Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [118]
A: How can you go to Paris and not think it’s the most fantastic place you’ve ever been? I don’t remember a lot of specific details about that first trip, though I do remember going to the outdoor food markets, which I loved. I remember going to the Poilâne boulangerie. I think I loved to cook—that’s another thing I never did until I married. But clearly that’s what I was interested in, even though in college, at Syracuse University, I started out in fashion design and I also studied business.
Q: You bought an apartment in Paris in 2000. What arrondissement is it in, and what are some of your favorite things about your quartier?
A: I was very specific about where I wanted to live in Paris. I told several real estate agents that I wanted an apartment that was within walking distance of the boulevard Raspail market, the cheese purveyor Barthélémy (51 rue de Grenelle), La Grande Épicerie in the Bon Marché department store (38 rue de Sèvres), and Poilâne (8 rue du Cherche-Midi). I went to Paris for one week per month for a year to look at apartments. There was one agent that I just knew was going to find the right apartment—he didn’t forget about me after I left, and one day he called me in New York and said, “I have the apartment for you. It’s in the seventh arrondissement. Come see it.” I asked Jeffrey, “What should I do?” and he said, “Go quickly!” So I flew to Paris that night. I remember that I only had a handbag with me. I looked at the apartment, and it was the most god-awful apartment I’d ever seen in my life. The kitchen was gray and pink. I really couldn’t see myself living there, so I told the agent I was sorry but I couldn’t possibly buy this apartment. He suggested we go have lunch and then come back and see the apartment again. He probably thought it would look better after a big bottle of wine. But it didn’t—it was dreadful. So I left Paris, but I dreamt about the apartment on the plane flight home. I just couldn’t decide. It needed major renovation. But a friend said to me, “You can fix the apartment but not the location.” And that was it. The price was reasonable (the franc was low then) and so I bought it and have never looked back. Jeffrey never saw the “before”—we had an implicit deal: I could do whatever I wanted with the apartment as long as he didn’t have to be involved with the renovation. So we walked in together when it was all finished and it was so exciting.
In my neighborhood I love to have a picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens, I love going to the movies, and I love an omelette and a glass of Champagne at Flore. There’s a wonderful Italian restaurant called Marco Polo (8 rue de Condé) and another one called Le Cherche Midi (22 rue du Cherche-Midi). [Note to readers: this is a favorite restaurant of mine as well!] Also, the Café de la Croix-Rouge (Carrefour de la Croix-Rouge, near Saint-Sulpice) is a favorite. The Village Voice (6 rue Princesse) is my local bookstore and it’s great. I’m lucky to live near the most extraordinary florist, Marianne Robic (39 rue de Babylone). Her shop is so amazing! She creates unexpected bouquets, like pairing big bunches of fresh mint with white roses—she’s a genius. New to the neighborhood is Pâtisserie des Rêves (93 rue du Bac)—my taste goes more toward Poilâne, but Rêves is really lovely.
Q: How often do you get to Paris?
A: Four times a year.
Q: When you have guests, what are some things you recommend they add to their itineraries?
A: Most of my guests have been to Paris before, so I don’t recommend the Louvre, for example, or a lot of the well-known highlights. Most of the things I know everybody knows, but I do love the Musée Nissim de Camondo (63 rue de Monceau, 8ème). The kitchen there is amazing. It was renovated by Shoré Dupuy, who was the head designer for the prestigious La Cornue stove company, founded by Albert Dupuy in 1908 (she also renovated my kitchen). The dining room—with the table all set—is also great, and the museum really gives you a sense of how