F Train to Paris

In which a Jewish family from Brooklyn moves to Paris, France for two years of work, school, and adventures.

 

Perhaps you've been wondering, "What do the Kleinmans do for fun on Sundays?" Here's the kind of thing we sometimes do: We had a fun family outing yesterday to the Marais. I sold it to the kids as an opportunity to eat falafel, go to the Red Wheelbarrow, a wonderful English language bookshop, and perhaps have gelato for dessert at Amorino. Secretly, my husband and I planned to sneak in a visit to the Musee Carnavalet, a museum of the history of Paris. R. made an attempt to get out of it by calling a friend and trying to make plans, but we didn't let him off the hook.

L'As de Falafel, which apparently means the Ace of Falafel, has a reputation as the best falafel joint in Paris, and I was skeptical until I tried it. There's typically a line to get in on Sundays, but it's worth the wait. Get the shwarma if you must (R. did, and then he whispered to me that he was glad he came), but I urge you to try the falafel, preferably the special pita sandwich with cabbage salad and fried eggplant. Their french fries are great, too. It's kosher, by the way, and located on the main drag of the Jewish section of the Marais, la rue des Rosiers.

Stuffed and happy, we waddled off to the bookstore. I wish I could give you a link for The Red Wheelbarrow (named in honor of the William Carlos Williams poem), but they don't have a website. The store is located on rue Saint Paul, a couple of blocks south of rue St. Antoine. J. has been eagerly awaiting the newest Lemony Snicket book, and they finally got it in. I needed the third book in the Phillip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials. And we managed to find a few other books we couldn't live without.

Finding affordable English books in Paris is one of the challenges of our lives here. We belong to the American Library and go there frequently, but keeping a book-loving family supplied takes more than a single library. So we find ourselves spending a fortune at the English bookstores here, like W.H. Smith and Brentano's. The Red Wheelbarrow has been a great discovery, partly because we enjoy supporting an independent bookseller, partly because we enjoy chatting with the charming owners, Abigail and Penelope, and partly because they have a great selection for such a small shop. Abigail and Penelope seem to have read nearly everything--almost any book I pick up from the table of new paperback fiction elicits a comment from one of them.

We then shepherded the kids toward the museum, ignoring their protests, but when we got there we didn't insist that they actually go in. J. and R. sat on a bench in the lobby reading their books; at the last minute, E. decided to come in with us. We did a quick walk-through, stopping at just a couple of our favorites and at the things we thought E. would find "cool." Ralph's favorite is the cork-lined room in which Proust wrote Remembrance of Things Past; mine is the art nouveau interior of Fouquet, a jewelry shop built in 1900. (Click here for a little information about it, and a photo.)

It was cold by the time we left the museum, so gelato was nixed. We tried to go to a great salon de the on rue des Rosier called Le Loir dans la Theiere (The Dormouse in the Teapot!), but there was a long line. So we went home.

posted by: pariskleinmans at 17:43 | link | comments (2) |

#1  09 November 2004 - 12:58

 

Sounds like the Kleinman's are a very cool family and they had a most wonderful day!

Leigh

#2  09 November 2004 - 13:03

 

oops, ignore the apostrophe.

Leigh