So you're going to Paris! : And if I were going with you these are the things I'd invite you to do

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. 2 oan ee

CLARA E. LAUGHLIN

Cloth, $3.00 Leather, $4.00

Preface To The Third Edition XV

- Frenchwomen who will very greatly deepen your affec- ~ tion and heighten your admiration for her kind. I consider contact with Madame Zavrel and her daughters a privi-

_ lege and a pleasure which I cannot too highly commend to you.

Many of you,have said to me that you would have felt repaid for crossing the ocean had you got nothing from it but your association with little Madame Marguerite at Marie-Louise’s. I think you will feel the same way about Madame Zavrel. And if you have not talked, at Féhner’s, with Madame Marguerite Menneret, except on the subject of the lovely frocks and lingeries and negligées and babywear and table linens she’s selling you, I pray you to do so

_ next time; and see if she won’t ask you to visit her most interesting home, and see the studio treasures and the, very beautiful paintings of her handsome and gifted husband, M. Charles Menneret. To know something of a ménage like theirs, to talk with them, to feel their fine quality, is to give one’s self an inestimably precious new insight into the best of French life and character. Madame Menneret is at “home” on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, in their Montmartre studio-apartment. And I’m sure she will receive you there if you make known to her that you would like to be asked.

And when you are at Blanche Labouvier’s (Marie- Louise’s) where so many hundreds of my readers seem to find supreme satisfaction, do not fail to see her special collection for matrons who disdain to wear clothes designed for misses, but demand dignity along with great chic. She also has tricot (jersey) frocks, now. And of her perfumes, the Folle Maitresse is the most exquisite I know.

I have a new enthusiasm in the matter of artificial flowers — not to supplant the exquisite creations of Antoinette Germain, which grow more surpassingly lovely xvi PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION ~ every season; but to supplement them. And these are the feather and crystal flowers of an Englishman, Mr. Astley, whose business name is Jac. His main establishment is at Saint Christopher Place, London; but he is just opening a picturesquely charming Paris shop in a converted garage at 265, rue Saint-Honoré. And there you will find, wrought in goose feathers, reproductions of nature which even your touch will scarcely convince you are not ‘‘real.’”’ These make ideal small souvenirs to take home.

And the finest collection of embroidered shawls I have ever seen anywhere (unapproached in Spain) was at Mouna Katorza’s, corner of rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and rue Miromesnil. Ask there for Mlle. Nina.

One more thing! Long ago I seem to have made up my mind (without adequate reason — the way we all do, at times, I dare say) that the Grande Maison de Blanc, Boulevard des Capucines, near the Opéra, was a very expensive shop. This year I came to know it much better, and learn that, while it carries a very high grade of merchandise, it is not at all an extravagant place to buy. I think it is sure to please Americans who are accustomed to very high-class and elegant ‘‘department stores” at home. And all the staff speak English.

Oh, yes! Two things more. The other is Cadolle. So far as I am able to judge by the numbers of friends I meet there, all American women who buy corsets in Paris have them made by Cadolle, 14, rue Cambon, alongside Voisin. But in case there are still some who don’t yet go there, I give them the address, and add the information that Cadolle also makes lingerie and negligées.

Nor is it necessary, perhaps, to mention E. R. Meyrowitz, the optician, with shops on rue Auber and rue Castiglione. I always ‘‘save up”? my optical work till I get there. Meyrowitz is not cheap; but one gets from him a very high

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION - xvii

_ grade of skill and a lot of “style,” at prices much lower than we pay at home for a like quality.

Perhaps I ought also to say that most Paris-wise women feel there are no better gloves to be had than Alexandrine’s, at 10, rue Auber.

Of addresses I’ve given you heretofore there are a few that I feel I must withdraw. M. Athyas, whom I guardedly commended for the excellence of his bags, has so irritated many clients by the casualness of his business methods (at which I more than hinted) that I no longer can be responsible for putting any one in touch with him. And those unsatisfactory methods I mentioned as prevailing at Chanet’s (now Deeschamaeker’s), where there are toiles de Jouy, have certainly not improved; so that I’m afraid exasperation may scarcely be avoided there. While as for the shop called Charveau’s, on rue Boissy-d’Anglas, it seems to have changed hands, and when I went there again I hadn’t at all the same impression of it.

Ragaine, being frequently away from Paris, and his office in charge of some one who does not understand dealing with American clients, I feel that much greater satisfaction will be attained if those wishing motor service by the hour, day, or trip, will ask for it at my office, where many good cars and drivers are on call.

And now, before we leave the subject of shops, let me say a few words about Shopping Service. Probably you are unaccustomed to the idea of having any one shop with you, or help you with your shopping; and your one idea of a professional shopper is that she is bent upon taking you to places of her preference, not yours, and urging you to buy articles on which she gets the largest commission. Undoubtedly there are such. But also there are others. And

- what a good shopping service should do for you is to save you time and money, and get you the most satisfactory xviii PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION possible results. You can, without any aid, walk in off the rue de la Paix or the rue Saint-Honoré, and buy something that has taken your fancy. But a good shopping service would almost certainly know, or be able to learn, where that article was made, and to take you direct to the maker, or at least to a semi-wholesale dealer in a district where rents and overhead costs are only a fraction of what they are in the thronged shopping centres; and, once your order was placed, that shopping service would charge itself with all the time-consuming details — urging prompt delivery, attending to alterations if they have to be made, and so on. The most experienced, Paris-wise women I know use shoppers’ service in Paris, to conserve their time and energies and to save money, and to get themselves taken to places they could not hope to find unaided. It is the novice, usually, who is fearful to pay for service — who doesn’t realize that buying the experience of others is usually much less expensive than buying experience for ourselves.

Such addresses as I give you in the book are freely given, absolutely without arrangement or “‘understanding”’ with the houses, and without a single sou of commission from any of them. They are part of my service to readers of my book. But I have given only a few, choosing from among those with whom I have most satisfactory personal experience. For your other needs, I believe you will do well to let some one else’s experience guide you — some one who is untrammelled, who is free to direct you anywhere, and whose sole hope of success lies in giving you service that you will want again and will commend to all your friends.

Some of the mem’ry-haunted places I urged upon your notice have passed through metamorphoses; and now we must see them as they were, with our imagination only. The Cour du Dragon was resounding to the pick of the demolisher when [ left Paris. The house in which Count

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION xix d Fersen lived when planning the flight of the royal family ~ is gone — this year past — to make room for a modern structure.

Our only compensation for these sacrifices to Progress is in what we have learned of that Aladdin’s ring enchantment which whisks vanished edifices and their occupants back again at our command. And so long as there are books about them and pictures of them, they cannot be lost to us; they can be only insubstantially replaced.

And there are always lovely new things adding themselves to the treasury that is Paris.

One of these that I think every American visitor should see is the Memorial Battle Cloister in Holy Trinity, the

' American Pro-Cathedral, on Avenue George V; and the

_ Memorial Pews in the beautiful church, with the Memorial Flags of our forty-eight States hanging from the triforium arches. (The number is not complete as I write, but I hope it may be as you read and go to see.) This church is so dedicated to the welcome of the stranger within the gates that attending a service there is one of the real ‘‘experiences”’ of Paris, almost sure to leave an unforgettable and stirring memory. It maintains an equally loved and living chapel, Saint Luke’s, in the Student’s Quarter (at 5, rue de la Grande-Chaumiére, near Boulevard Montparnasse), and a U.S. Students’ and Artists’ Club at 107, Boulevard Raspail.

The American Church now worshipping at 21, rue de Berri, has plans drawn and funds nearly raised for the erection of a splendid new house of worship on Quai d’Orsay. And there are two Christian Science churches, one at 184, Boulevard Saint-Germain, and one at 58, Boulevard Flandrin, near the Porte Dauphine.

I hope that very many American and English visitors will go to the Gare de |’Est to see the deeply moving mural

XX PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION painting which Albert Herter, our distinguished American artist, has put there (where so many thousands of men entrained for the battle fronts) as a memorial to his young son dead in France “for Country, for Humanity, for God,” as the inscription in the Memorial Cloister reads.

There are still nearly 30,000 of our boys sleeping in American cemeteries in France. And those visitors who wish to locate a grave of special preciousness to them, will be helped to do so at the American Graves Registration Service, 20 rue Molitor. This is out near the entrance to the Auteuil race course of the Bois de Boulogne.

The American Women’s Club of Paris has moved into charming, elegant new quarters in the mansion they have bought at 61, rue Boissiére, in Passy; and there they are not only dispensing a delightful hospitality to their members and friends, but publishing a monthly Bulletin which is a perfect mine of information for Americans in Paris, and maintaining a most efficient Information Bureau for - the service of any one who comes.

And now for some additional restaurants! |

For instance, Paillard’s is under new management and no longer a distinguished temple of Epicurus, but just an ordinary restaurant. If we want the old Paillard quality we have to go to La Crémaillére in Place Beauveau, where the former head of Paillard’s, and his staff, and many of their old patrons, are now to be found in reverent attendance upon the same old traditions of French cooking and French vintages.

Some of my friends insist that the supreme of gastronomic perfection is reached at Joseph’s small, quiet, elegant restaurant, 56, rue Pierre Charron, at the corner of rue Frangois Premier; and I am able to say that if more exquisite food is discoverable, I have not discovered it. Expensive, but very, very choice.

t

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION xxi

Prunier has opened a handsome branch called Traktir, at 16, Avenue Victor-Hugo, where one may have the best of sea-foods as at the original place in rue Duphot.

And some evening, when you feel that nothing in the world would taste so good as a thick, tender, juicy steak broiled over a hardwood fire and served with French-fried onions and soufflé potatoes, direct your taxi-driver to take you to Dagorno’s, at 190, Avenue Jean-Jaurés, opposite the cattle market and slaughter-houses. It is a longish ride, out rue Lafayette, past the Gare du Nord, and into an industrial district of Paris you might not traverse otherwise. But you'll be rewarded by a warm welcome and a delicious dinner. Next door, at 192, is another restaurant to which epicures resort: Au Cochon d’Or, or the Golden Pig. I have not tried it and can commend it to you only on the say-so of others. But Dagorno’s I know and am sure you will like. No music, no decorations, no frills; but a real “atmosphere” created not by “scenery,” but by the kindly warmth of the host and his delight in pleasing you.

In the Place Saint-Michel, close to the fountain, and to the south end of Pont Saint-Michel, is the Rétisserie du Saint-Michel, where the cooking is delicious and the prices are reasonable. This would be an excellent place for you to lunch or dine on any of the occasions when you are in the vicinity of Notre Dame. For instance, on Your First Sunday in Paris (see page 33), instead of Café Harcourt or Café Soufflot, on the Boulevard Saint-Michel; or on Your Twelfth Paris Day (see page 276) if you get hungry before reaching Café Voltaire. And in covering the ground described in Your Thirteenth Day in Paris (see page 312), try the little restaurant of the Vieux Mariniers on Quai d’Anjou, [le Saint-Louis. Very good food, and extremely reasonable.

There is a “rage” in Paris, now, for what I call a xxi PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

“‘scenic”’ sort of restaurant. I can’t say that I enjoy these places, because they are usually very crowded and a mealhour spent in them is far from reposeful. Conversation is difficult, the “‘stage-settings”’ are distracting, there is too little space for serving, and one watches, fearfully, estimating the chances of escaping hors d’ceuvres in one’s lap or sole a la maison down one’s back. However, I think the stranger in Paris should include one of these places in his sight-seeing. Go as early as possible, and get entrenched in some safe observatory before the manceuvres begin. They are springing up on every hand, these places; but among the most popular are the Rotisserie de la Reine Pédauque, at 6, rue de la Pepiniére, not far from the Gare Saint-Lazare. One finds here much that is amusing, and really very good food. If the crowding and confusion were less, I dare say I’d like it. It may be that you'll like it anyway.

Another very popular place is Le Cheval Pie, at 8, Avenue Victor-Emmanuel III, not far from the Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées. It is ‘done’ after the manner of something-or-other Norman, and it evidently pleases a great many people, for it is always jammed. Two doors away, at Number 4, is Au Cabaret, which is excellent. And on the same Avenue, at Number 28, is Le Coup de Fusil, “done” to suggest a hunter’s inn. Excellent food, here, and less crowding. Over on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, at Number 204, is the Italian restaurant called Aux Deux Tours, in the manner of an old inn at Bologna. Very good food, here, and much to interest.

The Russian restaurants have become such a feature of Paris life in these days, when tens of thousands of Russian exiles are in Paris, that I think you should go to at least one of them. For luncheon, some day when you are in the neighborhood of the Panthéon, try the tiny place called

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION xxiii

- Le Pain et le Sel, 42, rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviéve. ‘And for late dinner or after-the-theatre supper, try La Maisonnette des Comédiens Russes, 36, rue Vivienne, where I have heard the loveliest music I have ever enjoyed with food — exquisite renditions of the Volga Boat Song, of Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Indian Love Song, and such things. This little place is fashionable, and expensive, but I think it should not be missed. The same is true of La Maisonnette Russe at 36, rue du Mont-Thabor; but if you go there after the theatre, go to the annex called the Lido, at Num- - ber 38. The Caveau Caucasien at 54, rue Pigalle has Cossack entertainers and is at its gayest about 1 a.m.

For dinner in Montmartre, try Marianne’s, 72, Boulevard de Clichy, which is frequented by a host of celebrities of Bohemia; or Au Bon Vignéron, 82, rue Blanche, which is a prime favorite with many of my most discriminating Paris friends; or the Auberge du Clou, 30, Avenue Trudaine; and some evening when it is clear and fine, make a point of dining at La Savoyarde, 2, rue Lamarck, on the spot which is painted for the fifth act of ‘‘Louise.’’ To sit there by a window table and look out upon Paris, is one of the experiences I would have no ardent lover of Paris miss.

Nor would I have any such miss a gala evening at Chateau de Madrid, although it is an expensive experience.

I must not let this list get too long; but I feel that you should know that Chez Francis, 7, Place de l’Alma, has become a favorite place where you are almost sure to meet some of your acquaintances, and quite sure to enjoy your dinner; that Laurent, 41, Avenue Gabriel (Champs- Elysées) is owned by M. Henri Sécheresse, who was liaison officer for General Robert Lee Bullard throughout the war, and that there, especially during the days of good weather, one sees about as interesting a luncheon crowd as is to be seen in Paris.

xxiv PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

American food specialties are to be had at the Coupe d’Or, corner of rue Saint-Honoré and rue Saint-Roch; at The Little Brown Jug, 15, Carrefour de l’Odéon; at Sam’s, 26, Boulevard des Italiens; and at Penny, Place de la Madeleine.

And, some night when you feel in the mood for it, dine in the Auberge de la Cloche at 30, rue Saint-André-des-Arts, and then go on to the Caveau des Oubliettes Rouges in the courtyard of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre — both places conserving memories of Old Paris and the earliest Latin Quarter.

I eat in many restaurants in Paris, it being my duty as well as my delight to do so; and I enjoy most of them. But I have my favorites, of course; and I find myself turning very often toward Lucas, for instance, at 9, Place de la Madeleine, now under the direction of M. Louis Carton, President of the Association of Chefs. I go a great deal to Noél-Peters, Passage des Princes, 15, Boulevard des Italiens, where the music is good, and I always feel that I have had most excellent food at a reasonable cost. I am exceedingly fond of Lapré, 26, rue Drouot, and doubt if better food, served in more restful surroundings, is to be found in Paris. I have grown very fond of Viel, on Boulevard de la Madeleine, especially for luncheon, and most especially for frogs’ legs. I go more and more, each year, to L’Escargot, 30, rue Montorgueil, which now is under the same superlative direction as La Tour d’Argent, Lapré, and Beaugé, at 10, rue Saint-Mare. And I never fail to go, at least two or three times, to Les Quatres Sergents de la Rochelle, at 3, Boulevard Beaumarchais.

Some one introduced me, the other night, to Omelette Richmond at Larue’s, and I am sure I shall be seeking others of like sort very often.

And thus it goes!

-

Preface To The Second Edition

Tuis is to pass on some additional information and impressions about Paris which I gathered in my most recent visit there after So You’RE GOING TO PaRIs was in print and in the hands of many thousands of my fellow visitors.

First of all, let me say something about the letters which have been coming to me from readers who have carried my little book about Paris with them during the last few months. I think I have answered them all individually, but

Iam glad of another chance to thank you for them and to say —all delight in your kind praise aside — how very helpful it is to have your corroboration on places that I have recommended and your adverse report on others that have not maintained their standard. Of these latter there seem to be very few, Iam happy to say. But all this information I am sharing with many travellers; and consequently I am exceedingly anxious to keep it up to date as much as possible. |

Having no connection or arrangements with any places or persons abroad, my recommendations are made always with but one object, and that is to increase the pleasure and satisfaction of Americans travelling in Europe. So when you find disappointment in a place where you had reasonable expectation of finding good service, you are rendering a courtesy to many other travellers when you let me know about it. And TI shall try from season to season to get into the hands of those who use my book whatever I have learned that may be of most use to them.

Last spring in Paris I was very deeply impressed with the work of an organization so new that I could not adequately

XXVi PREFACE describe it at the time the book was written. This is called the Bienvenue Frangaise, or French Welcome, formed to promote intellectual and social intercourse between nations, in the belief that a closer intellectual comprehension between persons of different countries and their closer social intercourse will serve ‘‘the great cause of peace.”

And who do you suppose is the prime mover in this effort to serve ‘‘the great cause of peace”’ through better, friendlier understanding? Marshal Foch. He is the president of the board of directors and he gives both time and energy to it without stint, and the whole thing is very largely his inspiration.

_ Among the vice-presidents are the vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, and the ex-president of our American Chamber of Commerce of France, and Prince Roland Bonaparte of the Institute of France, and the life-secretary of the Academy of Fine Arts. The treasurer is Baron Edouard de Rothschild, and the board of directors contains many of the most distinguished persons in France. The executive secretary is the Countess de Jouvenal, a charming and devoted woman, whose personality is a perfect expression of the French Welcome.

The Association ranks by decree of the Council of State as a public utility and is under the patronage of the President of the French Republic. The offices are in the building at 38 rue Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, next door east from the British Embassy. This mansion, until recently occupied by Henri de Rothschild, now houses the Union Interalliée or the Allies’ Club, a most distinguished and interesting association where noted foreigners are entertained; and one who has the entrée there always finds himself in an atmosphere of that internationalism which comes in the closer social and intellectual intercourse of leading spirits. The offices of the French Welcome are up one flight of stairs at

PREFACE XXVii

_ the right-hand side of the great door by which we enter, and _ they front on the street. _ The Countess de Jouvenal has several paid assistants and ~ anumber of volunteer helpers and they all, like her, are full i; of the spirit of the French Welcome. The people who come here are not tourists, you understand, in search of travel information, but students, seekers after the best that _ France has to give toward intellectual fellowship between _ nations in the “great cause of peace.’’ Let us sit down fora - few minutes and watch what is going on. : Here is a young Chinaman, a medical student in Paris, _ specially interested in seeing how some of our Western nations teach mothers to take care of their babies. Where ean he learn what Paris does in this branch of social service? _ Why, right here, of course. A young lady secretary goes to the marvellously complete card index, and from it lists for _ him all those places'in and near Paris where the best efforts _ are being made to instruct mothers. She gives him the _ names of the persons in charge, tells him the best times to

- visit these institutions, offers him letters of introduction to

_ the superintendents. All this is done in a way which makes

him feel how glad France is to codperate with China and help him serve his country and his kind.

Now, here’s an American woman who introduces herself

as an interior decorator, specially interested in the Louis XV

period. She explains that she has a large and important house in America to do in that style and she is here to study forit. Yes, she has seen the Louis XV decorations and furnishings in the public museums and palaces, but she understands that many of the choicest examples of that’period are in private homes. They are. The French Welcome will tell her just where, and, if she is furnished with a letter of introduction from her embassy, or any well-known institution of her country, will give her letters to the owners

XXVill PREFACE of these homes, asking permission for her to see their treasures.

The next applicant is a Czecho-Slovak studying the problems of juvenile delinquency. He has heard that France has a system by which the young delinquent never becomes known as such and does not come in contact with other offenders against the law. He has a letter from President Masaryk asking all possible aid for him in observing this system, and is at once given a list of the places where France copes with this problem, and letters of introduction to the superintendents.

A Roumanian art student is next. A gifted young man pursuing advanced studies here at the expense of his government. An opportunity to earn money and win reputation has been given him in a commission to illustrate some of Carmen Sylva’s fairy tales. What French artists have been most successful in that sort of thing arid would it be possible for him to meet any of them? Of course it would.

A French-Canadian composer from Montreal would like to know what musicians in Paris are specially interested in chamber music.

A woman from Poland is interested in neurasthenics and wants to know what doctors are the leading specialists in nervous troubles, where they lecture, and so on.

This is the sort of thing that goes on here all day long and day in, day out. Earnest people seeking to be of use to their kind are brought together in professional and social intercourse in the great cause of internationalizing their ideas. Could there be a finer service to widespread mutual understanding?

The directors, however, are not content with this almost perfect functioning of their plans to aid persons on special quests, but are reaching out toward a wider field of usefulness which may serve a larger number of visitors to Paris,

PREFACE XX1X

- One thing they have in mind, for instance, is a campaign to enlist the cab drivers of Paris in the spirit of the French

_ Welcome; to get them to realize how important to the entente cordiale between France and her visitors from many nations is an attitude of hospitable friendliness on the part of cab drivers. So many thousands of every country’s guests get the major part of their impressions from cab drivers, hotel employés, and shop assistants who often don’t represent the best spirit of their country any too well. I want you all to know about the French Welcome and its readiness to render you very notable service.

I also want American travellers in France to learn something of the exceedingly helpful nature of the National Tourist Information Bureau at 152 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, recently organized by the City of Paris and’ the Office National du Tourisme, which gives information and assistance in all matters pertaining to travel, and does it in no perfunctory manner, but with a thoroughness which is beyond all praise. And to say that to those who wish to do motoring in or out of Paris, or touring, I can heartily commend Monsieur Ragaine, 21 rue Colonel Moll, who has the highest class of cars and the most reliable chauffeurs, speaking English as well as French.

For an exceedingly handy little book of maps to carry about Paris with you, ask in any bookseller’s for “Plan de Paris par arrondissement,” published by Maison L. Guilmin. Its cost is something like twenty-five cents, and it is

~ worth many times that sum.

Now, then, for a few of those personal discoveries of my own in addition to those I have already given you in the pages in my book. One thing which gives me very great gratification is the evidence that many of my readers, if not all, went adventuring on my advice in the matter of Paris restaurants. It has always seemed to me a tragedy that

XXX PREFACE people should go to Paris and eat nothing but table-d’héte meals in a hotel, and I am delighted to hear from so many of you that you had such great pleasure in the restaurants I commended. No place has been more frequently and enthusiastically mentioned in your letters than Foyot, and I am glad to have been the means of sending so many of you to a place where French cooking is at its best. You all liked the Boeuf 4 la Mode, too; didn’t you? In fact, I do not remember that anybody reported unfavorably on a single one of the restaurants recommended. I found a few others last spring which seemed so good to me that I want you to know about them. One is Vian, on the rue Daunou, a place I have often meant to try, but somehow never got around to it until this year. It is rather a small place with a very distinctive personal welcome in it, and truly distinguished cooking at prices not too high. The cellar also is notably good, and the proprietor’s suggestions are eminently worth taking, I found.