Paris during Thanksgiving

Paris during the American Thanksgiving holiday is terrific. Though I missed the turkey and trimmings, I got great French food, shopping, and sightseeing. Whereas in previous trips I had done the major sights (like the Eiffel Tower), this time we decided to walk the city. We were staying at a very cheap place on an outer arrondissement, which was nice because we were out of the touristy areas.

We walked to La Defense, Champs Elyssess, and beyond and really saw how the whole city was laid out and connected. It was also good exercise. The Métro is terrific, especially when you're tired, but on foot, Paris is even better. We also took a short trip to Versailles, though it was a bit too cold that day to explore the garden and the Hall of Mirrors is undergoing renovation, so it was covered up. Overall, I'd say it was my best trip to Paris yet.

Quick Tips:

We found our hotel at venere.com, and it was approximately 50€ for a very, very basic room for two people with a shower. It was also outside the city center (near La Grande Jette). But for the price, I didn't mind it.

Best Way To Get Around:

We walked most of the city. We were close to La Grande Jette, so we were far outside the center, but we either walked into the city center (it took us about a half-hour to get to the Arch) or took the subway (maybe 20 minutes to L'Opea).

The Métro was terrific, of course. We got a Carte Orange, which we gave us unlimited access to the Métro Monday to Sunday. You need a passport-sized photo with it, though, so make sure you bring one or get one at a photo booth (there are lots of photo booths in Paris that actually work, unlike in the US).

This is a very, very basic hotel. It's not for anyone into comfort. But for the price (around 50€), it was good. It was in one of the outer arrondissments, near La Grande Jette of Sunday in the Park fame and not very far via the Métro from the city center. And it was maybe a quarter-mile walk from the Métro. And we were staying on the sixth floor and there was no elevator. But the bed was comfortable for two, and there was a bathroom with shower, a heater, a place to hang our clothes, a TV, and a balcony, though the balcony wasn't very clean. Because of the price, it does attract a younger, rowdier crowd, so we had one night where there was a party all night next door. But that was only one night out of the nine we spent.

I liked the neighborhood a lot. It was residential and not touristy at all, so I felt I was seeing how Parisians really lived. There were restaurants all around, a supermarket, etc. If you were to choose this option and you don't mind stairs, choose one of the top floor rooms. When you get to the top of the stairs, a door opens onto a walkway that's outside. So you get a view and you also escape the smoke that builds up inside the hotel (this is Paris, after all, where everyone smokes).

I found this restaurant through ricksteves.com, and it was the best meal we had in Paris. It was fairy inexpensive and had very good food. They have a couple of set-price menus, with several choices each for an appetizer, main dish, and dessert. I had a fish puree soup, which was fantastic; a small steak; and ice cream. It's a very, very small place, so you need to get there early to get a seat or be prepared to wait. It was a bit confusing to find since the streets crisscross a bit, but it's well worth finding.

We were staying in an outer arrondissment near La Grande Jette in the northwest corner of the city, near the Seine. We took off on our quest to find La Defense, which is a huge building/monument and business center built on the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. It's very impressive and a must-see when you're in Paris. We had to cross the river, since it's just over the Seine. We decided to cross at the point where we could access La Grande Jette, which was the setting for the painting by Seurat ("A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette"). There's a lovely park which helps you envision what it might've been like when Seurat was there. We then climbed onto a bridge and then over to the other side of the river. It was late November, but because of the walk, I was sweating. We weren't exactly sure where were going, but we moved in the general direction and got lost a bit. We stopped at a bakery to rest and then tried to make our final assault, walking south, parallel to the river. We eventually came upon a series of freeways and overpasses that blocked our way. Luckily, we find some stairs and climbed over a wall and got onto a walkway. The walkways led to the development around La Defense. It was a spectacular sight, definitely worth the walk. Looking west, we could see Arc de Triomphe several miles down, since La Defense was built to be in line with it. We found a Starbucks which actually served us coffee in real mugs and settled in for a rest. Then we found there was a huge American-style indoor mall next to the monument. After shopping and looking at the monument some more, we took the subway back into the city center. This was definitely my favorite hike of the trip.