What to do in Paris?

General
#1

Vacations in France next week! :slight_smile:


I will stay one week in Paris, from June 4th to 11th. Apart from the monuments and museums (which I already visited the big ones), what do you suggest for eating/digging vinyl and tapes/partying (some crazy catacombs party? :)/buying pedals?

Thanks a lot!

#2

To buy pedals you will have to go to rue de Douai, where all the guitar and music shops are. It is not as big as it used to be but if you want something more specific than Boss this is the place, there is a pedal dedicated shop, I think it is called “La pédale”, should I translate it? :wink:

Not an expert in term of clubs, you will need somebody else’s help!

And for food, what are you into?

#3

Thanks a lot, @Eti! :slight_smile: Checked “La pédale” in Google Maps. Cool! What about synths? Should I give look also at Rue de Douai and the near rues?


For food, can´t eat cow´s cheese and I´m a little bit intolerant to gluten, so I need to be careful with burgers. I´m looking for typical french foods and I´m also really open to vegan dishes.

#4

Rue de Douai and nearby streets is mostly for guitars I think. The biggest store for keys and electronic gear is probably Woodbrass store, 184 Rue Jaures 75019 Paris, in the 19th arrondissement. To be honest I am quite news to synths, I am more accustomed to guitars. I will make a quick search for you :wink:

If you are open and would like to try something typical from the south west, I would recommend “chez papa”, they have 5 or 6 restaurants in Paris. Duck, Cassoulet (my favorite!) and huuuge salads with all sorts of things. Another restaurant I like to bring my foreign friends to is “chez Paul”, with traditional cuisine from Lyon. The room will bring you back 50 years ago, if you are curious and not afraid to try something new you should go there. The address: 13 rue de Charonne. Rue de Lappe is just next to it, lots of restaurants and bars!

#5

La Colonie de Vacances is a concert where 4 live bands play together simultaneously. This year it is treated by Deerhoof’s drummer. I’ll be there, but I don’t know if there are still some tickets available.

#6

@Eti merci beaucoup! :slight_smile: I ordered the Analog RYTM in Woodbrass, will go there to get the package and will check for the synths (and maybe more boutique pedals). Already marked the restaurants on my map! I will stay on the 13eme, some recommendations there?


@LyingDalai La Gaité Lyrique is f*cking amazing! Went there 3 years ago to see Radio Moscow and James Leg. Thanks a lot, I´m buying the 15h ticket right now. Other sugestions? I was thinking about an electronic festival that will happen in that weekend, there´s a modular stage, but it´s very techno oriented, so isn´t exactly my thing.

#7

(Well, I need to make a correction: Radio Moscow and James Leg happened at Le Point Ephemere - which is fucking amazing. La Gaite Lyrique is cool, but the river in the front of Le Point is just <3 Went to La Gaite on the same trip and managed to get inside the sold out show of Daniel Johnston; good memories!)

#8

Funny, I went to the same Radio Moscow show :). Great band btw!

Lots of stuff to do in the 13eme arrondissement! The biggest Chinatown of Europe starts rue de Choisy, I recommend you the “Tang Frères” supermarket, all sort of imported asian food and other stuff.

If you are in the 13eme I would suggest to check le Batofar, located quai François Mauriac on la Seine. It is a bar whith electronic and/or rock music shows. And it is a boat :slight_smile:

But the one thing to do is go to la Butte aux Cailles, one of my favourite place in Paris. Feels like a village, lots of bars and restaurant, great night life, very green. One of the restaurants there is “chez Gladines”, very much like Chez Papa I recommended earlier but more trendy. You have to wait for a table but with a glass of Wine it is not that bad. Very friendly place! Not so far from there you should also take a walk to the Square des Peupliers, quiet and soothing garden.



#9

^ +1 for Chez Gladines!

#10

a Menimoltant around place maurice chevalier you will find the best bookstore/ fanzine / and other things not made for tourists. OG Paris

#11

@Eti Great band! The show as amazing, and the guys of the band are really nice, the bassist told us a lot of interesting stuff about pedals. But I was really impressed by Reverend James Leg: AGRESSIVE Fender Rhodes with all those distortion. The Tang Frères chain appears to be amazing! Will buy some phò ingredients, candies and crazy incenses for my hommies.


I read about the Batofar in the Lonely Planet, but didn´t know if it´s a cool place or not. Good to know! Will go there on the friday, a dancehall night! <3 Didn´t know about Butte aux Cailles, fell in love with the photos I just seen in Google. I´ll try the “Chez Gladines”, basque food (which I don´t know nothing, but I´m really interested by the Basque Country)? Count me in! Thanks also @punji (other ideas?).

@thor it´s really good to know. Indeed, as I´m ABSOLUTELY into fanzines, I even researched in Google for bookstore, music store, squat, whatever, without success. Do you remember where I can find zines near the Place Maurice Chevalier (which, indeed, I can´t find in Google Maps, but I suppose It´s near the station. The bookstore is Le Monte en L´Air?


#12

Yes man Le Monte-en-l’air

#13

Just to give you good folks a feedback: the trip was fucking great. Thanks a lot @Eti for the Chez Paul recommendation, great food! @thor, great nights at Menimoltant and Belleville. Big up.

#14

@aeoner I’m glad you enjoyed your stay in Paris, what else did you see? Any synth adventure on your way?

#15

@LyingDalai I should also thank you for the La Colonie de Vacances. The night was sold out but the afternoon gig was amazing. Fell in love with the band with the girl in the synth!


@Eti well, although this was my 6th or 7th time in Paris, as always happens in those special cities I went to a lot of new places. Stayed some days in the 13eme, which I didn´t knew and is really cool (delicious and cheap asian food <3); went to cool places in Ménilmoltant and Belleville (which I also know nothing, apart the Père Lachaise), visited the Quai Branly, which I neglected in 2012 and is AWESOME. Liked also the Institute Louis Vuitton (although the excessive advertising is very questionable), specially a John Cage machine which is a kind of analog Ableton Live. Talking about synths, tried the Analog Keys of Elektron in Woodbrass and bought a Analog Rytm :slight_smile:

But the most interesting aspect of my trip was the Normandy (indeed, we traveled to France because of a friend´s marriage there): the D Day beaches are impressive (Point Du Hoc), and we see a lot of old fortresses and falling apart towers. FUCKING COOL for a history nerd like me :slight_smile: