Paris in December

Heuer and I are in Paris again for the Le Web conference, and this time we have chosen to rent an apartment located on the edge of the Marais. I have come to love this neighborhood and can’t imagine staying anywhere else now. So much to do here. So easy to get anywhere we need to be on the Metro.

The apartment was lovely, with a nice updated kitchen and good sized living area. The only down side was the loft bedroom has a fairly low roof. Like ridiculously low.

Paris: Dec 2011

It did give us a good chuckle, and while there was another bedroom on the main floor, the bed upstairs was larger and more comfortable, so we decided to deal with it. Happy to announce I only cracked my head on the roof twice during the week. Heuer won’t admit how many times he hit it.

This trip we were able to take in two new museums, the Centre Georges Pompidou:

Paris: Dec 2011

Paris: Dec 2011

Paris: Dec 2011

And the Musée d’Orsay, where the only photos allowed are on a platform where you can soak in the views of the city, which some will call art:

Paris: December 2011

Paris: December 2011

We of course ate our way through the city as usual, and nothing disappointed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just need to get better at writing the names down so I can remember them and/or offer recommendations.

You can see more photos of our trip to Paris here: Paris 2011 Set

We have decided to take an extra week this time to explore a bit more of this country and will be heading to Chamonix in the French Alps for some skiing [please snow!], Geneva and Annecy. Stay tuned!

Geek Field Trip Planned: the Louvre

When we arrived in Paris last Sunday, the Social Media Club House mates took a stroll through the courtyard of the Louvre, but didn’t go in as the line already formed was re-dunk-dic-u-lous. Not wishing to leave town before I see the Mona Lisa, we are planning a geek field trip to the Louvre tomorrow (Saturday) and invite all who would like to join us.

Social Media Club House Day 1 - 09

We are meeting at 8:30 (doors open at 9am) hopefully get a decent spot in line. If you get there a few minutes late, no worries, just stroll along the line and look for a geeky group with lots of camera bags.

Thoughts are to visit to the Mona Lisa first (get that out of the way early) and then explore from there. Based on the verbal confirmations received during Le Web, we are expecting about 15 people to join us.

It is recommended that you pre-purchase tickets online (10.10 euros per ticket), as it makes it easier to pick up (just be sure to bring the credit card you used to pick up on site). Hope you will join us for this little field trip and see some of the great works of art Paris has to offer.

The tourist in me lives.

I mean, come on…how can you go to Paris and NOT visit the Eiffel Tower?

Paris: December 2009

The ticket line was insane, so Heuer and I decided to save the three hour wait and just walked around the grounds for a bit. I figured the overcast skies and long lines were a sign I was meant to simply admire the tower from afar…so we’ll plan to take the elevator ride next time, and yes – there will be a next time.

Earlier in the day we met up with Patrice (a local entrepreneur) who walked us through the Montmartre district and into Sacré-Coeur, which is quite an amazing basilica sitting atop a hill over looking all of Paris.

Next was a trip to La Cantine (Parisian co-working space) for the Social Media Club Happy Hour hosted by our local chapter leader, Pierre-Yves Platini. Great to meet many of the folks from the local community and hear what the innovation is coming out of Paris.

A fantastic dinner at La Petite Chaise followed thereafter with Colette Ballou, Mike Sigal, Cathy Brooks, Chris Heuer, Dana Oshiro and Robert Scoble. Have to say…probably my favorite meal of the trip so far (I had the lamb) and the Margot….oh my God…the Margot. Yum.

We stumbled home, fired up the internet and hosted the first live webcast recapping our days activities and sharing our plans for tomorrow (today). I don’t remember much of what was said, and that is probably a good thing. I think we were all a little toasty. 🙂

Paris: December 2009

Yesterday was a really good day. Thank you Paris.

When local markets, wanna be top chefs and good friends meet…

When discussing activities for our week in Paris, we thought what better way to break the flat in than to host a small dinner party on the first night we are here. We are fortunate to have an amazing market called La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marche, similar to our Whole Foods, just a few blocks away from our flat – so Cathy, Chris and I took a stroll over on Sunday afternoon and picked up some tasty bits for the group.

We invited Mark and Laurant from PayPal over as a way to thank them for their support of Social Media Club House then Heuer headed into the kitchen and whipped up a stellar meal of salmon, potatoes and asparagus.

Social Media Club House Day 1 - 31

These are the type moments I love the most, getting people together from all around the world, sharing great stories over good food and wine. It’s the beauty of Social Media Club House. It is not only a work place. Or a sleeping place. It is the perfect gathering place.