The Obama family just enjoyed the perfect weekend in Paris.
It’s not too late for your own Paris trip this year. And you can do it just like the Obamas! Even though the dollar sucks (1.4 to 1 euro), flying and accommodations are the cheapest they have been in years!
Flight: Flying to Europe has never been cheaper (especially in the summer). Summer travel to Paris is starting at 650 (50% lower than last year). My favorite website for finding cheap flights is http://www.farecompare.com/. CEO Rick Seaney (www.twitter.com/rickseaney) also tweets great deals he finds, and he’s found a lot of deals to Europe this year.
Where to Stay: The Obama family stayed at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence located near the Place de la Concorde. The elegant shops of the Champs-Elysées, Concorde and Madeleine areas make these neighborhoods the ideal locations for extravagant hotels. If money is no option, the classiest address in town is the Hôtel de Crillon (www.crillon.com), in an 18th century palace designed by Louis XV.
Now let’s retrace the Obama family’s Paris trip. Over the course of three days, the family hit up all of Paris’ major attractions and even enjoyed a typical French meal.
On Friday, Michelle and her daughters hit up the Eiffel Tower, a MUST for every tourist in the city.
Eiffel Tower (www.tour-eiffel.fr) Don’t save a few euro and skip the 900-foot ride up to the top, not even when you see the long line and high price. I can hear it now: “It costs €11.50 just to go in an elevator?! Oh heck no. All we need is a picture in front of it…” At night, you can see the tower sparkle at the top of each hour.
While Michelle and Barack celebrated D-Day in Normandy, Grandma took Malia and Sasha on a boat cruise.
On Saturday evening, the entire family visited the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Notre Dame Cathedral (www.cathedraledeparis.com) The Notre Dame Cathedral is the centerpiece of Paris’ unwinding arrondissements, or neighborhoods, which are arranged in a spiral around the famed Catholic cathedral. News reports say the crowd cheered jubilantly when Sasha and Malia waved from a balcony high on the church. The president also lighted a candle as a children’s choir sang.
Later that evening, the family enjoyed a typical French meal at a local bistro. The first family enjoyed a moderately priced meal at La Fountain de Mars. No, they didn’t dine a starred restaurant, but one that any tourist can dine at. La Fontaine de Mars 29 Rue St. Dominique, 7th This is a very typical French bistro restaurant with a nice view of the Eiffel Tower. La Fontaine de Mars dates back to 1908 and specializes in rustic dishes from France's southwest region of Bordeaux Perigord and the Basque. The Obamas had the leg of lamb and beef here.
On Sunday, the entire first family visited the Georges Pompidou Center, Paris’ main museum for modern art.
Georges Pompidou (www.centrepompidou.fr) The Pompidou Center is a multidimensional museum focusing on art from the 20th century. It’s the museum you can enjoy when you don’t feel like going to a museum, with bustling activity outside and untraditional art inside, which makes for a refreshing break from “old Paris.” The collection changes constantly, but you can usually count on seeing some Kandinsky, Matisse and Miró. And the building isn’t a joke, it’s art. It was made so that the inside is completely bereft of pipes; all the tubes (color-coded blue for air, green for fluids, yellow for electrical cables and red for movement and flow) are famously on the outside.
After Obama left for home, Michelle took that girls shopping at Bonpoint (www.bonpoint.com) 6 rue de Tournon, 6th) , a high-end children’s clothing store.
After shopping at Bonpoint, the first family hit up the Louvre…another MUST for anyone visiting Paris.
The Louvre Museum (www.louvre.fr) The world’s largest, most famous and arguably most important museum was originally built as a defense structure in 1105. Beginning in the 15th century, King Charles V began developing the fortress into a luxurious residence for royalty. Each subsequent ruler added another wing, as well as their own special touch. In 1989, I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid structure opened as an entrance to the Louvre.
Thank you for this post. I vacationed in Paris in March for the first time. I went alone - another black girl in Paris - and loved it. Next time I go I'll have to check out La Fontaine de Mars to eat & Bonpoint for design ideas. Peace!
Posted by: Jamila | June 10, 2009 at 03:50 PM