Planning My Trip To Paris
Soon ... I will be there .... soon.
I am madly going through all my books on Paris and
all the notes I have collected over the years to see
what new areas of Paris I want to explore and what
new shops, bistros and museums I want to visit.
Paris is easy to organize because all the areas of this glorious
city are broken down into arrondissements. You could cover
one arrondissement per day and get a pretty good picture of
the character and makeup of that little nook of Paris.
That's how I plan to do it this time but I am keen on
exploring the new concept stores and the less
explored areas of the 10, 11, 13 and 16th arrondissements.
For every trip to Paris, I always seem to buy a couple of interesting
books that may give me some good ideas on what to see and do.
The best book I bought this year is "PARIS "
by Janelle McCulloch, which I covered in an
earlier post. (check here)
If you love stores and areas that are fun and trendy,
this little book covers designers' studios,
hip boutiques and great vintage stores.
This is a must when I visit Paris.
The layout and the colors of this little gem are inspiring.
The book is a few years old so I check shop websites on
to make sure the stores are still open. But even
if they are not, something else wonderful may have
taken their place.
These little Authentik Books are great fun.
The two books I have are "Artistik Paris" and "Gourmet Paris."
"Gourmet Paris" is organized by types of restaurants such as
cafés, cooking schools, markets and gourmet shops.
"Artistik Paris" list contemporary art galleries, cinemas,
bookstores, music venues, and design hotels.
The watercolor illustrations are lovely and each book has
a small notebook in the back pocket to write your
own notes. These little guides fit easily into your purse.
Everyone has seen this book.
"The Patisseries of Paris" is in every bookstore.
I haven't seen an updated version but I bet this would be
important to seek out if you have a sweet tooth.
Not a priority in my life ... I am a cheese, wine
and bread kind of girl.
"Paris: Made By Hand" is a good book to grab if
you love to visit ateliers, flea markets and artistic
shops. The products don't necessarily mean they were
made by hand but might have been restyled or
reinterpreted into a new life.
I didn't like the photographs in this book ... too dark.
Couldn't see all the unique products.
Suzy Gershman was the Queen of Shopping all over the
world but unfortunately Suzy died earlier this year.
Her books were bibles for the avid shopper and
Suzy knew her way around Paris.
Literary travel books of Paris? I have
lots of those too because at one time I thought I
would have liked to move to the City of Lights.
Suzy also wrote a book about her move to Paris
after her husband died. What a read!
"Paris Chic & Trendy" is another fun book if
you are interested in designer's studios, hip boutiques and
vintage shops and frankly, who isn't?
This book by Adrienne Ribes-Tiphaine has great photos
and inside dirt on where to get good buys. She
includes interesting facts on each of the
businesses she highlights.
This book is an interesting concept. They break down
Paris into great places to shop and great places to eat.
They describe each bistro and recommend
what special dishes to order in each place.
Good maps too.
If you have been running all over Paris for the day,
it's important to stop and take a breather. "The Quiet
Corners of Paris" offers the retreats from this busy city.
They feature little courtyards and gardens, small parks,
passages, beautiful little churches and small intimate
museums.
I think this is a very important part of Paris that few
tourists ever see. It does give you a up-close and
quieter look at this magnificent city
It has been so much fun going back over these wonderful
old traveling friends of mine and updating new and different
places of Paris through favorite blogs and newspaper articles.
I am hoping to have lots of interesting places to share with
you as I am out exploring Paris.
All photos by Meg Mitchell
