July 14, 2010 by Genevieve Sandifer
I love Paris in August. Although it gets a little steamy at times, the city empties out of its usual crowds of Parisians as everyone jaunts off to their country homes for the traditional 4-week summer holiday. A strange calm descends over the slanted rooftops and all of a sudden, I don’t have to fight for a seat at a sunny terrace in the middle of the afternoon in St. Germain.
What’s more, Haven in Paris is offering some pretty amazing special offers in some of our most in-demand flats this year, just in time for a last-minute break in Paris — when the city is at its most relaxed.
Keen to wander down car-free cobble stone streets? The Marais has some of Paris best shopping, food and cafés — the best of which Amy Thomas recently blogged about here.
How about living right on the Place des Vosges — one of Paris’ oldest places and a fabulous place for strolling, napping in the sun and, of course, people-watching. Just a 10-minute walk to the Ile St Louis, Notre Dame and some delicious Berthillon gelato on the banks of the Seine. Continue Reading »
Posted in Homes, Parisian Living | 4 Comments »
April 27, 2010 by Tory Hoen
Maggie Battista – Falafel
France is the land where food dreams come true—all HiP readers know that by now. But for those of us lucky enough to spend extended periods in Paris, there comes a moment (astonishing as it may sound) when both the body and the palette reach butter overload, and the arteries cry out to be spared the cheese course… please, just this once.
On these occasions, Paris provides a wealth of non-French food options that—if you’re not careful—can easily become addictions in and of themselves. Last time I left New York for Paris, a friend sent me off with explicit instructions to eat a fallafel for him. And when I got sick during the same trip, I secretly loved turning my attention to spicy Asian soups for the better part of a week.
So next time your taste buds start craving variety (or your children balk at the sight of escargots), consider venturing into new culinary territory. Don’t worry; it’s not gastronomic sacrilege—unless you go to McDonald’s.
Here are our top six non-French food obsessions in Paris:
1. Falafel. The Marais’ Rue des Rosiers is famous for its warring falafel purveyors. L’As du Falafel (34, rue des Rosiers, 3eme. Métro: St. Paul) has long reigned supreme, perhaps due to the attention it has gotten from the New York Times, but the place directly across from it is not too shabby, and there a number of nearby spots worth sampling as well. The jury’s still out on this one.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Food | 7 Comments »
February 28, 2010 by Tory Hoen
I don’t remember life before Sacha Finkelsztajn. Ok, that’s not entirely true, but I’m certainly enjoying it more now that I’m a convert. For members of this club, the mere utterance of the word “Sacha” can induce profound hunger fits, and the sight of the boutique’s bright yellow facade literally has a Pavlovian effect on me (drool and all).
I’m referring, of course, to Sacha Finkelsztajn, Paris’ most famous Jewish bakery, located on the rue des Rosiers in the Marais. The bakery has been family owned and operated since 1946 and Sacha, the current owner, still whips up recipes passed down from his grandparents (the original founders of the bakery). Continue Reading »
Posted in Food, Restaurant Reviews | 4 Comments »
August 13, 2009 by Genevieve Sandifer
The Marais is one of Paris’ oldest and most famous neighborhoods. Home to scores of galleries, shops, cafés and restaurants and riddled with narrow cobble-stoned streets, it is one of the best Parisian neighborhoods to explore for the leisurely stroller.
The Marais (literally meaning “marshland”) originally designated the geography of this small area astride the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. Arguably the center of Paris in terms of fashion, art, nightlife and people-watching, chic pedestrians – tourists and locals alike – can be found wandering the small, cobble-stoned streets lined with old hotels particuliers, slanting stone facades and museums hidden behind lush interior courtyards. The Marais is also one of Paris’ oldest Jewish neighborhoods, and on Sundays the picturesque rue des Rosiers fills with Parisians fiending for Paris’ best chalah and fallafel. Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 1 Comment »
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Rue Du Four 3-bedroom, St. Germain – 15% off in August
Elzevir Marais 1-bedroom – 15% off in August
View from Place des Vosges 1-bedroom – 10% off in August
