24 replies to this topic

[g.johnson]

Clearing skies and thunder and lightning.

The Confusalypse?

[ghostrider]

The tree pollen has arrived. I awoke this morning with eyes swollen to slits and the color of Natalie Portman's at the end of Black Swan.

It's been a terrible last few days. I'll be taking Allegra daily until June or we go more than 2 days without rain, whichever comes first.

I've been trying to get by without it because, despite what the ads say about Allegra, it's not non-drowse-inducing & I'm tired of feeling drugged all the time. It hasn't been easy these last few days.

Thought I was gonna make it but I'm back on the Allegra. Whatever form of pollen hit the local air on Monday, it's really zapped my sinuses. So annoying.

[StephanieL]

Allegedly, things will get better over the weekend when the rain comes through.

[Chambolle]

So I walked by 6 rue Bailleul today around 6pm and passed by Spring on a beautiful Spring day.

It was glorious outside. And lo and behold, there is Monsieur Rose sitting outside.

He was with some staff, chowing down - having their lunch ? their dinner ? Not sure, didn't ask.

"Hey Daniel! It's Chambo! What's up? Ca va? La vie est belle? Pas mal, c'est nouveau digs!"

I was planning on seeing if there might be a reservation available sometime within the next 6 weeks that I could snag. Negative.

But Chambo doesn't let the slight, tiny obstacle of a restaurant fully reserved out until infinity stand in the way of his sleezing schmoozing his way in the door. Chambo decides to chat up Monsieur Rose for a bit.

For those who don't know, Daniel is truly an extremely nice young man. Overly generous with his time. Enjoys being in the service business and meeting people. Thoughtful, humble, friendly. A man who is enjoying his success. And why shouldn't he ! Bravo, Daniel, bravo !

The quick summary. Forty-five minutes later, Chambo left with a smile on his face.

Oooopppppps ! I just realized that this is not the Restaurant Spring 2011 thread. Yikes! Sorrrrrrrrrrrrrry !

Oh mon dieu, I hate to be disorderly or act out of order or out of context or lose focus.

Excusez-moi, mes amis !

I guess I shouldn't go on and on about my conversation with Daniel and Spring and his thoughts and suggestions on other Paris restaurants here.

But let me continue for a moment about Spring 2011 as in "not springing" for an apartment / hotel, but "springing" a leak.

So about 3 month agos, I reconnect with a good buddy who I hadn't seen in almost 10 years since he went to Eastern Europe to attempt to make his fortune.

Short story long - he succeeded.

And it just so happens, along the way, he tells me that he purchased a pretty prestigious Paris pad overlooking Place Francois Ier in the 8th, just off Avenue Montaigne. Sweet! He knows that I know the neighborhood because I used to live not too far away once upon a time and when he relocated to Paris around 2000, I let him stay with me for a number of weeks until he found his own place. I thought it was going to be for just a few days, but he never got around to finding his new place. In fact, I kept on asking him about how his apartment search was going and he kept on saying that he has been working nonstop and hadn't had a chance to focus on it. Then, one day, he barges into the apartment, my apartment!, dangling a pair of keys. As he swaggers in, dangling these impressive keys, he grabs me and points me towards the window and shows me his new car. They ain't apartment keys, they is car keys. My buddy who has been "working nonstop" seems to have found the time to purchase a brand new Ferrari Maranello (dark blue, in case you're wondering). He bought the thing on his company's Amex card, scoring a whole slew of frequent flyer miles in the process. Yep, he had some explaining to do. Yep, true story. He next asks me if I want to join him on the weekend and take the thing out for a serious cruise. Where to, I ask. He says he doesn't really know France too well and asks what I might suggest. So, we went to Deauville that weekend at about 220-240km per hour, had a blast, returned Sunday night and when he came home on Monday after work, I told him the following: "Hey pal, if you have time to buy Ferraris, you have time to find an apartment. Tuesday night is your last night here. You need to make some other arrangements." He told me that he was cool with that and he was surprised that he was allowed to stay so long. Ha ha ha, funny guy! He then went to a swank hotel and stayed at the hotel for over a month until he got around to finding an apartment. Anyway ... I just mention that story to give some context to show that he kind of owed me one.

So, like I said, he bought a Paris pad and was telling me all about it.

"Nice digs, dude! You hang much in Paris?" No, he answers. "That's a shame. You should find the time to enjoy it." Yeh, yeh, yeh, he answers.

He then makes a strategic mistake. He says that if I'm ever back in Paris that I should feel free to use the place. I told him okay, sounds good. How about most of May and June?

And there we are. Moi in Paris. That's the "not springing for an apartment" part. Now for the leak part.

So one might think that an over-sized, ultra-luxury apartment in the 8th arrondissement might have hot water, right? Negative!

First morning, that is, this morning, I took a freezin' shower. Not fun!

Tonight, I'm on the phone with him and playing with the frickin' broken dual redundant hot water system. You see, he truly never uses the place and hence he has no idea what state the systems are in because various middlemen / caretakers are involved. He says he really has no clue and he'll just call his local Parisian handywoman and she'll call an all-night plumber. He'll pay, but wants it fixed tonight! Of course, I won't let him pay (unless it's really expensive, of course). Why, must it be fixed tonight? Because he had decided on Wednesday that he would come to Paris for the weekend, arriving Friday, and he doesn't want to take a cold shower.

So his handywoman calls the all-night plumber. Plumber arrives. He's a total bozo. He has less of a clue than I. Next thing I know, the system has sprung a leak and I'm rushing off to the kitchen to find a giant pot to catch the vertical stream of water. It's some pressure overload of the heating system, blah blah blah, my expert plumber informs me. The plumber next asks me if I have a phillips head screwdriver. He, the plumber, asks me, the tourist, if I happen to have a screwdriver! I said "You are a professional plumber and you don't have a screwdriver. Are you kidding me?" He tells me that he lent it to someone. I'm not pleased. Not pleased at all. He is now using a kitchen knife to attempt to unscrew the screw.

After an hour of continued horseshit, his verdict is that one of the water heating systems is broken and needs to be replaced. To put it mildly, I'm skeptical of his assessment. In the process, the other water heater now seems to be working but it feeds a different wing of the apartment. Okay, so I guess it wasn't a dual redundant system after all. More like 2 separate zones. Whatever.

Now I gotta decide whether to "spring" for a new water heater ...

[splinky]

it must be spring...

[ghostrider]

Gosh that's a depressing story. Why aren't I in Paris with two hot water heaters?

[Chambolle]

Good gosh, Ghost !

Now I’m depressed that you’re depressed. Help me decompress for I’d be most impressed, I must confess, if on a fling you did spring for an overnight flight to this City of Light. For it would be my delight to host you right if you’re not too uptight. For there is that empty wing with a mattress king and you could bring most anything or anyone if they like fun and they like sun. For it is Spring and we shall sing, we’ll dance and shout, we’ll wine and dine, we’ll rhyme and rhyme until it’s time to unwind and unwine and undine and undress, unless less is more, more or less.

You coming ?

[splinky]

Good gosh, Ghost !

Now I’m depressed that you’re depressed. Help me decompress for I’d be most impressed, I must confess, if on a fling you did spring for an overnight flight to this City of Light. For it would be my delight to host you right if you’re not too uptight. For there is that empty wing with a mattress king and you could bring most anything or anyone if they like fun and they like sun. For it is Spring and we shall sing, we’ll dance and shout, we’ll wine and dine, we’ll rhyme and rhyme until it’s time to unwind and unwine and undine and undress, unless less is more, more or less.

You coming ?

careful ghostie. a little dinner and they think they own you

[ghostrider]

Good gosh, Ghost !

Now I’m depressed that you’re depressed. Help me decompress for I’d be most impressed, I must confess, if on a fling you did spring for an overnight flight to this City of Light. For it would be my delight to host you right if you’re not too uptight. For there is that empty wing with a mattress king and you could bring most anything or anyone if they like fun and they like sun. For it is Spring and we shall sing, we’ll dance and shout, we’ll wine and dine, we’ll rhyme and rhyme until it’s time to unwind and unwine and undine and undress, unless less is more, more or less.

You coming ?

careful ghostie. a little dinner and they think they own you

No worries. I got cats to look after. No travel plans in my future.

Chambolle, what a generous rhyming offer. Alas, I'm not in a place in life where I can be so footloose & fancy free. But merci beaucoup, vraiement.

[Lippy]

It's almost here (not that we've had a real winter): Tanglewood brochure, Jacob's Pillow brochure, forsythia in bloom on West 11th Street.