Hi all. I've been in Paris the past few days. I know I've said it before about other cities but this is a world class city. It's truly amazing! I know there are a few Hombres that live in Paris. You all are truly lucky to be able to wake up to some of those sights. It's also THE most romantic city in the world. Wow!

The hobby scene as reported is pretty much dead. I'll post more when I get back. I hooked up with a normal girl that is beautiful, smart, funny and all around cool girl. I think she'll meet me in Nice for my March trip. I hit the jackpot. She's from Romania and is fluent in English.

I noticed there are some upscale escorts working some nicer hotel bars. I'm staying in a nice hotel near the Eiffel Tower and on Friday night I was kind of solicited. Price was steep at 300 Euros for I think a short time session so I passed. She was a pretty girl from Ukraine. I walked down their red light district near the Moulin Rouge. Tons of strip club type places and XXX porn shops. I just walked and avoided the hawkers pleas to come in. I did talk to a group of Indian dudes that were tourists. They told me they got pulled into some strip club and girls were all over them. The manager brought over a "complimentary" bottle of champagne but when they got up to leave 15 minutes later they demanded 600 Euros!!! Be careful and avoid these clubs.

The normal clubs are cool! Hit Les Etoiles, Les Bains Douches (long lines - beautiful people come here...if you're not young, dressed well, hip they won't let you in). Also, there was a new club I think called Caberet that was hip.

I walked around for 4 hours last night with my girl. Very, very very romantic city. It was the Chinese New Year week and they celebrated with a parade in the street and the Eiffel Tower was red last night with lights.

Bring your wallet though. EVERYTHING here is expensive! Expect to pay about $200 a night for a 4 star hotel. I'm staying at the Novotel Tour Eiffel which is 7 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. It's a true 4 star hotel. I paid an extra 100 Euros to get a view of the Eiffel Tower. I'm on the 29th floor. (Get a room on 20th floor or higher to get an unobstructed view of the Tower). Bottled water and Pepsi's are 3 Euros!

Taxi's are very difficult to find at night. Especially on the weekends. Unbelieveable. I got done with dinner close to 2 AM with my girl and there were amazingly long lines for taxi's and none to be found. We ended up eating in Bastille and it's too far to walk to my hotel. Luckily some dude asked me if I wanted a ride to my hotel. I asked how much and he said 20 Euros. I thought it was steep but it was probably a bargain. Took a while to get home since there was so much traffic at 2 AM!

Most of the French dudes I am meeting aren't into French girls. They are dating Eastern Europeans or Japanese or Asian girls.

EVERYONE should hit Paris at least once in their lives. For those that don't believe in God you will once you see the view from the Montmartre. Amazing! Go up there at sunset.

Anyway, this is probably boring you all since there is little to no hobby info. I'll see if that girl is in the lobby tonight again. I saw her the last two nights.

This is the city I've wanted to visit for ages but postponed many times. Thanks for the report. Funny half an hour ago I just started reading up on traveling in France.

I fell in love with a beautiful girl there about 18 years ago. Still talk to her. Thanks for the memories.

Godfather,

Thanks for the information.

If you are still in Paris, I would recommend to dine at Jules Verne which is located in Eiffel Tower (about 2/3 up in the tower). It is small place (not much space up there anyway) but offers great service, excellent food and amazing evening view of Paris. It is a bit pricy but based on your postings I think you can afford it and would appreciate it. It's reservation number is (01) 45-55-61-44.

One other place to recommend if you have not seen it yet is Lido show which is the original Lido show. I think their first show begins at 9:00 p.m. I booked the show from here before got there and think it costed me approximately $100.00 for two. The ticket comes with a half bottle of Champagne (house brand) if you like Champagne or you can order other drink. Showgirls are topless with beautiful costumes and they are all beautiful and in great shape. It runs about two hours and I thought it was great show. Lido show is located right on Ave des Champs-Elysees so you can't miss it.

Speaking of working girl, when I visit Paris, I usually stay at Inter-Continental Paris. There are two Intercontinental in Paris, both are about five to ten minutes walk apart. One I stay is the less expensive version Intercontinental (but still very nice) and the other one is the famous one where Princess Diana stayed the day she was killed in the auto accident. These two hotels are not that far from Eiffel tower, may be five or six Euro tax fare? I saw a few elegant and sexy ladies in the hotel bar who would appear to look for their dates.



(Message edited by off2golf on January 25, 2004)

I have been to Paris twice and although there were attractive buildings, bridges and of course art museums, I wasnt impressed. I thought the people were rude, the city was dirty and the prices were steep. Somehow the romance was lost on me.

Hey GCL,

Hmm. To not be impressed by Paris is hard to believe but to each his own. I found the city extremely clean although the prices ARE steep. I maintain that this is one of the most romantic places in the world.

I just got back and here is some more stuff that I quickly typed up that might help people.

au revoir!

_______________________


Make sure you get the guidebook called Plan de Paris par Arrondissement. It's a valuable took for sightseeing and getting around Paris. It's a small book as opposed to many fold-out map type guides. The guide has maps of each neighborhood (arrondissements), and metro and bus routes. You can buy it on Amazon.com or any Barnes and Noble bookstore. I also noticed it in many shops in Paris.

Arriving at the airport:

The airport code for Paris is CDG. There is another airport but if you are coming from the USA you'll be arriving at CDG. I researched the various and cheapest methods of getting from/to the airport. You can take the Metro (RER) into town but it takes some time. I didn't mess around with it. The various shuttles are the quickest and most convenient way to get into town. Most of them all cost around 24 € each way and it's door to door service so they will take you directly to your hotel. I found one company called Blue Van - http://www.airportshuttle.fr The reason I used them as opposed to the many others is because I found out they charge the same in US$ as Euros. You can pay before you leave with your credit card via Paypal.com (I paid $44 US as opposed to $57 with the horrible Euro conversion).

The only semi inconvenient thing is that all the shuttle companies in Paris make you call upon arriving at the airport and then they pick you up. They all say to call from a payphone toll-free but I just called from my cellphone and it worked fine. Make sure to tell them which terminal/gate you are near.

The other cheap alternative is you can take Air France's shuttle bus no matter which airline you fly into. I believe it leaves every 15 minutes and the cost is 12 €. The disadvantage is it doesn't take you door to door so pay attention where your hotel is. Do a search on Google.com under Air France Shuttle and you can find out more info.

Hotels:

There is no shortage of hotels in Paris. Most of the nicer 4 and 5 star hotels are quite pricey though. Be careful as many countries in Europe use a different star system. Many times it is one star level below US standards. So if they say 5 star it's really 4 star; 4 star really 3 star, etc. Go to a site like www.hotels.com and you can get an idea of the price range. Most 4 star US equivalent hotels are at least $150- $300+ tax per night. The further outside of touristy Paris the cheaper it is but keep in mind that taxis are expensive here.

Getting around:

My goal was not to take any taxi's at all. I technically managed to do that since I couldn't find an available taxi on several nights while out and about. For a city the size of Paris there aren't too many taxi's. During the day there is no problem but at night, especially on the weekends it was difficult to flag down a taxi. There are various spots where people literally wait in line for a taxi. The lines can get long for taxi's that don't come too often.

One night in Bastille I was with my girl and we needed two seperate taxi's. She kind of joked around that maybe we would have to walk home. Only the joke was on me because she wasn't kidding around. We walked around for a while and even at 2 AM it was difficult to find a taxi. We walked to a hotel and there was one taxi that she took. She didn't want to take a taxi believe it or not because she said they all scam people. I didn't see any alternative. I gave her 30 € and she didn't want to take any money from me. I stuffed it in her pocket though and then I had to find my own taxi.

I went back to this long line and there was some French guy asking people in line if they wanted a ride. I guess he was just some dude that owned a car. Some people would tell him their location and he turned his nose and said no so I guess it was not far enough. He asked me and I told him I was staying near the Eiffel Tower. I asked the price and he said 20 €. I didn't even try to negotiate. I was tired from walking around all night with my girl and it was cold out.

The traffic believe it or not was horrible even at 2 AM! On the way home I saw several lines of people waiting for traffic and I felt relieved to have a ride home. He made several attempts to talk to me but I couldn't understand him. I bought Pimsleur French before the trip but only listened to 9 lessons. Those 9 lessons helped though. I was bored so I called my friend Starfe on my cellphone and we had a good chat.

Keep in mind the Metro stops after midnight. That's the reason I couldn't use it late at night.

The French People:

Forget the preconceived notion that French hate Americans before coming here. Almost every dude at one time or another has said, "I hate the French" or "the French hate us Americans" . Hell, I've said it before and I kind of used it as an excuse for never visiting France. Sure, the French are pussies when it comes to many Global issues but we as Americans tend to over generalize. The plain truth of the matter is that the majority of Americans have never been to France or even know anyone from France.

People say, "the French are rude", which may be true but I didn't experience this phenomenon. Maybe part of the reason why is because I at least made an effort to be open minded. I took the time and effort to learn at least the words for please, thank you, good morning, goodnight, how much is that, do you speak/understand English, I am American, Mr./Miss/Mrs. ,I don't understand French, can you please help me, where is ___, and some numbers and other various phrases. Always try to speak some French (even if it sucks) when you encounter someone or enter a restaurant, club or store. It will go a long way.

Never be an "ugly American" or become loud or obnoxious. Don't let yourself get upset by something. Make sure you don't wear clothing that is considered offensive or just plain tacky/ugly. On many international adventures I see guys dressed like slobs or wearing T-shirts that say the city they are from in bold lettering. (Example: ARKANSAS!!! ). The French and Europeans in general tend to dress better and the girls especially will treat you better if you're dressed nicer.

Exchanging Money:

The best rates typically can be found by using your ATM card but I've always believe Cash is king when traveling and usually just exchange some. I did change some at my hotel and I got a bad rate as I fully expected. I got 72 € for $100 US which would be a rate of about 1.39 € : 1 $US. The official banking rate is 1.28.

Note: Be careful where you change your money! I typically never exchange money at those exchange window places in touristy areas. On a weekend the banks weren't open and my driver told me there was a good spot with a good exchange rate near the area where we were at. I was not paying attention and I didn't notice there were 3 places where he was talking about. I went to the wrong one. I did look at the rate and it said 1.38 which was bad but ok with me. Most countries must display if they charge a commission but I didn't ask since my driver said this place had a good rate. Upon exchanging $100 US she only gave me back 51 €. I was shocked! I asked her where the rest of my money is and she gave me a receipt that showed they charged a commission of about 20 € !!! I asked for my money back but she said it was too late.

When I got back to my driver I told him and he was so upset. I guess he was talking about another place a block down. I think he was more upset than I was. We went to this place and true to his word it was a good exchange rate of 78€ per $100 US. ALWAYS ask if they charge a commission and more importantly ask them if you exchange $100 US how much you will get back in Euros when it's all said and done.

Girls and the Nightlife Scene:

There are many high-end dial a date escorts but I didn't partake this trip. I got lucky and met a normal girl. The circumstances of this meeting are actually funny. Often times before hitting a new city I'll do a search on Yahoo or MSN under profiles and email some girls and ask them what the hip clubs are at the moment. Several emailed me back giving me the names. One girl emailed me back some names of places she wanted to hit but hadn't since she was relatively new to Paris too and didn't have many friends there. I quickly invited her to meet up and was surprised when she said Ok. I had a great time with her. Like many things in life you have to put forth an effort to obtain results.

I did see a few girls in my hotel bar. It isn't obvious but you'll see that they will make eye contact and if you go to talk to them it will become clear that they can be a paid companion if you want. I talked to this Ukranian girl that spoke good English and was dressed impeccably. I guess the hotel has a policy of letting them in if they are dressed nice?? I'm not sure. I think this girl knew someone working at the hotel. I saw her 2 nights in a row. The 2nd night I stopped on my way up to my room and had a drink with her and joked around. I asked her about the "scene" and she said that many girls go to nicer hotels lobby bars to pick up tourists. My hotel was a giant hotel. It was formally the Nikko hotel. Many of the guests were Asian and Europeans.

This is probably you're best bet for picking up a girl. I wasn't in the mood to pay 300 € (which is the rate she hinted at) since I'm going to Costa Rica this weekend and London in a few weeks.

As I mentioned there are some strip clubs near the Moulin Rouge but stay away! These are all reported rip offs. Those Indian dudes I saw looked like someone hit them with a 2X4 with the look on their faces having paid 600 €. I told them I would have refused to pay that and asked to call the police. It appeared they didn't travel much and I wanted to quickly get away from them after I heard they foolishly paid that much.

I walked by the Crazy Horse which I was told had a good show but again I was in no mood to get teasted or pay a high price.


Conclusion:

I found the prices for most things to be more expensive than most places. Paris isn't a cheap city. What is especially difficult to believe is that Parisians don't seem to earn more than their European counterparts even though the city is more expensive. I'm not sure how they can afford to live there.

Bottled water and a can of soda in most touristy areas is 3 € (almost $4 US). When I told my driver how expensive I found things he said that you can buy things cheaper at grocery stores but I explained to him that tourists don't have time to go to these places or can find them easily. He agreed. This guy was really cool.

Paris is a great walking city. You must explore Paris by foot. It's a good idea to take a mini tour of the city one afternoon or morning to get a good idea of the layout. I did this one day then walked around on my own after that. The wonderful thing is that you can just follow the River up and you can see so many wonderful areas. It's an easy way and you can't get lost this way.

Paris is a melting pot of different races. I found it funny that several times people said that they thought I lived here. When I asked them why they just said that I didn't look like a tourist which really puzzled me. Even my driver said that I could pass for a local student. Maybe it was the way I was dressed or just my attitude. I'm not sure. There is no 'typical Paris look'. Unless you are dressed horribly "American" you won't be singled out as a tourist.

I found the restaurants to be quite good. There are many higher end restaurants but there are also some affordable restaurants too. You don't have to spend a lot of money dining if you don't want to. I did treat myself to one good restaurant each day. There are many neighborhood eating establishments in Bastille. I liked Bastille and it looked like a cool area to stay in. It's not too close to many touristy stuff but it's easy to get here with the Metro. DEFINITELY stop and have a hot chocolate at a place called Angelina. It was an orgasmic experience and they had lines out the door.

Parisians are a very proud people. Some might consider them arrogant but I didn't find this to be true. I would be very proud if I lived there. They are quite fortunate to live in such a beautiful city. I asked my driver one day if he realizes how lucky he is to live here. He said it's easy to forget after living here so long and seeing these sites day after day. I would move to Paris in a New York second if I could earn a good salary there.

People talk about how expensive Europe is. Generally this is true after hitting it a few times in only a few months. I'm also headed back there next month, again in March and again with Kick Stand in May. Keep in mind though many important things don't cost alot. It doesn't cost anything to walk around and see the sites. (Granted they might have a high admission to get in).

Good luck!

GF, Well it wasnt my cup of tea, but not knocking the fact that you enjoyed it. I ventured over there during the mid 80s when I lived in Germany (3 years there). I also went to St. Tropez about 6 times in the south of France and had an entirely different experience. It was clean, beautiful and the people were nice (and nude). I recommend it if you ever have time.

Once I was in St. Tropez swimming in the ocean(nude) and started talking to a German lady in her 30s (also nude). She was there on holiday with her family. She liked me and wanted me to meet her daughter, Isabella. So we trudged out of the water and I met Isabella (also nude). We hit it off and within an hour Isabella and I were in the water kissing (then subsequently waiting for my erection to subside). I ended up visiting Isabella many many times in her home in Stuttgart after that.

It still doesnt beat Rio...

GCL,

Ha, ha. Great story. Now that you mention it I'm glad I've already booked a trip to the French Riviera. I'll be there for about a week in March. It will be too cold to enjoy the beaches but the scenary is amazing I hear.

Rio is hard to beat for many things but I guess I'm getting old. I'm finding more of my trips I have Frommers and Lonely Planet books instead of trip reports. There are simply too many great places in the world to keep hitting South America over and over. (At least for me).

This year is my "European Tour" as I plan to hit Europe at least 7 more times this year. Fear not though. I just booked a trip to Peru for April. I've always wanted to visit Machu Picchu. I'll hit Lima 1-2 nights, Cusco 3 nights, Aguas Calientes 2 nights. Should be interesting.

Hope you're staying warm in Rio. It's freezing here in the USA. Lucky bastard!

Yeah, Godfather, you are really getting old.

Not to worry though, the chicas will keep you young.

See ya,

Moondog

GF When I grow up I want too be just like you .

Paris. Ah yes Paris. It takes a lot of work, but you can find plenty of nice working girls in Paris for a reasonable $75-100 for short time. The problem is you have to look. They come out at night around dusk (when the sun is going down) and they are picked up quickly by cars. Yes, these are street walkers. However, not the streetwalkers like you would see in the US. Most of them are from Eastern Europe and Russia. Nice looking and speaking a little English. I usually asked a cab driver to drive me around. Its not as expensive in the smaller cabs. Get the meter running. There are some circles that have girls by the pack on every corner.

When I was in Paris a few years ago somehow I ended up on Rue St Denis and there were quite a few streetwalkers around that area. Was with the wife so can't really give any more info than that.

I know you perverts only like seeing pictures of girls but I'm going to post 3 pictures I took in Paris. No one can tell me these sights aren't romantic.

Depends who you are with.

GF -

I personally think the whole Paris, romantic thing is more hype than reality. It is a great city to just linger, smoke and fuck (and take pictures), but for romance, I'll take Vienna, Prague, or anything in Italy before Paris. And, if I want an expensive city with obnoxious people, why not just go to New York?

Hmm. I really liked it and I'm looking forward to going back in May. I haven't hit Vienna or Prague but I imagine I'll love those cities too. Are you sure you can't meet Kick Stand and I in Prague in May? It should be a monumental trip. Good sightseeing mixed in with a lot of hotties.

See what you can pull...

Godfather,
So gald you liked Paris. I live in France and occasionally get there, but altogether too unfrequently and as I usually end up staying at a relative's, don't have much opportunity for mischief.

I just thought I would elaborate on a few points you make, some of the rare ones where I have first hand experience.

Champagne bars aka "Bar de Nuit": avoid most of the places around Pigalle, the girls are commissioned on drinks and will encourage your consumption. Champagne inevitably costs huge amounts. If you accidentally end up getting screwed like this, you might be able to get a discount if you pay cash (but never a good idea to be wandering Paris with that much on you). The girls are called "entraineuse" as in "leaders", they try to lead you to a few drinks. They can follow you home to your hotel though, but in order to do so, they have to sell at least a bottle of Champagne. So you are in for an expensive evening. That siad, I hooked up with a really pretty black girl and after only one drink and a good chat, I got her to slip me her cell number unnoticed by the Madame and was able to hook up with her the next day and thus avoid the cover charge. Potentially dangerous for her if she got caught.
Many of these bars can be found around the Opera Garnier (they are cheaper and less dangerous than around Pigalle). They will have guys trying to hook up tourists outside strip clubs or the like.

Escorts: tricky to find and expensive. There are a bunch reviewed on captain69.co.uk Expensive as few are under 300 euros. I had one terrific experience with a girl "called" Channel, and was all set to become a regular, but the agency closed down before I had a chance. Let me know if you should run into her. I had a terrible experience with someone called Louknam, of Venezuelan/Thai mix. I'm still not quite sure if she had not been a man at one point... It doesn't bear thinking for too long...

Swinging: apparently, the place swingers go pick up partners is at the Porte Dauphine. Apparently a lot of action to be seen and perhaps involved in around there.

Swing clubs: there are a lot of those in Paris, not all of which opened to the single male. I have no experience there. You can find addresses in the back portion of the Pariscope under "rencontre".

Potential sources: the Pariscope costs 40cents and has all the times for movies, theaters, etc. It's uber-useful.
I've heard there's a lot to be found in a magazine called "La Vie Parisienne", which is all prostitues advertising, massage parlors, etc. I bought it once and it seemed to me that many of the phots were not genuine and that some probably went to a paying line and you'd end up paying a lot for a random girl. Make sure numbers begin with 06, which means it is a cell phone number.

Finally, St Tropez is nice, but expensive and crowded. Should you be meeting someone in a pre-arranged manner rather than finding someone on site, I highly recommend Corsica as France's top Mediterrranean destination, it is justifiably dubbed "Ile de Beauté" and is indeed strikingly beautiful, litteraly a mountain out of the sea, with a lot of wilderness, great streams inland in which you can swim and find private spots to skinny dip. I had a wild time with my grilfriend there last year.

If you come back to France, give me a shout.

Happy travels!
Flash

Hey Flash,

Thanks for the comments. I'm TOTALLY NOT into the swinger scene. (Call me old-fashioned). Actually I found the clubs good in Paris. Everything I heard about French hating Americans I didn't find the case. Girls actually liked it when they found out I was American. There are lots of good normal clubs in Paris.

I'm going back to France next month to hit the Riviera. I talked to the girl I met in Paris and she wants to fly down. I'm not sure I want to do that as I kind of want to do my own thing driving around on the coast. I'll decide soon.

I'm sure everything is expensive there. I have a few friends that have been there. I'm not necessarily planning to hobby but if I'm horny and in the mood I will even if it costs more. Life is short, play hard right?

I'm coming back to Paris in May for 3 nights before hitting Prague so maybe we'll have a drink or dinner. Good luck.

The beaches in the French Riviera are not that great - Take a look at the number of 'big heavies" that land on Saint Maartin and other French Carribean islands packed to the gills. Most of the streach of the beach in Nice pebbly - St. Tropez is a zoo.

It's better to go off coast to non-beach type seashore in France for fun food and frolick.

Godfather: I'm sure you had some great meals in Paris no ? Let's hear about it.

(Message edited by citydude on February 29, 2004)

Hey,

I'm just curious how much you paid for your room? What kind of room was it? What floor and was it a suite? It's hard to believe you paid much less if you got a suite on the top floor. I was on the 29th floor facing the Eiffel Tower. I use Hotels.com and it wasn't listed that much lower than what I booked it for at the time. I always use the internet to book hotels.

I agree with you about the French being nice. I didn't come across ANY rude French people the 4 or 5 days that I was there. As I pointed out in my report, if you are polite and try to learn some French you will have no problems. I think the rude French thing is overblown and kind of a misconception.

Paris is probably my favorite city so far in the world out of all the cities I've gone to.

The food is GREAT there. There are tiny cafes all over the city that aren't too expensive and there are also many great restaurants. The ones that I went to were:

Goumard which had really great seafood. It's in the 1st Arrondissment. The hotel recommended it when I asked them for a good seafood restaurant. The address was 9 ue Duphot. Make reservations as it was very very crowded. I had to wait a little bit. I can't remember exactly how much I spent but I think it was like $80 just for me. Something like that.

I also went to a hip spot called Buddha Bar. It was near Champs-Elysees in the 8th Arrondissement. It had a mix of food with some Asian and French combined. Many hotties were there just drinking upstairs in the bar. I had some spring rolls, chicken skewers with orange sauce and some other appetizers. All the food was excellent. It wasn't super expensive but not cheap. I think I paid around 30 Euros for the main dish and about 13 Euros for the appetizers.
8 rue Boissy d' Anglas

I had lunch one day at a place called Kambodia I think it was called. That's the great thing about Paris. They have great food from everywhere. There were a ton of Asian restaurants. It's a good romantic spot also close to the Champs-Elysees. I had lunch here with my girl. I had the chicken roasted with lemon and honey. It was devine! 15 rue de Bassano. Wasn't too expensive. I think like $27 per dish.

I was in the mood for Lebanese food one day and found Al Dar. It's in the 5th Arrondissement on the left bank. This also was pretty inexpensive for Paris standards. Main dishes were about 15 euros I believe. They had good hummus and tabbouleh. Address is 8 rue Frederic Sauton.

There were a lot other places I went to but I didn't write them down in my diary or have their business card. I didn't have a bad meal in Paris and I ate out 2-3 times every day.

I liked the area around Bastille quite a bit. There are tons of neighborhood type restaurants that aren't too expensive. I enjoyed walking around that area with my girl at night. The only downside was there were no available taxis on the weekends. They were all full.

Good luck.