Top choices - Paris e-guide: The Travel Guide with its Own Website - page 10

TOP CHOICES - evening

At 7pm, the city's tone shifts noticeably as people escape from the work-
place and prepare to get on with the business of enjoying themselves.
Given the emphasis the French place on eating, it comes as no surprise that
apéritif time is filled with anticipation. Parisians head to their local bar or
café in droves as a prelude to dinner, or to wind up before a big night out.
Midweek is a popular time for locals to hit town, be it to dance the night
away or take in the season's must-see show, so on Wednesdays and
Thursdays, in particular, the atmosphere is charged with excitement. And
clubbers who can't wait till late are well-catered for: the latest nightlife
craze is for “after-work” clubs, which allow people to go straight from
office to club and start - rather than end - their evenings with a boogie.

Salons Scene
Jim Haynes, 01 43 27 17 67, www.jim-haynes.com;
Patricia Laplante-Collins, 01 43 26 12 88, [e-mail]
Emulate Gertrude Stein at a salon , a kind of intellectual
open-house. Maverick academic and philosopher Jim
Haynes's Sunday evening gatherings are legendary.
Up to 50 people who call ahead are invited to his home
and a mix of ages, nationalities and professions is
always on the cards - as well as good food and wine.
Patricia Laplante-Collins's Paris Connections nights, also
held on Sundays, are similarly full of interesting types
and excellent food; each week has a different speaker
and theme - such as tips on writing screenplays, or an
introduction to shamanism. Book in advance.

out the sights from the Gare St-Lazare via the Marais to
Bastille. Alternatively, for another great view of Paris at
dusk, take the last trip up in the tethered balloon at the
Parc Andre Citroën (see p167) .

Pre-Dinner Drinks
Les Apéros de Jeudis, www.aperodjeudis.com; Apollo, 3 place
Denfert-Rochereau 14ème, 01 45 38 76 77; Hotel Raphael, 17
avenue Kléber 16ème, 01 53 64 32 00, www.raphael-hotel.com
To relax after a long day, grab a table at your favourite
café around 7pm and enjoy a glass of champagne or a kir.
(Parisians consider Pastis
to be a drink for old men in
the South of France.) If it's
sunny, stake out your terri-
tory on a terrace and catch
the last rays along with
your tipple. Trendy bar-
restaurant Apollo is ideal,
but Paris's chicest summer
cocktail spot is the stun-
ning rooftop terrace at the
Hotel Raphael. In less accommodating weather, try Le
Fumoir (see p132) , Kong (see p134) or Pershing Hall (see
p178). Or, every Thursday evening during summer, join
the crowd at Les Apéros de Jeudi, when Parisians gather
in different open-air locations to meet over apéritifs.

Views over the Capital
Aeroparis balloon operates summer to 9:30pm,
winter to 5:30pm, 01 44 26 20 00, www.aeroparis.com
Take an unofficial tour of the City of Lights. When the
streetlights are switched on, it's a thrill to stand on the
open platform at the back of the No. 29 bus and check

Open Lectures
For forthcoming events, see www.louvre.fr
Public lectures at the Louvre are an erudite way to
expand your mind. They start at 7 or 8:30pm, are held in