Paris: Our new city page

By Budget Travel
October 3, 2012
blog_091106_paris_pano_original.jpg
Courtesy <a href="http://mybt.budgettravel.com/_View-from-Tour-Montparnasse/photo/4448556/21864.html">alliesun98/myBudgetTravel</a>

Budget Travel's new Paris city page—currently in beta—lets you post questions, recommendations, photos and more.

One completely new feature we've developed: If you're going to Paris soon, or you're just back, you can comment, ask questions, or leave recommendations and tips for other travelers—and you may hear back directly from our editors in real time, or at regularly scheduled intervals. If they do, you'll see a lime green "editor" button identifying their response.

Also on our Paris City Page, if editors see a consensus forming around a particular topic—like apartment rentals, for example—they may assign a story and post the results in our "We're Listening" box.

Be sure to check out news from our Paris reporter, or browse Paris package deals (such as Paris & Nice, Air/6 Nights, From $749) and reviews of Paris hotels from $85.

We're still adding features (like our interactive map), and we'll be rolling out pages for Rome, London, NYC, and San Francisco, all coming soon.

In the meantime, we're working on fixing little bugs we see in certain Web browsers, and we're busy adding features—including our map of affordable Paris hotels, restaurants, and shopping venues near major tourist attractions in the near future.

[Budget Travel's Paris City Page]

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Paris: Top 5 free things to do in November

The only thing better than visiting Paris is being able to enjoy free events in Paris. Here's a round-up of activities for the cozy month of November. Fall foliage in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont The city's wildest, hilliest park is exploding with autumn colors right now. Take an exhilarating urban hike around the the park's lake and cross the newly reopened suspension bridge to reach the waterfall. If that works up an appetite, you can stop inside the park at Rosa Bonheur, which has recently transformed from a simple drinks place to a full-on (affordable) restaurant. Parc des Buttes Chaumont, 19th arrondissement. Dysfashional exhibition at the Passage du D&eacute;sir, (through November 29)This free art show has lured some of fashion's most cutting-edge designers into a pop-up exhibition space near the Canal Saint-Martin. Works from Pierre Hardy, Maison Martin Margiela, and Gaspard Yurkievich are displayed until the end of the month, when this show packs up and heads to Berlin. Passage du D&eacute;sir, 85-87 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 10th arrondissement, 011-33/1-56-41-36-04 Clotilde Dusoulier at WH Smith (November 17) The author of the popular Chocolate &amp; Zucchini site (who has written for Budget Travel Paris Tasting Tour and the aptly titled "My Paris Is Better Than Yours") will be celebrating her 6th "blogiversary" and discussing the editorial work she did for I Know How to Cook, the bible of French home cooking by Ginette Mathiot that was just released in the U.S. The food-love fest will begin at 7 p.m. WH Smith, 248 rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement, 011-33/1-44-77-88-99. Azar Nafisi at the Village Voice Bookshop (November 20) The author of the international bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran will discuss her new book, Things I've Been Silent About. The memoir presents Nafisi's personal story about growing up in Iran against the background of her country's political revolution. The reading will begin at 7 p.m. Village Voice Bookshop, 6 rue Princesse, 6th arrondissement, 011-33/1-46-33-36-47 Paris Movie Walk at Shakespeare &amp; Company (November 25) Michael Schuermann, the author of Paris Movie Walks, will lead a free tour of his favorite cinematic haunts. The walk will explore Notre Dame Cathedral and the Rive Gauche, with Schuermann describing classic films such as An American in Paris, A Bout de Souffle, and Before Sunset (which was partly shot at Shakespeare &amp; Company) The walk will begin at 4 p.m. at the bookstore and will last for 60 to 90 minutes. Shakespeare &amp; Company, 37 rue de la B&ucirc;cherie, 5th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-25-40-93. BONUS "NEARLY FREE" EVENT Return of la Fl&egrave;che d'Or (November 23) The Fl&egrave;che d'Or, before it closed in early summer, was every broke music lover's best friend. After months of sound-proofing, the city's best free venue will reopen, only not exactly for free. Entry for the first show&mdash;Evan Dando from the Lemonheads, Chris Brokaw, and others&mdash;will cost 8&euro; ($12), but that includes one free drink. Subtracting the 6&euro; cost of the drink, that makes the entry almost free&hellip; at least close enough to qualify for our list. La Fl&egrave;che d'Or, 102 rue de Bagnolet, 20th arrondissement. Check out Budget Travel's new Paris guide

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At BT, we know the important role that images play in conveying an experience and the ability of a single photograph to launch a life-changing trip. But it's not just glossy travel magazines that can provide those images. In the last couple of weeks, I've been searching for art for the walls of my new apartment, which has primarily meant stalking the continually refreshed selection of works up on Jen Bekman's amazing affordable-art site 20x200. As expected, I've seen lots of stuff that would make great d&eacute;cor, but what surprised me was how many of the pieces made me want to buy a ticket somewhere, immediately. Like Hosang Park's aerial photographs of Korean parks and public spaces, which remind me of the joys of having a window seat on a flight. Or the simple eloquence of Liz Kuball's "Untitled (Santa Barbara) (2009)," in which a bushy, fruit-laden citrus tree hanging over the wood of a backyard fence says as much about the place&mdash;the simultaneous moodiness and inherent cheer&mdash;as a much busier photograph could. Many of the pieces also have great commentary from the artists that illuminate the places their works focus on, and the artists' unique perspectives on them. Mike Sinclair's "Rodeo Stars, Strong City Kansas" tells the story of a multi-generational rodeo family and its community. It's also just a completely charming photo. Here's what Mike says about his subject: "These portraits show the Roberts family&mdash;the father, E.C., and three of his five children: Gerald, Margie and Ken. All three children were world champion rodeo riders. The display is located just outside the rodeo grounds in Strong City, Kansas, where E.C. started his first rodeo in 1937. There's been a rodeo in Strong City ever since. Held in early June, when the bluestem grass on this part of the prairie is its greenest, the rodeo is Chase County's biggest event of the year. People come from as far as Abilene and Wichita. On Saturday morning a parade starts at Cottonwood Falls, the county seat, and travels one mile north on Highway 57 to Strong City, ending at the rodeo grounds. After the rodeo, there's a dance at Ken Roberts' old place east of town. Wooden tables and folding chairs brought up from the church circle the outdoor concrete dance floor. Beer and barbecue is for sale. The year I was there, proceeds went to re-roof the town's collapsing opera house. The dance lasts well past midnight. One couple told me that after the dance they always drive the 30 miles home on back roads with their headlights off, guided only by moonlight." If that doesn't inspire you to seek out a new travel destination&mdash;well, maybe not the part about the locals driving around with no headlights&mdash;then I don't know what will. Note: New limited-edition prints go on sale on 20X200 each Tuesday and Wednesday at 2pm EST. Check back often for art&mdash;and trip ideas! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL It's Still Worth It: 20 Travel-Inspiring Photos Shopping: Souvenir Savior

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