Sunday, February 10, 2008

Last night we were treated to a wonderful meal at Les Bouquinistes by Dodging Lions and his lovely wife, Red. It was an incredible meal at a very fancy restaurant. The waiters were knowledgeable, fun and charming. When Red ordered the Cod the waiter said, “No the Sea bass is better I will give you that.” When Dodging Lions ordered the veal he said No no I will bring you the scallops and you can have some of his veal."- He said motioning to me. The evening was perfect. Well…except maybe the bathroom.

Dodging Lions was giving me grief because when I point out Parisian sites I would also mention the nearest best bathroom to the site. It isn’t that I have to use the bathroom very often but it’s nice to know where a clean, comfortable, free bathroom is located. For instance, in the 7th arrondisement The American Church has a lovely bathroom. Or, let’s say you’re strolling down the Champs de Ellyse and you pass the Louis Vuitton store- suddenly the urge hits. Don't panic, take a right at George V and go to the the American Cathedral. The doorman has to buzz you in- and will ask you what you want tell him your going to an AA, NA, or SA meeting- he’ll be too embarrassed at your non-French candor and buzz you in without looking you in the eye.

So a new segment to this completely worthless blog is rating bathrooms around Paris. As with the other segments on this blog I will do it for a little while and then it will end as quickly as it began. Remember “I See Dead People”, “Helpful Household Hints” “Argument’s I’ve Had”, “People Who Done Me Wrong”? All of them gone after one or two posts. Follow through has always been an issue with me.

The bathroom at Les Bouquinistes needs a bit of work. The fixtures are stainless steel and the sink basin is marble The quarters are tight but most bathroom in Paris are small so you can’t really hold that against them and the sink was with the toilet which is always welcome. Many bathrooms in Paris are unisex and the sinks are in a communal area- it’s hard to be suave with the ladies when you are washing your hands after a noisy pee. What is less forgivable is the lack of cleanliness. I hate to say it but it needed a good scrubbing and their male patrons have a tough time hitting the target, if you know what I mean. Kelly suggested that they toss a Cheerio in the toilet, which would give the guys something to aim for. I started to complain that that’s how you teach a child to pee in the toilet and that we aren’t children but I realized that it would probably work and would in fact be fun. (Note To Self: Carry a few Cheerios in Man bag). I’d have to give it 2 stars out of a possible 5. It would have been 3 but since it is such a fancy restaurant we expect better from them

4 comments:

Andrea said...

What's the name of that place at the top of the Champes Elysees which is a cafe/newsagent/bookstore/epicerie? Anyway, there's a great bathroom in the lower ground floor, but don't forget to lock the door otherwise people can see right in. Took me about 10 minutes to figure that out!

Kim Hambric said...

I applaud the information. One needs a good map, then one needs information on where to eat, get a drink, and take care of the results. I believe there should be a Zagat's rating of toilets.

p said...

you could be onto something here. we women need to pee way too often and its good to know where and the conditions. i'd rather hold it all day and suffer great pains than step in urine or deal with utterly offensive pots. can't wait for more fotos!

Karyn said...

This is a goldmine. Get an agent and a publisher, tout suite and get crackin', baby.