Streetlife - Paris e-guide: The Travel Guide with its Own Website - page 151

Centre, West & North

8 F1

Les Champs-Elysées broad walk
It may seem clichéd, but “Les Champs” is still a place
to head for, especially on a Sunday, when its shops -
mostly flagship stores - are open (unusual for Paris).
Wandering up the avenue from place de la Concorde is
a popular pastime, not to be missed when the Mairie
(city hall) is staging one of its regular cultural events
(recent extravaganzas have included TGV trains parked
on the pavement and avant-garde art exhibitions).
At night, the lights along the avenue are spectacular,
and there are several stores that are open late (see
pp18-19) , as well as some large multiscreen cinemas.
Don't overlook the avenue's car showrooms: Toyota
at No. 79 and Renault at No. 53, both of which feature
in-store bars and restaurants and are trendy desti-
nations for a unique and slightly bizarre combination
of cars, cocktails and cuisine. The latest talking point,
however, is the revamped Publicis Drugstore (see
p83) , which contains a handful of shops and a very
cool restaurant overseen by chef Alain Ducasse.

3 B3

Boulevard des Batignolles market
Below the Sacré Coeur and seedy place de Clichy, the
tree-lined boulevard des Batignolles plays host every
Saturday to the city's best organic market, where
many of the stallholders sell their own produce (as
opposed to food bought from wholesale markets).
Producers hawk everything - from perfectly ripe
cheeses, to giant goose eggs and vegetables galore -
to the area's increasingly trendy population.

5 C5

Canal St-Martin bohemian rhapsody
A hub for Parisian hipsters, this area looks and feels
like nowhere else in the city. A stroll along the leafy
quai de Jemmapes or quai de Valmy, on either side of
the tranquil canal, is a popular weekend pursuit. There
are plenty of stops to choose from, including the café
Chez Prune (see p147) , the comedy and music venue
Hotel du Nord (see p123) , and trendy boutiques such
as Stella Cadente (see p87) and Coin Canal (see p89) .