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Facing the river on the Left Bank is a new hotel that makes my list, the Hôtel Esprit Saint Germain--discreet and quiet, and a quick sprint from some of the city's favorite haunts. A tiny, cute, retrofitted dairy, Cremerie Caves Miard (9, Rue des Quatre-Vents), provides a lunch or dinner antidote for jet lag. The young chef-owner serves seasonal, simple country food and fascinating wines.
For an indulgent lingerie fix, go to Boutique Princesse Tam Tam (53, Rue Bonaparte), and look for late-January sales. Sunday-morning ritual? Walk and shop the thriving Marché Biologique (Boulevard Raspail, between Rue de Rennes and Rue du Cherche-Midi). Here amid the cheese and mushrooms are cashmere shawls, Panama hats and herb-infused bath salts. I never leave without buying the best latke--here it's called a galette--I ever ate: grated potato, onion and cheese all sizzled and crusty.
Culture lies across the river. Even if you can't tell a diva from a rapper, you'll want to see a production amid the neo-Baroque grandeur of the Paris Opera (Palais Garnier, Place de l'Opéra), where prices start as low as 7 euros. The Baccarat Gallery-Museum (11, Place des Etats-Unis) displays all sorts of glittering goodies, such as Czar Nicholas II's custom-ordered giant candelabra, crystal thrones created for India's maharajas and dessert plates made for Coco Chanel, complete with etchings of delicate scissors. Skaters can cut the ice with the locals at the Hotel de Ville (blades rent for 5 euros).
Encountering a lousy meal in Paris, of all places, is a tragedy--but fortunately, one that is easily avoided. Chef Yannick Alléno is a rising star at the Versailles-like Le Meurice in the Hôtel Meurice (228, Rue de Rivoli). There, relishing dishes like poularde de Bresse stuffed with foie gras (and an amazing cheese cart), I felt as pampered as a Parisian lapdog. At a fraction of the price but still a good value, Chez Paul (13, Rue de Charonne) delivers lace-curtained, cassoulet-slinging bistro fare. Georges, the whimsical Philippe Starck-- designed restaurant atop the Pompidou Centre, offers simple Mediterranean selections and one of the truly spectacular views of the city.
Paris Online
ROME
At this time of year, the city's cultural season is in full force. Renzo Piano's new complex, Parco della Musica, houses the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia as well as the city's most important musical events in three separate halls. In December the Rome Opera House will have Lo Schiaccianoci, otherwise known as The Nutcracker. After years of being closed for a contentious restoration, the Ara Pacis, the Emperor Augustus' monument to peace, dedicated in 9 B.C., is finally open (Piazza Augusto Imperatore). It is to be the centerpiece of a new museum that is being designed by U.S. architect Richard Meier. You'll have to come back in April for that one.