Designer Outlet Shops in Paris

zadig and voltaire

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

Paris is known as one of the great shopping meccas. The drawback is sales only happen twice a year in January and June, and in between it's hard to find any bona fide bargains. The good news is that some of the top designer brands have outlet shops that have the previous season’s merchandise reduced 30 to 60 percent off. Here is a list of some of our top favorites.

La Piscine
This small chain has five shops selling top name French and Italian designer clothes for men, women, and children. Labels include Missoni, Martin Margiela, Valentino, Dolce and Gabanna, Plein Sud, Prada, and Jimmy Choo. Shoes, handbags, and scarves are also discounted.

13 rue des francs Bourgeois 75004
Mon 1 pm - 7 pm
Tue-Sun 11 am - 7 pm

Maje
Maje is one of the hottest labels right now for women’s casual chic dresses, jackets, tops, coats, pants, and blazers.

4 rue de Marseille, 75010
11am to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday

Zadig and Voltaire
With a cult following, Zadig and Voltaire is considered a must-buy for anyone following French fashion. Their upscale casual clothes for men and women are discounted 30 to 50 percent off store prices. Feel lucky if you score one of their most desired styles, a sweatshirt or T-shirt with a skull emblem.

22 rue Bourg Tibourg, 75004
Monday-Friday 11AM -7PM, Saturday 11AM -7:30PM, Sunday 2PM -7:30PM

Repetto
Originally made for prima ballerinas, Repetto has long been the place for ballet shoes. In 1956, it created the Cendrillon flat for Brigitte Bardot, which became a fashion sensation. Repetto makes some of the finest constructed ballet flats in dozens of colors and materials. Their outlet shop near Galeries Lafayette, has a limited selection of ballet flats, heels, and T-strap shoes discounted at 30 to 40 percent off.

24 rue de Châteaudun, 75009
Tuesday to Saturday 10:30AM to 7PM

Sandro
Conveniently located in the popular shopping district Le Marais, the Sandro Stock shop features deep discounts on its collection of fashion forward women’s separates.

26 rue de Sevigné, 75004
Tuesday to Saturday 10:30AM -7:30PM, Sunday 1PM -7PM

Chloe
One of Frances’ most beloved design houses, Chloe is the quintessential French fashion label, recently celebrating its 60th anniversary with the current collections designed by Claire Waight Keller. The outlet shop has current and past collections including their super desirable handbags.

8 rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, 75011
Tuesday, 2PM -8PM. Wednesday to Saturday 11AM -8PM, Sunday 2PM -8PM

One Person Shows in English in Paris

caroline nin

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

Although Paris has some top-flight theatre performances, it’s almost impossible to find any that are performed in English.
We have found three unique one-person theatre pieces in English, two hilariously funny shows about the culture and the cultural differences of Paris and another, an intimate musical tribute to France’s most beloved singer.

Caroline Nin, Hymne a Paris

French chanteuse Caroline Nin has been performing her award winning one-woman show Hymne a Paris to sold-out crowds all over the globe, including The Sydney Opera House, The Edinburgh Festival and the Royal Festival Hall in London. Strangely, she has never performed the show in her motherland but has finally brought the successful show to Paris where Piaf started her incredible but tragic career.

Every Wednesday Nin performs the show at a small intimate theater in the Marais. With her versatile voice and style, going from sexy and throaty to strong and stoic to poignant to tender, Nin gives new insight into the Piaf’s difficult life with enlightening anecdotes about her in between each song. Not only is Nin a terrific singer, she is a captivating storyteller and actress. She sings some of Piaf’s most memorable hymns including La Vie en Rose, Mon Legionnaire, Non Je ne Rien and also a few rarely performed songs.

Every Wednesday, 8PM, until June 26
Essaïon Théâtre

6 rue Pierre au lard, 75004
Book online www.essaion.com or call + 33 (0) 7 77 25 37 64
Note: Some songs are performed in French

How to be a Parisian in One Hour

After more than three years and over 150,000 spectators Olivier Giraud is still packing them in and selling out his one-man show. How to be a Parisian in One Hour is a side-splitting guide to all things Parisian. Witty, sarcastic and sometimes outrageous, Giraud pokes fun with no shame about the strange habits of the French and teaches the mostly tourist audience how to handle themselves just like a Parisian in every situation as they encounter taxis, the metro, restaurants, shops and nightclubs.

Warning: Giraud loves to pick on people in the audience to come up on stage, so if you don’t like audience participation, sit way back.

Tickets http://www.billetreduc.com/69266/evtbook.htm

A New Yorker in Paris

Living in Paris for seven years now, ex-New Yorker Sebastian Marx is still having a hard time adjusting to the French way of life. He has found a way to vent his frustration through comedy by performing a one-man show about his struggles. Influenced by his American comedy heroes Woody Allen, Jerry Seinfeld and Louis CK, Marx comes up with his own sardonic way of dealing with Parisian life. Still keeping in touch with his New York roots, Marx also performs with other fellow ex-pat comedians once for New York Comedy Night.

Every Friday night @ 8PM
SoGymnase
38 Blvd. Bonne Nouvelle, 75110
Tickets http://www.weezevent.com/sebastianmarx

New York Comedy Night
Every Friday 9:30PM
38 Blvd. Bonne Nouvelle, 75110
Tickets http://www.weezevent.com/the-new-york-comedy-night

Hip, New Paris Cocktail Bars

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

Up until a few years ago, the only place in Paris to get a decent cocktail was at the formal bars of five-star hotels like the Ritz and the George V. In recent years a spate of new, intimate, cocktail bars have opened with much popularity.

Sherry Butt

The name is unforgettable but the owners of Sherry Butt want you to also remember the special taste of the hand mixed, original cocktails. Eleven cocktail creations have been conjured up and the more exotic cocktails include ‘Shimbashi’ made with Japanese whisky, Fino sherry, and bitters and Belle en Bulle made with pisco, pear syrup, lemon and Champagne. The owners learned heir mixing magic powers working at a small chain of popular cocktails bars including The Experimental Cocktail Club, Curio, and Prescription, so they know their stuff and how to please cocktail craving Parisians. Tucked away on an offbeat street in the Marais, rue Beautreillis, Sherry Butt shares the dubious distinction of being located across the street from the apartment Doors band member Jim Morrison died in by overdosing in his bathtub. The bar also serves light bites and DJ spins retro tunes on the weekend.

20 rue Beautreillis
Paris 75004

Josephine

Josephine Baker, the American legendary dancer and singer who was the rage of Paris in 1930s and 1940s, has inspired many generations after her with her free spirit and love of nightlife. Her latest influence can be experienced at Josephine, a new bar with an Art Deco look and feel to it. The fully stocked bar has a large range of cocktails, whisky, and wine in a nostalgic Art Deco setting. The sophisticated cocktail list includes the Apricot Reviver – gin, Kina l’Avion d’Or, rosemary-infused apricots, lemon and of course the Joséphine – chartreuse, calvados, line, absinthe, and grapefruit zest. Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, foie gras, duck tartare, and crispy frites are just a few of the appetizing nibbles served. DJs spin retro rock and jazz on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday nights. Josephine has a smoking room in the back, a rarity for Paris these days since the city passed the no smoking law in all indoor public places five years ago.

25 rue Moret, 75011
http://cafe-josephine.tumblr.com


La Mary Celeste Bar

Ex-New Yorkers Adam Tsou and Josh Fontaine, along with Colombian Carina Soto Velasquez, attained immediate success when they opened the first genuine Mexican taqueria, Candelaria, in Paris in 2011. Riding on the coattails of their success they created Glass, a hit cocktail bar. Glass has now spawned the trio’s newest venture, La Mary Celeste Bar. The name is derived from a legend about a merchant ship from 1872 that sunk en route from New York to Genoa, with 1,701 barrels of grain alcohol onboard.
 
The cozy, homey bar is set on three levels, the first one with seating for 40+, the lower level an open kitchen with additional seating, and the third floor a work & storage space.

La Mary Celeste’s strong suit is the extensive selection of microbrewery beers with some from Brooklyn on tap. It also has an impressive wine list, and it goes without saying, custom cocktails, shaken and stirred by Carlos, the well-known mixologist who was snatched away from L’Hotel after 6 years.

Oysters, tacos, & Chinese buns are among the tasty bites to help soak up the alcohol. A relic from the past, an authentic turntable, has DJ’s spinning 80s music on vinyl.

1 rue de Commines, 75003

Vegetarian and Gluten Free Restaurants in Paris

cafe pinson

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

Up until about 18 months ago, Paris was almost a barren wasteland when it came to vegetarian and gluten free food. The less than handful of vegetarian restaurants had unimaginative, barely edible food and the only other options were falafels in the Jewish Quarter in the Marais and goat cheese salad. Things have changed significantly and there is now a healthy selection of vegetarian options with imaginative cuisine.

Café Pinson
Located in the trendy, fashionable Northern Marais/NORMA, Café Pinson is a culinary and visual delight. The menu offers vegetarian, mostly vegan, and partially gluten free food. At lunch there is a well-priced prix fixe that includes a soup or vegetable tart, main course, and dessert for just 17 euros. On the day we visited we had a soothing butternut squash soup, risotto made with a gluten free rice, and sugarless dessert with an interesting taste combo, pears and Rooibos tea. The modern but cozy interior is as appetizing as the food. Café Pinson also serves an unusual Sunday brunch consisting of slow cooked eggs at a low temperature, savory Madeleines, a vegetable mousse, raw or cooked granola, fresh juice, and a Nutella type spread made with raw hazelnuts.

Café Pinson
6 rue de Forez, 75003
Open 9AM to 7PM, Monday to Friday
Saturday 10AM to 7PM
Sunday 10AM to 5PM
http://www.cafepinson.fr

Tuck Shop
Two sisters and their best friend from Australia move to Paris to fulfill their fantasy. They love the City of Light but miss their local canteen/coffee shop called a Tuck shop in Australia. What to do? Open their own in a hip neighborhood. Voila! The Tuck Shop has been open for a few short months and has become the hit of the Canal St. Martin area. The girls have updated the Tuck Shop model by serving all vegetarian cuisine using only organic ingredients and the lunch special is a bowl of steaming soup, a veggie sandwich, and a homemade cake for only 12 euros. A special brunch is served on Sundays and the superior coffee, a Peruvian and Brazilian mix, has been custom blended by Cotume, the best coffee house in Paris.

Tuck Shop 

13 rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010

Open 9AM to 5PM Tuesday to Sunday
11AM to 7PM Sunday

Gentle Gourmet
Gentle Gourmet bills itself as first gourmet vegan restaurant in Paris. From the outside it looks like typical contemporary French restaurant with hardwood floors, slick black furniture, and white walls with modern art.

Chef and owner Deborah Pivain had a successful bread and breakfast in Paris where she cooked a vegan dinner every night for her guests before forging ahead full time with Gentle Gourmet. The highly imaginative menu includes you-could-swear-it-was meat, veggie burgers, vegan fondue, crispy mushrooms with faux foie gras, and crepes with a salted butter caramel sauce. The minimalist presentation on elegant white china takes vegan to a much more sophisticated level.

Gentle gourmet also has a takeout department.

Gentle Gourmet Café
24 Boulevard de la Bastille, 75012
http://www.gentlegourmetcafe.com

Top Holiday Activities in Paris for 2012

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

Paris is one of the best cities to spend the holidays in and 2012 lives up to that reputation in spades. The city is awash in the joie de vivre of the Christmas season with sparkly lights, shop windows dressed to the nines, and festive events.

Les Grand Magasins/Big department stores have pulled out all the stops this year to promote glamour and more sophisticated windows than usual. Printemps has 74 handcrafted dolls/ poupettes dressed in retro haute couture coatdresses and suits recalling the New Look from 1947 that made Dior famous. French actress Marion Cotillard, the official spokesperson for the Dior brand, inaugurated the windows in November wearing a chic and stunning Dior black wool crepe suit with a cinched waist and black patent leather belt. Next door at Galeries Lafayette, the theme is The Ball of the Century, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the store’s iconic stained glass dome, with figures dressed in evening wear dancing the night away. Another set of windows is devoted to Louis Vuitton and has penguins, polar bears, and an Afghan dog all adorned in Louis Vuitton fashions and accessories. The rising French fashion designer Alexis Mabille has created some whimsical charm along with his fantasy ball gowns in the windows of the BHV department store.

Printemps, 64 Blvd. Haussmann, 75009

Galeries Lafayette, 40 Blvd. Haussmann, 75009
BHV, 52 rue de Rivoli, 75004

Ice skating aficionados have the luxury of cutting figure eights on France’s largest skating rink at the Grand Palais, measuring close to 20,000 square feet. To add to the fun, the rink offers night skating on Friday and Saturday nights from 8PM to 2AM with special light shows and a DJ spinning music.

December 13 to January 6
Ice Skating at Grand Palais/Grand Palais de Glaces
3 avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008
Metro: Champs Elysees- Clemenceau

Paris is rich with concerts, dance, and theater during the holiday season. An exciting. Broadway scale production of West Side Story in English is at the Theatre Chatelet. There’s no place better to listen to classical holiday music than the magnificent Saint Chapelle church. The program includes works by Schubert, Bach, Mozart, and Verdi. If you want to have the double opportunity to see the famed interior of the magnificent Paris Opera Garnier and to enjoy a favorite fairy tale performed live, Cinderella (La Cenerentola in Italian) by Rossini is your ticket.

West Side Story
Till January 1, 2013  
Theatre du Chatelet, Place du Chatelet
http://chatelet-theatre.com/2012-2013/west-side-story-fr

Saint Chapelle Christmas Concerts
December 8, 9, 15, 15, 21–31
http://www.classictic.com/en/christmas_concerts_at_la_sainte_chapelle/18107/152096/

Cinderella/La Cenerentola
December 7,10,13,23,26, 27
Opera Garnier
http://www.classictic.com/en/la_cenerentola__paris_national_opera/18451/149249/


Two current blockbuster museum shows shouldn’t be missed. Dali at the Pompidou Centre boasts over 200 works of the master of Surrealism a long with a series of rare drawings, photos, objets, and excerpts from film and television shows. Iconic American artist Edward Hopper fell in love with Paris when he first visited in 1906 and his work is inspired by French artists such as Matisse. An extensive retrospective exhibits 128 works including paintings, watercolors, sketches, and illustrations along side 35 comparative paintings by French artists.


Dali
Centre Pompidou, Rue Beaubourg, 75004
Open 11AM till 9PM except Tuesday, Thursday till 11PM
http://www.centrepompidou.fr

Edward Hopper
Grand Palais , Ave. Winston Churchill, 75008
http://www.rmn.fr/english/les-musees-et-leurs-expositions-238/grand-palais-galeries-nationales-257/expositions-258/edward-hopper-2926

Paris Resale / Depot Vente shops

vintage jewelry

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

One of the most interesting trends on the Paris shopping scene in recent years is the proliferation of high-end resale shops (called depot-vente) that have opened. We are not talking about musty, dimly lit shops with your aunt’s ratty clothing from the attic. Today’s vintage shops have top designer label clothing and accessories in mint condition with price tags mostly above 500 euros.

Here are some of the top resale/ depot-vente shops.

L’Ibis Rouge
For over thirty years Vivianne Dendievel has developed a brilliant eye for selecting the most luxurious and tasteful vintage clothing, jewelry, and accessories to fill her Left Bank shop L’Ibis Rouge. She travels all over Europe to estate sales and auctions to find unique and divine pieces. Her specialty is costume jewelry and she carries European brands such as Dior, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Paco Rabanne, Christian Lacroix, Lanvin, Pierre Cardin and Karl Lagerfeld plus American jewelry brands Trifari, Myriam Haskell, Schreiner, Boucher, and Monet. L’Ibis Rouge also stocks a small collection of new, mostly handmade clothing and jewelry made in France and Italy.

L’Ibis Rouge
35 Blvd. Raspail, 75007
Metro: Sevres-Babylone
Open 12PM to 7PM Tuesday to Saturday
Tel. +33 (0) 01 45 48 98 21

Scarlett
In the Golden Triangle in between the George V and Plaza Athenee hotels and designer shops on Avenue Montaigne is Scarlett, a tiny shop stuffed to the rafters with vintage clothes, handbags and jewelry. Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Christian Loboutin are just a smattering of the luxury labels Scarlett features.

10 rue Clémont Marot, 75008 Paris
+33 (0) 156890300

Gabrielle Geppert
With the same first name as the legendary Coco Chanel, Gabrielle Geppert has also made her life about fashion. Ten years ago she opened her depot vente shop in the Palais Royal, using her impeccable taste to buy the most brilliant and sought after designer jewelry, handbags, clothing, and sunglasses. So successful was her venture, she branched out a few doors down and sells her own label G&G of chic, understated accessories.

31-34 Galerie Montpensier

Jardins du Palais Royal
 75001
Phone : +33(0)1 42 61 53 52
http://www.gabriellegeppert.com/en


Didier Ludot
In a prime spot in the shopping arcade of the Palais Royal is Didier Ludot, the foremost expert in couture and ready to wear vintage clothing. Ludot occupies two storefronts, one by appointment only for the couture clothing and the other for jewelry, shoes, belts, and jewelry. In recent years he has extended his empire to include a clever collection called The Little Black Dress, which is a line of new ready to wear black cocktail and evening dresses based on vintage designs. He’s also designed a fragrance The Little Black Dress. During fashion week Didier Ludot spruces up his windows with either new designers or the best of his couture collection.

24 Galerie de Montpensier, 75001
+33 (0)1 42 96 06 56
http://www.didierludot.fr

On Location at Disney California Adventure

The Cars Land Opening Ceremony on June 13 drew thousands of media, as well as celebrities that included Larry the Cable Guy and Randy Newman. // © Deanna Ting 2012

If you’ve ever seen “Cars” or “Cars 2” you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into each film as soon as you set foot onto Cars Land at Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, CA. From the Radiator Springs Town Hall and Flo’s V8 Café to the thrilling Radiator Springs Racers and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree attractions, the detail you find wherever you go is simply uncanny.

I was lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at Cars Land the day of its grand opening, June 13, and the next day, June 14, while it was open only to media and select guests. From what I can tell you, the new 12-acre area was well worth the more than five-year wait. Here’s a quick guide to some of Cars Land’s best attractions and rides:

 

At the end of Radiator Springs Racers, your car races against another in an exciting drive filled with thrilling banks and curves. // © Deanna Ting 2012

Radiator Springs Racers

This is the star attraction of Cars Land and it lives up to the hype. The largest attraction by acreage at Disneyland Resort, it combines clever storytelling techniques with a heart-pumping race to the finish in colorful automobiles—each of which seats six—that tour Ornament Valley on a scenic road trip, followed by a drag race on the track. The winner of each race is randomly chosen so it’s exciting to see how it all pans out.

I don’t want to spoil the ride for you or your clients. but I’d definitely recommend taking a spin on the ride at night, when the lights shine onto the hand-painted, hand-carved façade of Ornament Valley and the rest of the park glows. 

There’s a height restriction of 40 inches on this ride and while the speeds of the vehicles do pick up toward the end, it’s a smooth and scenic ride throughout.

 

The baby tractors from this ride twist you around. // © Deanna Ting 2012

Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree

It doesn’t look like there’s a lot of kick to it but this ride, which features 22 individual baby tractors in training, has a bit more than you’d expect. Think “Mad Tea Cups” gone country, with original songs by Larry the Cable Guy (the voice of Mater from “Cars”) playing in the background.
 

The entrance to Luigi’s Flying Tires attraction. It’s not uncommon to see characters from “Cars” parked—and moving—throughout the area. // © Deanna Ting 2012

Luigi’s Flying Tires

The best way to describe this ride is like being on a giant, life-size air hockey arena. Guests sit atop inflatable tires that float across the floor. If you lean in a certain direction, the tire will also start to move toward there as well. There are also plenty of fun, oversize Italian-flag-inspired beach balls and plenty of Italian racing memorabilia to keep you occupied.

Flo’s V8 Café and the Cozy Cone Motel

If you love old-fashioned dishes and rotisserie roasted classics, you have to stop by this classic café in the heart of Cars Land. The Cozy Cone Motel, aptly named for its car safety cone-inspired architecture, serves up all kinds of “cone”-themed foods, from ice cream cones to chilli “cone” queso.

Shopping at Cars Land

There are three shops in Cars Land—Radiator Springs Curios, Sarge’s Surplus Hut and Ramone’s House of Body Art—and each is home to special merchandise your clients can only purchase here at Cars Land. Popular souvenirs include hats shaped like a tire from Luigi’s Casa Della Tires and a cars-themed rendition of the classic Mickey ears hat.

Simply put, whether or not your clients are fans of “Cars” or “Cars 2,” I have a feeling they’ll want to stick around a while in Cars Land. As for me, I’m hoping to take one more spin on Radiator Springs Racers before I leave.

Cars Land and the Grand Reopening of Disney California Adventure will open to the public officially on June 15.

Disney Travel Agents
http://disneytravelagents.com/

New La Prairie Spa at Le Bristol Hotel Paris

The "Russian Room" // Photo by Richard Nahem

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

The Bristol Hotel is Parisian refined luxury at its height. In a quest to compete with a spate of new luxury spas in other hotels in the city, they have teamed up with the prestigious skincare company La Prairie from Switzerland. Designed by Maja Oetker along with French architect Pierre-Yves Rochon, the tri-level spa is all about calm and serenity.

The jewel of the spa is the “Russian Room”, which has a marble heating table with a shower head, the first of its kind in Paris. The pristine white room on the lower level also contains a private Turkish bath. For something a little romantic, there are duo rooms where couples can intimately relax with a whirlpool, private terrace, and a private Turkish bath. Hands and feet are given special treatment with a room dedicated especially to them.

Although the spa is under the name La Prairie, four other brands of European style treatments are offered. London-based The Organic Pharmacy uses only organic ingredients in all its treatment products. From the shores of Brittany is Les Thermes Marins de Saint Malo, a brand of skincare that uses the marine environment as a base for its products. Russie Blanche products are inspired by the traditional Russian Baniya method, which uses birch branches containing essential oils and helps restore the body. Maison de l’Argan specializes in products that use argon oil, which has restorative qualities and softens the skin.

Specialty treatments include an aromatherapy/made to measure massage, which lets you select your own body oil to be used for your massage, the Under Rain massage using the French thalassotherapy method where hot drops of rain release your stress, the Japanese Body Brushing treatment, which uses a dry brush to cleanse the body and improves circulation, and most exotic of all is the Organic green coffee and chili oil body sculpting treatment, which tones and re-sculpts your silhouette and improves blood and lymph circulation and helps eliminate toxins.

In addition to the spa, an inviting rooftop pool awaits you with vistas of Paris surrounded by a handsome teak and glass room inspired by a 19th century yacht.

Le Bristol Paris
112 rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008
Tel. 01 53 43 41 67
Open Monday to Saturday, 10AM to 7PM

Christmas in Paris 2011

At Printemps, shoppers can find special offerings from Chanel.

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com.

It’s holiday time again in Paris and the city is decked way out beyond the halls with boughs of holly. Blazing light displays, Christmas markets and fairs, ice skating rinks, and special holiday concerts are just a few of the joyous activities happening around the city. Here is a selection of the best and brightest for the month of December and beginning of January.

Galeries Lafayette offers rock-and-roll themed displays.

Holiday Store Windows

Galeries Lafayette is mad about rock music and this season the theme is called Noël Rock ‘n’ Mode. Animated dolls designed by New York artist Alexander Wang are fashionably dressed in rock n roll garb and strum away on their guitars and beat their drums furiously. Next door at Printemps it’s all about the eponymous fashion house Chanel. Noel Reves d'Evasion (Dreams of Escape) pays homage to Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel, and the windows have miniature Karl dolls prancing about with his camera and alternate windows show Chanel’s global locales Moscow, Los Angeles and Tokyo with clever and imaginative sets and animated dolls. On the Faubourg St. Honoré, Hermés just drips with over the top luxury with a Moroccan inspired theme including crocodile Kelly bags, ostrich motorcycle helmets, and a set of shiny gold boxing gloves.

Galeries Lafayette
40 Blvd. Haussmann, 75009

Printemps
64 Blvd. Haussmann, 75009

Hermés
24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008

Ice Skating

Sharpen those blades and put on those skates so you can cut up the ice with your fierce figure eights in the rinks of Paris. Every winter The Hotel de Ville/City Hall offers free skating on the plaza. Nothing could match the sensation of ice-skating high above the city in the Eiffel Tower with the breathtaking views. 

Hotel de Ville Rink –Till February 27
Open Monday to Friday 12PM to 10PM, Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays 9AM to 10PM
Admission free, skate rentals 5 euros

Eiffel Tower Rink- Till January 2
11AM to 9PM daily
Free for tower visitors

Holiday displays at the Place Vendome

Christmas Markets and Fairs

Shop, shop, shop till you drop and eat, eat, eat, till your tummy hurts at the fabulous Paris Christmas markets. Starting at the base of Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysees has the largest market in the city brimming with great gifts, hot wine, Christmas ornaments, cotton candy, and much more. Inside the Grand Palais is a grand fair, Jours de Fetes, much like an old fashioned amusement park with a giant Ferris wheel, games of chance, and a carousel.

Champs Elysees Christmas Market till January 2
Jours de Fetes till January 2

Holiday Concerts

No Christmas holiday in Paris would be complete without classical music pouring out of the famed churches.
 
At Notre Dame
Tuesday, December 20, 8:30PM, Admission free - Christmas concert with organist Olivier Latry
Thursday, December 29, 8:30PM, Gregorian Chants Tickets 18 euros

At Saint Chapelle
December 17 to December 30, concerts at 6PM & 8PM
Various performances including Christmas Carols, Bach, Vivaldi, and Schubert

At Saint Sulpice
Thursday, December 29, 8:45PM –Mozart Requiem
http://www.classictic.com/en/Search/France/Paris/2011-12-15/0,0,0/page1.html

On Location: Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort

It’s been many and many a year since I visited Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but after having my proverbial socks knocked off by Aulani in Hawaii (I say proverbial only because the place emphasizes barefoot luxury), I accepted an offer to accompany some members of the Fisher Travel team to see how the theme park is holding up.

I had forgotten how massive the resort is, and how many resort hotels are included within its boundaries. For the record, Disney owns more than 47 square miles in Orlando. That’s about two Manhattan Islands. It’s seriously big.

I’m staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, an homage to African game reserves. Having stayed in several game reserves in Africa, I can say that they got plenty of details right, and that there is something utterly breathtaking about watching a giraffe amble along right outside one’s window, whether that window is in the Serengeti or in Orlando. (Though I will admit that my first thought upon seeing the giraffe was “Oh, no, if a lion comes along right now the kids are gonna be traumatized…” Fortunately, there are no lions or any other dangerous animals in the “Savanna” area of the park, but it would certainly be a good way to teach kids about the circle of life...Or maybe not.)

My room at the lodge is quite nice—smallish, and not ideal for business travel (not a lot of electrical outlets, and a dining-style table in lieu of a desk), but perfectly good for a couple or a small family. (And I already mentioned the views over the savanna—those are tops.) Oh, yes, and while the beds in my room don’t have mosquito netting all around them, there is a decorative panel of netting at the heads of each bed. It’s a pretty touch (must remember to suggest it to my interior designer), and a fashionable nod to African necessity.

After checking in, I headed over to the Saratoga Springs resort, part of the Disney Vacation Club, for a spa treatment. Elizabeth did a wonderful job working out (most of) the knots in my back, and the spa facilities look lovely. (I was pressed for time, so I didn't get a proper tour, but there seemed to be a good number of rooms, and the women's lounge was very soothing. Might go back there just to unwind in the hot tub...)

For dinner, I went with my host over to the California Grill at the Magic Kingdom’s Contemporary Resort, which nowadays looks delightfully retro. (It has undergone an extensive renovation since its 1971 opening, but maintains a few early-1970s touches.) The restaurant is huge and rather noisy (not a great option for a quiet romantic dinner), but kids are welcome and can learn about fine dining while looking down over the Magic Kingdom. (Great touch: Guests who dine at the restaurant can keep their receipt and come back at 900 p.m. for unobstructed views of the fireworks show over the Magic Kingdom.) The food is delicious, and covers a surprising range of styles. We started with a Dragon sushi roll (tuna, shrimp tempura, bell pepper, avocado and a chili soy glaze) and then tried an artisan flatbread (BBQ-flavor, delish) before moving on to the formal first course (a single, huge goat-cheese ravioli) and the main course…which, by then, we were too full to eat. (Well, I was, anyway.) The grilled pork tenderloin was just wonderful—incredibly tender, and served over goat cheese polenta with a zinfandel glaze. 

Tomorrow I’ll be going on a Wild Africa Trek around the Animal Kingdom—this is a new feature of the resort, so I’ll be eager to see what that’s like…