Nice Favorites

Favorite thing: Do you think you've spent enough time in Nice? Then all those sentences should apply to you.
If not, please come back (or create new questions as a pretext to come back)

Fondest memory: THE TOWN ITSELF

- You know what the Paillon is and where it flows
- You know what the Jetee Promenade was and where it was situated

THE HABITS

- You've been to a Fete des Mai in Cimiez
- You know the colours of the traditional costume
- You've had a barbecue on the beach (yes, I know, it's probably illegal, now)

THE FOOD

- You've tasted: socca, gnocchi, farcis, tourta de blea, pissaladiere and a few other specialities
- You know that Monaco is a town but also a drink. What colour?
- You've been to Fenocchio and tasted weird ice-cream flavours (basil, smurf,...)

THE WAY YOU SAY IT

- You say "La Prom'" and not "La Promenade des Anglais"
- You say "le cours" and not "le cours Saleya"
- You say "le Vieux" and not "le vieux Nice"
- You say "Jean Med'" and not "L'avenue Jean Medecin"

THE BEACH

- You can walk barefoot on hot pebbles
- But you'd rather go to Villefranche or Antibes for sandy beaches
- You know the meaning of the phrase "Que cagnard"

THE LOCALS

- You know who Catherine Segurane is
- You know who Mado la Nicoise is
- You've seen Leon (the mad guy with a guitar asking for cigarettes), punk, the dancer dressed like Michael Jackson, and the Vietnamese guy who sings in two voices

Favorite thing: Le Pitchoun is a free guide about the shops, bars, hairdressing salons, restaurants,...on the Riviera and more particularly in Nice.
You'll usually find it in public places, sometimes you'll see the volunteer students who create it distribute it in the streets, and if you can't find any (and you speak French), you'll find most of the infos online.
I think it is very useful and honest (the volunteers act as mystery shoppers to test the places) and if you've got the paper version, you also get a card that can get you some deductions or bonuses.

Fondest memory: http://www.pitchoun.com/

Favorite thing: Tune in to Riviera Radio. FM 106.3 in Monaco and around FM 106.5 closer to Cannes.
They play normal pop or rock music and hold programs and both foreign and French news in English.
You'll find a lot of info about clubs and events for non-French (speaking) residents on their website.
http://www.rivieraradio.info

Favorite thing: If you are planning to stay a while in Nice and want to see a movie in your mother tongue, or a classic, you have three cinemas where most movies are not dubbed.

- The Cinema Rialto - 4 Rue de Rivoli (behind the Negresco): showing the last releases and foreign subtitled movies.

-Cinema Mercury - Place Garibaldi: showing new releases, foreign underground and new films, months after they have been taken off the schedules in other places.

-La Cinematheque - 3 esplanade Kennedy (under Acropolis, next to the bowling hall): showing classics, foreign films, cartoons...monthly program containing at least two themes + workshops or special nights.
You have to get a membership card for 1E, then the ticket is 2E. Really worth it!

Favorite thing: In France, you can buy stamps at post offices and Tabacs (a shop displaying the red diamond shaped "tabac" sign).

The main post office in Nice is located on Avenue Thiers (just across main train station).

One individual stamp costs 0,55 €

The cost of sending a letter depends on its weight and destination.

If you want to buy stamps (less than 10), you will have to queue (beforehand grab a ticket and wait for your number to be displayed). Otherwise, you can buy a 10-stamp book (carnet de timbre) or frank your letter at the postage vending machines, which are located on the right. Only coins accepted as far as I know. If you read a sign which says "Hors Service", it means the machine is out of service.

Favorite thing: If you stay in the old town be warned. The streets are washed regularly, and at least my "home street" was washed every morning at 5 am. Add some shouting and loud shrieks of birds to this voice world, maybe at some point a churc bell or two. And if there is no air conditioning in your room your window will be open to the streets, just the shutters are closed... At least I woke up every morning with the washing.
On the other hand, it was rather nice to lie there in a gentle breeze from the window, listening to the town to wake up. In the afternoon or on the beach I took a nap because I did not want to miss the evenenings in the old town either.
And as I was awake, I also did some morning shopping for chokolate and raisins buns an some traditional bread for our breakfast!

Favorite thing: Breakfast cannot be missed when you visit France.
Even if you usually do not eat in the morning, you cannot be indifferent in front of a croissant, pain au chocolat, torsade, etc.
A lot of bars have breakfast menus (for 4-5€) and, if the weather is nice, you can eat outside end enjoy the French atmosphere.

Favorite thing: Everybody will tell you to eat Socca if you go to Nice.
It looks like a crèpe, but prepared with chickpea flour instead of wheat flour. It is a cheap food, but it cannot be considered as a meal.
Since I am not fond of chickpea, I didn't like it so much, the taste of chickpea is very strong.