MadAboutParis' VirtualTourist Home Page

CALIFORNIA VACATION HI-LITES

Here's a brief summary of our favorite parts of our recent trip (Jan07) to The Golden State:

I HIGHLY recommend "Architecture Tours L.A." [http://www.architecturetoursla.com/]
Laura Massino offers brilliant and entertaining tours in: Downtown LA, Hollywood, Silverlake, Pasadena, West Hollywood/Beverly Hills, Hancock Park/Miracle Mile, and a special Frank Gehry Tour. We took the Hollywood Tour and it is worth every penny - I can't wait to go back to take
the others.%c*

And then, there's Pasadena. It's another terrific place for architecture groupies. The Gamble House is the showplace, but you will see many other notable homes and buildings. Grab lunch at Russell's or Aux Delices and you'll feel like a native. The Norton Simon Museum is a little jewel - and we'll see the Huntington on our next trip.

Ahhhh, Riverside.
Just a sleepy town at the mid-point between LA & Palm Springs. I urge you to go because it is such a treat to stay at the Mission Inn (highly recommended by Beausoleil and her husband). Splurge on an expensive room - you will not be disappointed; it's a real treasure. [http://www.missioninn.com/]

Finally, the Living Desert.
It's in Indian Wells, about 20 minutes from Palm Springs. We met Beausoleil and her husband there and had an amazing time looking at all of the animals in their natural habitats - even the baby giraffe came out for a photo op!

This trip we started in LA, moved on to Pasadena, Riverside and Palm Springs; then back to LA.

Travel has taught me to have confidence in myself. Overcoming obstacles large and small when traveling have left me feeling triumphant. I have also learned that we pay way too much for wine at restaurants in this country!

I have been to Paris 6 times since 2001 - my last visit was October 2007. My next visit will have to wait for a stronger dollar vs. Euro situation.

My mother always said "Patience is a Virtue" so - eventually - I will complete some bonafide Travel Pages & Albums. But until that happens I want to offer a few suggestions for my version of "Must Sees in Paris."

The List:

Place des Vosges - charming spot for lunch, either a picnic or at a café

Holocaust Memorial at the point of the Ile de la Cité behind Notre Dame

Sainte Chapelle - (make sure to go up the stairs to the 2nd floor - hopefully on a sunny day)

Any cemetery - they are fascinating and beautiful

Shopping streets - rue des Francs Bourgeois (boutiques) & rue Montorgueil (food)

Promenade Plantée & the Viaduct des Arts

Bird/Pet Market on Sundays on Ile de la Cité

Non-French Restaurants - Anahuacalli (Mexican), Il Barone (Italian), Le Grenier de Notre Dame (vegetarian)

Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums - Musée Nissim de Camondo, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Grande Galerie de l'Évolution

Teatime at Ladurée Bonaparte

Vanves Flea Market

And now a couple of in-depth comments...

I adore cemeteries, and Cimetière du Montparnasse was the first one that I visited in Paris - and this grave took my breath away. I am determined to learn more about Jean-Jacques, the deceased; what I do know is that the sculpture is by Niki de Saint-Phalle.
Maps are available just inside the front gate. This grave is in the 18th division, on the west side of Avenue de l'Est, not too far from the intersection with avenue du "Boulevart." Have fun searching, you'll see, it is an extremely contemporary, large bird.

Find picturesque displays like this at La Grande Epicerie at 22 rue de Sevres, behind Le Bon Marché. You'll want to dump your clothes and fill your suitcases with the yummy stuff that you discover here.
La Grande Epicerie

I feel very fortunate to know a handful of enterprising women who live in Paris. Feel free to explore their sites and if you contact them, please tell them that I said "Hi."

ParisTalks features a variety of saavy seminars covering a range of topics including: Seduction and the Art of the French Woman; Ca Va Autrement? - Doing Business With the French; and Getting the Most Out of Your Dining Experience in France. American-in-Paris Barbara Pasquet James offers her expertise.

Paris Photo Tours is a noteworthy service that is getting lots of press about their DaVinci Code Tour. One of the partners, Linda Mathieu, is a expat Texan married to a Parisian.

Paris Reflections is a book written by Christiann Anderson and Monique Y. Wells. Its focus is African-Americans in Paris and it’s written using a walking-tour format.

Christiann and Monique also collaborated on a cookbook: Food for the Soul: A Texas Expatriate Nurtures Her Culinary Roots in Paris

I bow down at the feet of these generous VTers - merci mille fois for all of the time that you devote to your pages. I love watching the list to see who has posted new stuff - I guess that I'm addicted, eh?
Of the 5, I have personally met BeatChick and she lives and breathes Paris - she's on target all of the time.
Although she does not have a Top 5 Paris Page, Beausoliel is a welcome sight on the Paris forum. She offers VERY practical advice about Paris, other parts of France AND she was our personal guru for our 2007 trip to California. Luckily I had the pleasure to meet her and Monsieur Beausoleil.
I am delighted with the wonderful friends that I have come to know via VT. I hope that everyone appreciates all of this stellar, 1st rate, FREE information. Please promote this site as much as I do.