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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2009 22:46:51 GMT
Christmas is beginning to arrive in Paris. I know it's too early, but I have to start this thread sooner or later. Yesterday, the Champs Elysées illuminations were inaugurated. There are more than one million LED's in the trees from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, but the city has made it very clear that electricity consumption has gone down 70% from the old lighting system and represents the amount used by 16 homes now. I'll need to take other pictures in the dark, and anyway, still pictures do not do the street justice, since you can't see the famous 'snowdrop effect'. I didn't find any good videos, but this should give you an idea. Meanwhile, the Louis Vuitton megastore has done its usual sumptuous window dressing. It nevers does the same thing twice, but I now know that it does the same thing everywhere in the world, because I have been in Singapore, Hong Kong and New York during the Christmas season, and the Vuitton stores there always had the same decoration as in Paris. I have to admit that this particular store always makes me somewhat nostalgic, because it was my office for twelve years. When I enter the store, I still know exactly where the sales department was, the finance office, the administration, etc. We are only two blocks away on the same street now, but this building is actually the most expensive street corner in the entire city in terms of real estate prices, so we have gone down in the world. Meanwhile, Fouquet's remains the fanciest restaurant on the Champs Elysées, if not the best one. More soon, once the season is really underway. The department stores already started their extravaganzas two weeks ago, so I'll try to go there this weekend.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 24, 2009 23:08:19 GMT
Where is the best restaurant in Paris? Can one even identify such a beast?
The sparkling white lights do seem very Parisian - Vuitton's display seems almost out of character for "Parisian style". Trop bariolé. Un peu voyant.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2009 5:59:16 GMT
Of course there is no "best restaurant" in Paris. But it isn't very difficult to identify the overpriced ones of inferior quality.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2009 18:31:32 GMT
Every year I really like the decorations of the Maison de l'Alsace, which are not at all the most spectacular but which have a constant authenticity. This year, they have gone for a "gingerbread house" theme, but one of my favorites was the year they turned the building into an Advent calendar. They only did it once, perhaps because all of the offices behind the Advent windows were stuck in the dark until their day arrived.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2009 20:27:05 GMT
This evening I went to boulevard Haussmann, which is the Paris equivalent of London's Oxford Street. But boulevard Haussmann is extremely short and concentrated with only two really impressive department stores compared to London. But it still gives you a lot of bang for your buck. First, Galeries Lafayette... As impressive as the façade is, the main event is the Christmas tree inside the central atrium. Everybody is impressed every year, including even Parisians. The other main department store Printemps knows that it cannot really compete, especially since it does not have a place to put a Christmas tree. But it does its best to give a certain festive allure to its storefront. It was far too crowded this evening to try to get close to most of the windows, especially the animated ones, but I promise to return during the week when it is more manageable. I'll try to make a few YouTube presentations, because it is really worth it. However, some of the "adult" windows were fun to look at anyway. More soon.
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LouisXIV
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L'estat c'est moi.
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Post by LouisXIV on Nov 30, 2009 17:24:13 GMT
Is it convenient for you to get some pictures of BHV?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2009 19:46:24 GMT
I am planning to go to BHV as well but it has never been a 'star' of Paris at Christmas, and even less now that Samaritaine has closed (Samaritaine had the Disney contract for many years and therefore the most sought after Christmas windows.). Rue de Rivoli is now quite a sad place at Christmas.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 30, 2009 19:52:29 GMT
The Galaries Lafayette building almost looks like a cathedral with stained glass windows turned inside out. Very cool. Well all the photos are really.
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Post by imec on Nov 30, 2009 20:14:21 GMT
Oh, I missed the latest update to this thread... fantastic! I had no idea Christmas was this big in Paris.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 18:04:06 GMT
There are a few places in Paris where the merchants have room to display Christmas trees "properly" but in most of Paris there is just no room for it. So you can forget about selecting the perfect tree by seeing how it stands. You just have to hope for the best. The split logs have holes drilled in them the same size as the trimmed trees, to serve as a stand.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 23:40:24 GMT
I had to go to my office tonight for an odd reason (maybe I will have more to say about this, maybe not), so I took the metro to the Champs Elysées. I glanced at a few places along the street to my office. Naturally, the Four Seasons George V was a blaze of glory as usual. The view from the office window is pretty much the same, except that the little vertical strip in the upper left corner is the Eiffel Tower. Only the river side was illuminated tonight as part of the World Aids Day activities. After leaving the office, I continued down the avenue and saw that the Crazy Horse Saloon had received inspiration from the George V. Some of the traditional luxury brands have their own 'tasteful' illuminations. Nevertheless, the otherwise elegant Avenue Montaigne, where i turned the corner, has its own concept of how to light the trees. Then it was back to the Champs Elysées at 'Rond Point' to get a little view of the Christmas market by night. (more to come)
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2009 23:46:16 GMT
Here is my bad little video of what the scene was at that spot.
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Post by fumobici on Dec 2, 2009 0:20:46 GMT
Interesting. the video conveys a completely different sense of place than the stills. Thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2009 7:34:53 GMT
One of the first things at the Christmas market was a carrousel for adults -- a former merry-go-round turned into a bar. No, it did not spin anymore; I guess they leave that for the customers' heads to do on their own. Naturally, the things for sale at the market are what you would expect. Hey, wait, since when is nasty looking chili con carne a Paris Christmas specialty? Oh, I guess it's all right if you can get a few sausages to go with it. And you can always wash the bad taste out of your mouth with this. (Actually, I despise mulled wine but I'm a minority.) Back to strolling among the stands. I was there on Tuesday night, and quite a few of the places were already closing at 22:30. I can understand that when business is not brisk, because most of these people are working at least 12-hour days. If you translate, they will come. They are always looking for ways to heat people outside. After the various butane overhead 'mushroom' and various electric devices, this is the new heater that you can see around the city this year. The flame is actually inside a glass tube so that you can't catch anything on fire with it. Theoretically.... There were a few things to amuse the kids as well. There was one item that I had never seen before. I have seen concentric cut-out mobiles, but the use of shiny material made these really pop out compared to the usual item. When you first approach the stand from afar, you can't even figure out what is going on at first. (more to come)
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Post by bazfaz on Dec 2, 2009 11:04:06 GMT
Great stuff. There is no sign of Christmas here (except for piles of tasteless junk in Lidl).
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Post by imec on Dec 2, 2009 13:14:40 GMT
I'm starting to think a Christmas in Paris would be a blast.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 2, 2009 14:06:47 GMT
I've always had a blast in Paris at Christmas, but I had some rather wild friends in the day.
Kerouac, is that Christmas Market near your workplace?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2009 15:01:19 GMT
The Champs Elysées Christmas Market is all along both sides of the 'wooded part' of the Champs Elysées as opposed to the 'commercial part'.
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Post by klondike on Dec 2, 2009 16:21:45 GMT
Great photos to help get us in the Holiday Spirit, Kerouac. Thanks!
Just a few questions if I might ask: 1) Where is the "wooded" of the Champs Xmas market section in relation to either La Durees or Charles de Gaulle-Etoile metro stop? 2) Is there a particular (regular) ratp bus # that hits the most spectacular of the christmas lights? If so, does it matter which direction you're are heading? 3) Do any of these markets interfere with bus stops, as in their being temporarily supressed?--I'm wondering about a St. Sulpice stop in particular but don't have the # off the top of my head. 4) Do the Parisian markets have the option to purchase the seasonal gluewein cup with the wine, like in Germany, or is it all plastic throwaway cups now? 5) I think you had mentioned metro stop "Abbesse" as being a more home-spun, authentic market...any others you can think of?
Oh, I also really appreciated your piece on la Gare de l'Est...takes any anxiety out of using that station next week just disappear! Je vous en remercie.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 2, 2009 16:52:00 GMT
Ha! I'm sure Kerouac does think of the stuff as "gluewein" rather than "Glühwein"! (Glüh means glow).
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2009 17:41:06 GMT
1) Where is the "wooded" of the Champs Xmas market section in relation to either La Durees or Charles de Gaulle-Etoile metro stop? The market runs from Rond Point des Champs Elysées (avenue Franklin Roosevelt) to the Place de la Concorde -- in other words, it is the exact opposite of the Charles de Gaulle-Etoile end.
2) Is there a particular (regular) ratp bus # that hits the most spectacular of the christmas lights? If so, does it matter which direction you're are heading? I'm sure it doesn't matter in which direction you are headed except for boulevard Haussmann, which is one way. Lines 32 and 42 might be good lines to see a lot of the lights, but I am often more impressed by some of the market street decorations -- and a lot of those are pedestrian zones.
3) Do any of these markets interfere with bus stops, as in their being temporarily supressed?--I'm wondering about a St. Sulpice stop in particular but don't have the # off the top of my head. No, I don't think that any bus stops are affected.
4) Do the Parisian markets have the option to purchase the seasonal gluewein cup with the wine, like in Germany, or is it all plastic throwaway cups now? Even in Strasbourg, I have only seen plastic disposable cups, but I am not the expert on what is available, since the last time I had any (in Strasbourg), I disposed of most of the wine along with the cup. In Paris, I'm 99% certain that all of the cups are plastic, but there was one temporary enclosed tavern in the Champs Elysées Christmas market which might be the most likely to have souvenir glasses. (I only did one side of the street, so there might be more stuff on the other side.)
5) I think you had mentioned metro stop "Abbesses" as being a more home-spun, authentic market...any others you can think of? I was at Abbesses just last night and saw that they had their little market again -- only about 20 chalets compared to the 170 or so on the Champs Elysées. It's nice for people already visiting Montmartre for other reasons, but would definitely not be a destination in itself. As for other markets, I confess that I have not really gone around looking yet.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2009 22:12:49 GMT
Yes, the "Grande Roue" gives a wonderful view of all of central Paris -- the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs Elysées... Anyway, I continued wandering along, so goodbye, Champs Elysées... The Crillon is the four-star hotel on Place de la Concorde, right next to the American Embassy. Perhaps it has earned its fifth star by now? I walked up rue Royale, although some of the shops had already extinguished their luminous frames. Not all of them, but it seems clear that many of the shops are saving money by turning off the lights by 23:00. The extremely elegant cross street of the Faubourg Saint Honoré used to have better decorations, but I think they have thrown in the towel in recent years. The personal illuminations of some of the shops is always interesting. This private street was quite impressive although it was not even accessible to the public at that time of night. At place de la Madeleine, the famous delicatessen Hédiard was displaying perhaps the largest Alaska crab legs that I had ever seen (compare them to the full sized bottles on the shelf above). (more to come)
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2009 22:33:30 GMT
Tonight, the rain let up for a bit, so I decided to run out and at least get some photos of some of the streets of the 18th arrondissement. First I went to Abbesses to see rue des Abbesses and rue Lepic, which I like every year. I don't think the Christmas market has been inaugurated yet, because there was only one chalet open. It will probably start up this weekend. Obviously, the offerings will be the same as usual. I really like rue des Abbesses. I never understand the people who say not to stay in the area. Maybe they are just trying to keep the cafés to themselves. I walked down towards the Montmartre cemetery and thought that the Terrass Hôtel was well decorated. There was another little nondescript street down there which had also made a commendable effort for Christmas. Next, I jumped on a bicycle and went to the Guy Môquet/Avenue de Saint Ouen area. This area makes a lot of North American tourists shudder in horror when anybody asks about it, but I think it is a wonderful working class commercial area, and it clearly has the Christmas spirit. I jumped on another bike and pedaled to Jules Joffrin to see what the rue du Poteau market street had done. Even though it is even lower working class than other areas, I thought that it was lovely. I was right next to the city hall for the 18th arrondissement. It was decorated but not illuminated yet. I guess they are trying to be careful with our tax euros. However, I have noticed in recent years that the various city halls seem to have some sort of unofficial competition as to which one can put on the most dazzling display. I'll try to do a series on the city halls when Christmas gets closer. Well, anyway, my nose was beginning to run on the bicycle, to the extent where I had to lick my snot for perhaps the first time since age 10. Yes, it is as good as ever. I parked the bike at the station at the foot of my apartment and was compensated with a few treasures lying on the sidewalk -- two onions and 0.01€. I brought them home. That will probably be my only Christmas present this year, but it suits me just fine. As soon as I got home, it started pouring rain again. More soon!
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Post by bjd on Dec 4, 2009 9:16:00 GMT
The people at EDF are rubbing their hands with glee. For those of you who don't know, EDF is the formerly (and still partially) state-owned electricity company.
I hadn't realized Paris is so lit up for Christmas. Toulouse has lights on the streets, but nothing like that.
I like the area around Abbesses too. I thought it was supposed to be trendy? Why not stay there? On the other hand, I have a sister-in-law who lives beside La Madeleine, and I really dislike the area -- boring and dead.
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Post by traveler63 on Dec 4, 2009 15:04:26 GMT
This is wonderful K2 and I am also surprised that Paris lights up for Christmas. I have seen some of the larger cities in the U. S. do their cities up. New Mexico is very special during Christmas. We had gone to Santa Fe one December and it was wonderful, with the mixture of Hispanic, Native American and Christian decorations. Thank you so much for doing this.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 4, 2009 16:17:31 GMT
I have no idea why people would have misgivings about Abbesses - it isn't "overtouristed" the way place du Tertre is - www.spottedbylocals.com/paris/rue-de-abbessesIf you are staying there you can go up to Place du Tertre very early in the morning and see why it became such a tourist attraction, without all the crowds. By the way, I have friends who were married at that mairie d'arrondissement.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2009 16:39:59 GMT
The people at EDF are rubbing their hands with glee. For those of you who don't know, EDF is the formerly (and still partially) state-owned electricity company. Actually, not at all. With the new lighting systems, Paris is spending 70% less than it used to on the illuminations. However, the people who sell the new lighting systems are undoubtedly rubbing their hands with glee.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2009 22:04:42 GMT
Today I was in the 1st/2nd arrondissements. I was intrigued by the "Canadian Christmas" of rue Caumartin, but I confess that I did not go to investigate if there was something more than the maple leaf illuminations above the street. Then I went on to Place Vendôme, which is generally one of the more impressive manifestations of the Christmas decorations, along with its extensions of rue de Castiglione and rue de la Paix. It requires a panoramic view to fully appreciate the extent of the installations. The Mont Blanc store on rue de la Paix seemed to indicate that email has not yet eliminated the need for a pen. I went on to Place de l'Opéra. I must admit that the opera already looks like a Christmas decoration at any time of the year. However, I was amused that you can glimpse Galeries Lafayette behind it on the right, a brazen hussy trying to entice you with its monied pleasures.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2009 22:26:17 GMT
I took the metro a few stops to get a look at the Grand Rex, the largest cinema in Europe with 2700 seats. For many years, it has had the Christmas extravaganza, just like Radio City Music Hall in NYC in the old days. For several decades this was the "Disney animated feature of the year," but now that Disney does several animated features every year and in any case no longer has the monopoly on children's entertainment, the world has moved on. This year's big Christmas film is Luc Besson's Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard. It is the sequel to a first film of a few years ago. The live action part stars Freddie Highmore and Mia Farrow, and the animated parts have voices such as Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed for the English language version. The Grand Rex has 3 balconies and also presents a show of "dancing waters" before the film. The show has kept up with the times with the addition of laser and smoke effects, but it still remains a deliciously retro moment for most non-children. For Christmas, they install an huge canopied waiting area for the massive crowds. People often wait outside (with children!) more than an hour for the next show.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2009 11:53:57 GMT
I took a quick trip to Boulevard Haussmann this morning to see if I could get closer to the windows, but first I went inside to see the Christmas tree from above. I went up to the roof, too. The Eiffel Tower and most of the rest of Paris was missing due to low clouds and fog, but it was interesting to get a closer look of the big light panels from behind. I also saw that there was a little Christmas market that ran for a few blocks just up the street from the department stores. Back downstairs, I thought it was interesting to see which windows fascinated the big people the most. As for the little people, this is what enthralls them. Both Printemps and Galeries Lafayette use the services of the same marionnettist for their animated windows, although the visuals elments are decided by different window designers. Doing the windows for both stores takes him all year.
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