The Lodging Showdown

I got back to the hotel around 4/4:30 and my new room was not ready. Fine, I would go to the room and sit back at my computer and see how many replies I had from my housing requests. There must be a few. There were none beyond automated responses.

Around 5pm I got a call my room was ready so I went downstairs and got the key but decided last minute to ask the woman to see the room before I went ahead and moved my stuff. We went to the room together. I walked in, took one look and asked if I could check out right then with no penalty (I was booked there for 60-days!). I am leaving out some of our other exchanges and I think this woman was ready to get rid of me and agreed she would not penalize my company for this very early exit.

There I was, almost 6pm and I had nowhere to go in Paris. No cell. No friends to call to crash on a couch. This is where you better become resourceful and my nightly budget (that my company would pay for) was painfully low for Paris hotels. The hotel I stayed at over the summer, Bel Ami, was now 640 Euros per night. I should add amazing location in Saint Germain des Pres but the rooms are about the size of a show box and not THAT nice. (Remember, you need to multiple by roughly 1/4 to get to dollars!).

By 7:30 I was booked at Grand Hotel Saint Michael, right near Luxembourg Garden in the 5th. I my friends, was going back to the neighborhood I loved. I got a cab and could have cried of joy checking in. It is a small hotel, but so much better than where I was and the staff was so lovely, I could have hugged them all. One gentleman, not even a bellman, helped me with all of my luggage. I practically did hug him!

Once I got everything into my room and took a shower - it was 9pm and I was going to treat myself to a nice dinner. I have not had much time to research restaurants and I was so hungry I was going to walk and find something, a strategy I like to follow now and then. While walking I found Le Bar Huitres and it looked crowded (good sign), a little nicer inside and seafood looked fresh. I went for it and got a little table outside in the tent by a heater.

If you go with a few other people, you have to get one of the amazing and HUGE seafood towers. Once I make me some friends I am going back! For now I got this delish shrimp and avocado starter and then some good old mussels with lots of bread for dipping. Then there was dessert too but to be honest, I needed some chocolate on that crepe! Then it would have been dessert.

The crazy towers (borrowed from the restaurant's website)

My mussels

After doing some online research, the restaurant was taken over by Garry Dorr of Dorr Paris, they own a bunch of restaurants in Paris and claim to offer some of the freshest seafood in town. Will have to try some of the others and report back.

This day had been an adventure and after dinner I was exhausted. Back to my hotel I went, oh so happy to be diving into a comfy and clean bed.