help throughout our stay. The apartment was a typical small Parisian apartment on the third floor. Yes, there was an elevator. While it didn’t have any outdoor space, it was sufficient for the two of us and made a wonderful base of operations. The apartment was well equipped with all of the necessary conveniences for an extended stay, including; WiFi, satellite TV, cork-screw, washer and dryer, and a fully equipped kitchen. A few added extras such as welcome bottles of wine and a free mobile phone with a WiFi hotspot made this apartment stay “feel like home in Paris”. Hey, that would be a good name for a rental company don’t you think?

Staying in an apartment provides the perfect opportunity to experience Parisian life. I could live on cheese, bread, and wine. In Paris, this is an art form. I’ve stated that I want to exercise my right brain … so what better way than with an art form? Daily outings included stops at the neighborhood bakery, cheese shop, wine store, and chocolate shop. I know … I didn’t list chocolate as a life sustaining ingredient. Molly however has something that borders on an obsession with all things ‘dark chocolate’. I had to indulge her because halfway through our stay she became the source of some incredible French bread. The folks at Feels Like Home in Paris helped coordinate a bread baking class for Molly with Cook’n With Class in Paris. Of course, she also came back from class with some incredibly tasty chocolate brioche that she had made. I’m guessing she threatened the chef that chocolate must somehow be included. She is still fixated on baking the perfect French baguette. I’m not going to stop her. Is there anything more perfectly Parisian?

Obviously, Paris is known for an overwhelming choice of restaurants. There are incredible Michelin star options as well as a huge selection of cafés and brasseries. For this trip, we wanted to get away from the crowds and enjoy a less pretentious Parisian experience in our neighborhood. It was easy. We found an ample selection of small neighborhood ‘chalk-board menu’ gems. These menus were often in French. Given a poor foundation of high-school French, this might be a challenge. It is not … don’t let it be an obstacle. First, given today’s global economy we found no restaurant where someone on staff didn’t speak English and wasn’t eager, patient, and helpful in translating the menu. To be clear, we found absolutely no evidence of the unfriendly French waiter stereotype. Second, it’s Paris. Nothing will suck. Pick something, point to someone else’s plate, of just ask for a recommendation. Third, just order the canard. That has worked well for Molly. Fourth, as a last resort there are ample language translator apps. Point, click, and voilà. That’s French so you are already on your way to conversational French. Finally, order a nice bottle of cheap French wine. Your French language skills won’t be any better, but you will think they are.

One of our favorite dinners in Montmartre was at La Boite aux Lettres. The restaurant is a small, unpretentious, dog friendly restaurant where we experienced a most sublime preparation of leeks. I think the dog next to us had a nice pâté. After all, he was French. Many years ago, the first French word that Molly learned during a trip to Bordeaux was canard. Ever since, she has had a passion for duck. Clearly the restaurant Le Petit Canard had to be on our agenda … and it should be on yours as well. The duck cassoulet was perfect for a cool autumn evening. Two other upscale options filled with locals included Le Réciproque and La Table d’Eugène. Because this is a large city, restaurants can have limited seating. I suggest making reservations a day or two in advance. In Europe, the application The Fork is invaluable. So is the utensil.

Obviously, there is enough to see and do in Paris to keep anyone busy. Everything is easily accessible via the Metro. However, to truly enjoy the Parisian lifestyle, skip the check-list race through Paris to see all of the ‘must see’ sites and instead explore the charms of a small neighborhood. Allow time to not be busy. Instead of long lines of tour buses, we circumnavigated families with strollers, and the occasional doggy doody. Within blocks of our apartment, we were able to explore the hilltop surrounding Sacré-Cœur and spend a casual afternoon exploring the Musée de Montmartre. Unfortunately, we spent another casual afternoon drooling over vintage posters at Estampe Moderne et Sportive. We have a disease. Yes … we bought one. We did venture out of our neighborhood to visit the Rodin Museum, a place we had missed on previous trips. Building on my desire to turn right and improve my photography skills, I also took a private night photo tour with Aperture Tours. This was not only a great way to see Paris at night, but I was able to pick-up several excellent suggestions and techniques for night photography. Most importantly, I came away with several great quintessential night shots of the Paris lights.

During our travels, we often gravitate to smaller towns instead of the big metropolitan cities. In Paris, we found that we can have the same experience in the smaller neighborhoods. We have been to Paris many times. This was our first true Parisian experience. It will not be our last.