Friday, March 30, 2012

Cafes on the Right and Left Bank

My wife has heard that back in Hemingway%26#39;s day, Paris%26#39;s upper class sat in cafes on the Right Bank sipping wine looking out over the Seine while the artsier folk sat in cafes on the Left Bank drinking coffee, looking out on the Seine.





Any recommendations on cafes we could go to to experience this?




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There are %26#39;..grand cafés on both banks of the Seine--though none overlook the Seine. On the Right Bank, the %26#39;grand cafés would probably be the CAFÉ de la PAIX on Place de la Opera and FOUQUET%26#39;S on Champs Élysée. On the Left Bank, they would be the CAFÉ DEUX MAGOTS and CAFÉ FLORE on Blvd. Saint Germain and LA COUPOLE, down on Blvd. Montparnasse.





But bear in mind, if you want to drink coffee or sip wine at a sidewalk café where %26#39;..the Greats..%26#39; once did; it%26#39;s gonna%26#39; cost a fair bit more than your average neighborhood café.





CAFÉ de la PAIX--



…intercontinental.com/icpargra/dining_01.html





FOUQUET%26#39;S--



lucienbarriere.com/localized/…index.asp





CAFÉ DEUX MAGOTS--



http://www.lesdeuxmagots.fr/





CAFÉ de FLORE--



http://www.cafe-de-flore.com/




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The Cafe de Flore and les Deux Magots are the %26quot;intellectuals%26quot; cafés in Paris, as there are many writers and publishers in St Germain, or at least , there were. You mention cafés overlooking the river Seine on the right bank but note tha the posh café de la Paix and Fouquet%26#39;s are not near the river. The cafés in St Germin are not along the river either. Hemingway used to go to the Closerie des Lilas if you want to try that, it is on Boulevard du Montparnasse. I don%26#39;t think all the cafés mentionned in the bookwere along the river, actually.




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I%26#39;d add Le Select and La Coupole to KDK%26#39;s list.



Until the mid 70%26#39;s the left bank was more bohemian, less establishment, less wealthy and considered the intellectual%26#39;s stomping grounds. Even today, all of the Haute Couture and jetset lifestyle establishments tend to be Rive Droite, while the editors and producer tend to stay Left Bank, although this is changing rapidly.



As for wine v. coffee.... Fitzgerald and Hemingway were having there way with much more potent stuff than what can be produced by a handful of beans.

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