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Paris Discoveries at My Doorstep By Arnie Greenberg Contact Arnie at ultours@gmail.com Every time I go to Paris, I discover something new, something warming, and this time was no exception. The 6th Arrondissement, near the Deux Magots and Le Flore restaurants are well-known to tourists. Blvd. St Germain is hopping with them, and there are bars, shops and street performers galore. The apartment my wife and I rented was only a stone's from the area, but just far enough away for the tone of the neighborhood to change. I walked south on rue Du Four one morning and found myself facing a marvelous statue of a centaur made of throw-away items. The artist, Cesar, is well known, and from that day on, I couldn't stop staring at the most unique statue in the area. Heading for the Musee Maillol But I was heading for the Musee Maillol, and what I found excited me. Maillol was a painter-sculptor, whose work is sensitive and moving. Put this wonderful find on your list. It's well worth it. More about him another time. Farther south on Blvd. Raspail, I spotted the Hotel Lutetia at number 45. It drew me like a magnet. I walked past the uniformed doorman as though I owned the place and toured the art deco lobby. Aside
from the richly-appointed lounge, I examined the bar and the décor. The
hotel is a monument to an artistic era that moves the visitor, and there's a comfort
level second to none. This is posh living but at a cost. It runs for 2,300 Euros a night, but it sleeps four and has balconies with a view of the Eiffel Tower. It is dedicated to African Art and music. A real bargain, I'd say. Each suite is different, and for elegant living, this is the place. However, I found it eerie to know that the hotel was one of the buildings used by the German high command during the Second World War. Then, at the war's end when people from the camps started returning to Paris, they were billeted in this wonderful hotel until they could be settled or found by loved ones. There's an irony in that, I feel. Back on the street I decide to cross over to the tiny treed park and read my notes. Suddenly in an Idyllic Retreat Suddenly I am in a retreat, surrounded by people reading, eating lunch, or playing with their children. This, I discovered, is Parc Boucicault, named after the wealthy family that turned the area from a leper colony to a region with a modern multi-storied store, Bon March, the oldest of Paris' grands magasins, and the only one on the Left Bank. (By the way, even the chateau Malmaison was built on a leper colony). This sophisticated store has a food market, which, at 2700 square meters, is the largest in Paris. The Boucicaults were also responsible for the creation of a large hospital next door. Both the hospital and the store (in two buildings) are still there. The Foundation Opthalmolique Adolfe de Rothschild can be reached from the Metro Sevres-Babylone. At one end of the park, there is a statue showing Mme Boucicault and her friend, Clara de Hirsch, wife of the famous baron, handing out alms to the poor women and children of the area. Discovering Baron de Hirsch Baron de Hirsch had married his banking boss's daughter, who had herself given away over $40 million to philanthropic causes. Her husband later established a fund to help immigrants settle in America and Canada. That fund had a budget of about $36 million. The name Baron de Hirsch still means aid and comfort to the needy. The name Boucicault means savior for the poor lepers of Paris. These two friends set the stage for hygiene, health care and the removal from the area of an eyesore and dangerous area. Clara Hirsch left $15 million to charitable works during the last three years of her life. She added another $10 million when she died. Today, that area of Paris is bustling and the great magasin still attracts buyers of all areas. So, too, does the Musee Maillol and the Lutetia Hotel. Perhaps now you will add this pretty park with its trees to your list. This is a visit you will long remember. It made a great impression on me. And again, it was proof that there is something of interest in every corner of a great city. (Click below for more tavel stories!)
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