Lesson Learned: Paris Visite Passes

The metro is the best way to zip around Paris. If you're going to be in town any length of time at all, your best bet is to purchase a Paris Visite pass which offers unlimited travel for the time specified on the pass in Zones 1-3. It's good for the metro, bus and RER trains. It will save you time standing in line at the ticket machines and digging around your pockets for loose change.

I've never had a problem with these before, but for some reason on this trip, my 5-day pass stopped working after a day and a half. Every time it would fail to let me through, I had to go to the travel agent with my tale of woe. The first few times they swiped it and it worked -- for the next time, but not any time after that.

Finally, I just asked them to tear up the old card and issue me a new one. Worked like a champ.

Eating in Paris: Cafe des Musees

Maybe I should subtitle this post "The NOT-cracker." My friend and I stood in line for what seemed like forever at the Bastille box office to get tickets to Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" only to find out they had been sold out for weeks. Lesson learned: Disregard the guidebooks that tell you to go to the box office the day of for half-price tickets. If you really want to see something, reserve well in advance online. The French don't do lines well.

Quel dommage. But no biggie. I've only seen this ballet about six times, and it is at the Bastille Opera House not the legendary Opera Garnier which I've been jonesing to see.

So on this cold, wet night we wander along Rue de Varenne in Le Marais and find Cafe des Musees which I've heard is quite good. No reservation, but no problem. It's still early on a Monday night, and the jovial and accommodating staff finds room for us.

Situated on a corner near the Pompidou Center and the Picasso Museum, the cafe is your classic neighborhood place with tiled floors, lots of windows, scratched tables and hooks on the wall by your table on which to hang your coat. And they serve some of the most amazing food I've ever eaten.

I order the special formule fixe: potage aux choufleur (cauliflower soup), cottes d'agneau aux chevriers (tender slices of lamb stewed with carrots, onions and whole cloves of garlics over beans which absorb all these flavors) and, for dessert, creme caramel. Don't you love the way the syllables of this dessert just slide over your tongue? The actual creme and caramel go down just as silkily. Must learn how to make this stuff.

This restaurant has been written up in a lot of guide books, so the crowd is extremely eclectic. Besides us, on this night the early dinner crowd includes several French regulars, a British family of four, some Asian tourists who apparently know the chef, a handsome gay couple from the neighborhood and a modishly turned out Japanese lady dining solo. Despite her flawless appearance, she is no fragile flower when it comes to food. She rips into a platter of raw oysters and a huge entrecote steak with a plate of frites with gusto. She lovingly captures each course with her camera. She is examining the dessert menu when we leave. I'm with you, sister.

I walk out into the raw night full of good food and bursting with bon vivance. If you ever find yourself in Paris on a cold, wet night, come here. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

Verdict: Ambiance is no more than your average Paris bistro. Prices are reasonable. Food is stellar. My best meal in Paris this trip.

Lesson Learned: Bring Some Euros (the coin variety ) with you

The best way to get euros for your trip to Paris is just to use an ATM when you get there. They're everywhere. I've never had any problems, but check with your bank before you go to ensure your card will work in an overseas ATM. Your withdrawals may take a while to show up on your statement, and there are handling fees, but I far prefer doing this than using my credit card or travelers' checks or standing in line at the bank or a currency exchange place.

That said, if possible, bring along about 10 euros -- in coins (this is important) with you on your trip.

Here's my lesson learned.

If you're coming in on an international flight, you are going to fly into Charles de Gaulle.

The airport is located on the outer fringes of town . The good news is there are kiosks all over the airport where you can buy an RER ticket into the city. The bad news for you, my fellow Americans, is that you will have a hell of a time buying one.

The kiosks take European -- but not American -- credit cards. Something about a microchip vice a mangetic strip. Why this is in the days of a global marketplace eludes me.

Now, if you've followed my advice above, you now have a handful of crisp euros fresh from airport's ATM. These are useless at present because THE TICKET KIOSKS DON'T ACCEPT BILLS, JUST COINS. The ticket kiosks at Paris' other airport, Orly, accept bills as well as coins. I don't quite understand this discrepancy. It's a French thing.

There aren't any change machines at de Gaulle either.

Your only recourses at this point are to stand in the loooooonnnngggg line with all the other confused American tourists to buy one at the understaffed RER ticket counter or buy all kinds of stuff you don't want or need at the aiport sundries store until you have enough change to buy a ticket from the machine.

This will put you in a very bad mood and start your Paris vacation off on the wrong foot.

Far better to just walk up to the RER ticket kiosk, drop in the coins you have brought with you for this purpose and be on your merry way. That's what I did this time and got out of the airport in record time.