Apartment Review: http://www.parisperfect.com
The
7th arrondissement has become my Parisian neighborhood. Ten years ago
the business demands on my time were minimized, allowing long, biannual
trips to France. We alternate our time between Paris and the provinces,
as they are so different and each area has its own charm. The months of
April and October have become our favorites, although we have found no
really bad time. May is beautiful but rife with strikes,
manifestations, and a plethora of holidays with their incumbent
extensions, as the French are unsurpassed in "faisant le pont," which
leads to havoc in trying to plan transportation, visits to exhibitions,
museums, restaurants, ad nauseum. Our
first several trips were randomly scattered throughout the 1st, 5th,
6th, 7th and 13th arrondissements, all of which we drank deeply from
and still take the occasional sip from with each visit, but the 7th
became more and more our drink of choice. We prefer the area of the 7th
from the Invalides to the Champ de Mars because of the green open
spaces provided by the wide, tree-lined boulevards such as Blvd. de
Breteuil, Ave. de la Bourdonnais, Bosquet, and the beautiful Esplanade,
and of course the Champ de Mars. This provides a feeling of sedate calm
that's comforting to come back to each night after sampling the crowded
near-frenzy of the Latin Quarter with all of its delights, or the mobs
around the Place du Tertre and Sacré-Coeur with its incomparable view,
or the traffic and congestion around the Place de la Concorde and the
Champs-Elysées.
This is not to
say that there are none of the requisite "bums" strategically stationed
by the ATM machines, but my beggar-meter registers a far lower reading
than in most neighborhoods. Don't mistake this part of the 7th for the
area east of Invalides that's full of imposing former palaces that are
now embassies, and other government buildings… rather cold and
impersonal.
We started our
visits by staying in hotels: Lutetia, Colbert, Brighton, Ritz,
Splendide, Bourdonnais, and lastly the Muguet, which was such a great
value compared to the others that we became regulars there and were
spoiled and taken under the wing of Catherine Pelletier, who is the
second-generation owner.
About
four years ago we decided to try renting an apartment, since ourParis
stays were for at least two weeks. At first we tried a
beautiful-but-sadly-neglected apartment on Ave. Segur, which was
managed by a company for an obviously miserly owner. The next trip we
rented a romantic loft on rue Champ de Mars with a drop-dead view of
the Eiffel Tower… from the bed, no less. The owners were very pleasant
and accommodating, and we would still be there except it is a loft and
the bathroom is downstairs. This was of little consequence to my wife,
but if you are prostatically challenged, those nocturnal stair
negotiations interfere with a good night's sleep.Our
next foray into apartment rental was a large, well-equipped spot at the
foot of the rue Mouffetard-St-Medard area. The owners could not be any
nicer--an American physician with two places to rent. The area was
interesting, with all necessities close by and métro and bus lines
right in front, but we found ourselves missing the ambience we have
come to love in "our" area of the 7th arrondissement.
At
this point we discovered www.parisperfect.com, and the rest is history.
Let me try to describe the owner: Madelyn is an absolute dynamo--
charming, friendly to a fault; a "room brightener." She has travelled
extensivel, living at times in Italy, California, France and presently
London. She graduated from Stanford, spent many years as a banker, but
now seems to have found her calling—buying choicely located, out-dated
apartments and by directing their renovation turning them into
dazzlers. She constantly has a zillion projects going on in her fertile
mind, and this is where it is appropriate to introduce Philippe, her
husband of 18 years. Philippe trained some 16-odd years to become a
cardiovascular surgeon in Paris, but had the vision to change
professions when the government changed the rules on compensation just
as he finished his training. He appears to be the organizer,
negotiator, and strong, stable hand that complements Madelyn's
inventiveness and cheerful, unflagging optimism. Philippe lived many
years in this particular part of the 7th—the St.
Dominique-Rapp-Bourdonnais neighborhood—and knows most of the local
merchants and their history, which gives him the upper hand in knowing
when a desirable apartment might become available.The
couple truly want to please their guests. Madelyn had proudly installed
a marvelous (read: expensive) Miele washing machine before our first
visit, and I mentioned that a dryer would be nice for four-to-six week
renters, even though the apt is small (just over 550 sq. ft). When we
returned, voilà, a dryer had been squeezed in. I mentioned that the TV
was a tad small to read the scrolling stock quotes from across the
room; that SAME afternoon when we returned after one of our Paris
forays a much larger TV was in place—satellite, of course. For this
price, I expect quality bath towels, ironed bed linens,
Delleherin-equipped kitchen, but what can't be anticipated is the
personal involvement of the owners in going out of their way to
maximize your enjoyment. If Madelyn or Philippe isn’t there, their
friendly manager lives close by and helps coordinate everything.
At
last count they have built their holdings up to about 12 luxury
apartments of varying size, all in the same neighborhood. The cost was
more than we had ever paid in the past, but now we are hooked. We have
stayed in the same apartment the last three trips and have booked it
for the next few visits. The apartment has seven full-length French
doors and a wrap-around-the-corner balcony, furnished with two café
tables that are ideal for enjoying a petite déjeuner or a particular
libation in the evening. There is a view of the Eiffel Towe, from all
seven windows, that is mesmerizing when it starts sparkling every hour
after sundown from our fifth-floor location. (The building has an
elevator.)The beauty of staying
in the same area is getting to know the locals. The dry-cleaner across
the street knows us by name; the butcher shop lady knows that we love
her cucumber/cream salad and will fix it even out of season when we are
there. Antoine, the wine shop guy downstairs, invites us to taste new
bottles of wine; Christian Constant stops on the street and shakes
hands as he goes from his Café Constant to his Violon d'Ingres; Laurent
Martin from Le Florimond restaurant sends us postcards when he is on
vacation. Ginette Boyer from Au Petit Tonneau stops to show us pictures
of her vacation home in Normandy. The Pelletier family (Hotel Muguet)
has us to dinner or takes us on little jaunts outside of Paris. My
previously held image of the rude, haughty Parisian has been
unalterably shattered. Imagine how nicely a George Clooney clone would
be treated rather than a portly, balding 60-something-year-old who does
unspeakable things to the French language.
Within
a couple of hundred meters from our apartment are three bakeries, three
butcher shops, and excellent greengrocer--not to mention florists,
chocolatiers, traiteurs (Asian and otherwise), grocery stores, and the
always popular Rue Cler street market—with everything imaginable,
including Davoli and Lenôtre, and Fauchon just around the corner.
Restaurants abound in all price ranges, from le Jules Verne, Violon
d'Ingres, Aprège,and Le Divellec on the starred end, to great value
fixed-price places such as Le P'tit Troquet, Clos des Gourmets, and
Bistro de Breteuil. Then there are the bountiful cafés, from Costes
brothers' fashionista-type places right down to the working class,
stand-at-the-counter joints. There is a wine bar, Le Sancerre, just up
from us on Ave. Rapp and a piano bar (Malone’s) on Bosquet near the
Ecole Militaire.My wife assures
me that the nail salons and coiffeurs are of excellent quality. One is
staffed with a voiturier, if you are concerned about leaving your
Bentley on the street. (I have discouraged her from using that one.)
St.-Dominique has an abundance of small boutiques, including a
label-removed (dégriffé) shop. There are two métro stops within a
seven-minute walk, and across the street from the apartment are stops
for the 42, 69, and 87 buses. The Ecole Militaire is a five-minute walk
and it is a major transportation hub.
One
of our favorite past-times is to take our basket and meander through
the travelling street markets, and our very favorite one is on Avenue
Saxe between the Place de Breteuil and Ecole Militaire, with the Eiffel
Tower standing watch. This is where we buy most of our cheese, nuts,
fruits, olives, eggs, etc. In the fall there are displays of more
species of mushrooms than I knew existed, along with fresh game:
pheasants, hare, wild boar, etc. displayed in full gruesomnolence (you
didn't know that is a word, but neither do Webster or LaRousse). In the
spring the fat white asparagus is irresistible. As I said, we buy most
of our cheese there, but for the cheese connoisseurs our neighborhood
has Marie-Anne Cantin and Androuët. Good to know if Alain Ducasse may
be dropping by for cocktails.
www.parisperfect.com
is the URL, and the apartment we rented is named Champagne. We have
inspected all of them and would gladly stay in any of them except
perhaps the studio, which would be confining for six weeks. Plus, my
wife would have to murder me in my sleep as she would be unable to
escape the mellifluous sounds I emit while sleeping after a
well-vinified repast.There are
many interesting neighborhoods in Paris, as you can discover on your
own or by reading Thirza Vallois' book Around and About Paris. Each has
its devotées and distinct personalities. I have grown comfortable with
the 7th.
_____
Locations mentioned above(in order of appearance in text):
- Le Muguet Hotel, 11 rue Chevert (33 1 47 05 05 93)
- Dry Cleaner--Grandes Teintureries Express, 120 rue St. Dominique (01 47 05 49 88)
- Butcher--Les Viandes du Champ de Mars, 122 rue St. Dominique (01 47 05 53 52)
- Wine Shop--Le Repaire de Bacchus, 147 rue St. Dominique (01 45 51 77 21)
- Café Constant, 139 rue St. Dominique (01 47 53 73 34)
- Violon d'Ingres, 135 rue St Dominique (01 45 55 15 05)
- Le Florimond Restaurant, 19 ave la Motte-Picquet (01 45 55 40 38)
- Au Petit Tonneau, 20 rue Surcouf (01 47 05 09 01)
- Davoli, 34 rue Cler (01 47 05 20 74)
- Lenôtre, 40 rue Cler (01 44 11 72 80)
- Fauchon, 36 ave. de la Motte-Picquet (01 45 55 71 25)
- Le Jules Verne Restaurant, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars (01 45 55 61 44)
- Arpège, 84 rue Varenne (01 47 05 09 06)
- Le Divellec, 107 rue Université (01 45 51 91 96)
- Le P'tit Troquet, 28 rue Exposition (01 47 05 80 39)
- Clos des Gourmets, 16 ave. Rapp (01 45 51 75 61)
- Bistro de Breteuil, 3 pl. Breteuil (01 45 67 07 27)
- Le Sancerre, 22 Ave. Rapp (01 45 51 75 91)
- Malone’s, 64 Ave. Bosquet (01 45 51 08 99)
- Marie-Anne Cantin, 12 rue Champ de Mars (01 47 05 59 95)
- Androuët, 83 rue St Dominique (01 45 50 45 75)
