My Paris List

I always go to Paris with a list of things to do. No matter how many times I've gone or how long I spend there, I never get to do everything.  Partly because Paris is always changing and partly because I'm not. I like going back to the same places, I like the fact that my shopkeepers recognize me.
I always go to the same framing shop on rue Dante for wooden frames for my postcards. I've popped into les Deux Tisserins, a toyshop down the street from my hotel, every trip the last two decades because it's on my route to the Boulevard St-Germain. Buying cutlery by Sabre has been on my list since I first discovered these little forks with flowered handles in a toyshop on the Boulevard St-Michel.  Since then, I've found them in the Printemps as well as the Galeries Lafayette and the BHV where they're often on sale. The department stores don't have the same selection though that the Sabre boutiques themselves have.
On my way to Place des Vosges in the Marais, I passed this children's shop which actually turned out to have cool things for anyone's room. I have a banner of multicoloured embroidered flags from C'est ma Chambre that now adorns my bedroom window. There's a bag that I covet that I intend to go back for.

Le Chat Huant is on one of those weird little connecting streets that I always use on my way to somewhere else. It's a nice combination of French and Asian taste that I can't resist. Though I've only ever bought one thing there--this twisted braid of bells and tassels that adorns my headboard--I can't resist popping in to take a look.
I discovered a cool little shop called Pixi & Cie that appeared at first glance to just be a toy shop. But upstairs, there was also a museum of sorts and in the back, a repair atelier. I need to go back to pick up a Petit Nicolas silhouette and a green Eiffel tower.
A wrong turn away from my hotel also led me to L'Epee de Bois. This charming toy shop has toys you'd never find over here, a variety of Steiff animals actually made in Germany and small enough so that, while expensive, they're still affordable. I picked up a tiny pig and a hedgehog finger puppet. Like most shops, this one wraps everything in a small print bag sealed with a sticker and tied with a ribbon.
Walking up from the Seine near the Musee d'Orsay, I passed this lovely linen shop called Sylvie Thiriez. Only I didn't pass; the window was so lovely, I turned back and went in. The bedsheets were beautiful, all cotton, with tiny embroidered patterns. I could have easily bought everything; I bought pillowcases. It's on my list to go back and buy sheets.
Of course there are restaurants I'd still like to try but haven't either because of the expense or the distance from my hotel. One day I'd like to eat on top of the Eiffel Tower but I could barely afford a dessert unless I brought up an eclair in a bag. Chartier is the classic Paris restaurant but it's a little far from where I sleep and it really is a place to go with friends. I've walked by the Le Petit Zinc many times but have never gone in. Too chicken for some reason.
Weather also affects where I go. The one trip I took in Springtime happened to be the coldest Spring in 20 years.  I had planned to take a tour to Monet's Garden with Fat Tire Bike Tours but to me, cycling in the rain was not the same as singing. When I get the courage to ride in Paris traffic--I lasted 5 minutes on a Velib--I plan to take a Segway tour. 
Another thing I like to do is take an excursion with Paris Vision. Yes, it's touristy, yes it's expensive (don't even try to convert the cost to dollars without taking a deep breath). But you can sit back, you can relax and not worry about losing your way or wasting one of your precious vacation days. This is a great way to get the initial taste of a place and give you an idea how to find your way back on a second trip on your own. This is how I first discovered Monet's Garden, Versailles and Bruges. On my last trip, I went on a smaller tour, in a minivan rather than a bus, to Giverny and Auvers-sur-Oise where Van Gogh spent his last few months of life. I still want to take a tour to Mont Saint-Michel and that's for my next trip.

Places to go back to:
C'est ma Chambre, 45 rue des Archives, 75003 Paris
Pixi & Cie 6, rue de l'echaude, 75006 Paris
Le Chat Huant, 52, rue Galande 75005 Paris
L'Epee de Bois, 12, rue de l'Epee de Bois, 75005 Paris
Sylvie Thiriez, 26, rue du Bac, 75007 Paris
Fat Tire Bike Tours, 24, rue Edgar Faure, 75015 Paris
Paris Vision, 214 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris