Cafés & Paris -- Two of a Kind

Remember Frank Sinatra's
"Love and Marriage"

Love and marriage, love and marriage
They go together like a horse and carriage
This I tell you brother
You can't have one without the other

Love and marriage, love and marriage
It's an institute, you can't disparage
Ask the local gentry
And they will say, it's elementary

Try, try, try to separate them
It's an illusion
Try, try, try, and you will only come
To this conclusion

Love and marriage, love and marriage
They go together like the horse and carriage
Dad was told by mother
You can't have one, you can't have none
You can't have one without the other.

Written by James Van Heusen & Sammy Cohn
Read more: Frank Sinatra - Love And Marriage Lyrics | MetroLyrics
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And so it goes.
Paris and café-sitting.
Cafés are quintessential Paris,
  a centuries-old marriage made in heaven. 

  Wish I had the creative chops to come up with a catchy tune,
but the truth remains, you can't have one without thinking of the other.
  Cafés & Paris.
  Two of a kind. 

Much has been said about the demise of this bastion of the Paris aesthetic. 
Sure, the numbers may be declining, replaced by
 trendy whatchamacallits, drug stores or doctor's offices.
But many of the good ones remain, unflinching,
Stonehenge-like monuments
to Paris culture, the life force of both locals and tourists.

Yes, the tables are a bit too close together.
Sometimes the chairs are tethered together like prisoners.
  The price of coffee is a tad high when you sit on the terrace and
  the thought of sitting next to two young women lighting a new cigarette
every five minutes is annoying -- but then we remember,
this is Paris, this is the life we've come to experience.

  Cafés are as much a part of la vie Parisian as the Eiffel Tower.
  No, make that more.
The average Parisian has not climbed the Eiffel Tower,
but his favorite café is practically his living room.
 
Cafés are essential to the daily lives of the local population.
  They're places where people go to be among friends,
sort of their home away from home. 
They talk, they write, they read, they kiss, they catch some rays.
-- and oh yes, sometimes they eat too. 

Since eating is pretty much considered a religious experience in France,
it's important to note that cafés are not always the best place
to experience French cuisine at its finest.
 Depending on the proprietor, the wine might be so-so,
  the sandwiches taste of yesterday, the omelet
  stings of something you can get at home ... but still,
  no way, no how --- don't miss this French institution.
  Cafe sitting is an indispensable component of daily French life.

  You'll never "get it" until you find your own favorite neighborhood joint,
sit there all different times of the day --- and absorb what surrounds you.

Some have outdoor tables and lovely terraces.
  Others have iconic zinc bars and fanciful art on their walls. 
There are those that project sleek and contemporary, still
others that are down and out, hoping for better times.
  Either way, which ever address floats your boat, you'll see
Parisians - yes, real Parisians, not just tourists -- living their
lives in a manner that's been around for centuries.

  Café culture never goes out of style.
The ordinary routine of showing up, often at the same time & place,
is like sharing a life with a dear companion.
  It may not fulfill every secret heart's desire but it can certainly
serve as a kindred spirit, your muse, your inspiration. 

The first Paris café, thought to be the first in the world, is Café Procope, an
address that has enough history inside its doors to justify the high price of coffee.  From Voltaire to Napoleon, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson,
Le Procope's patrons have made this address a Paris institution since 1686.
 
Ferdinando Galiani, a leading figure of the Enlightenment, made it clear,
"Paris is the café of Europe."

Other addresses are best recognized as literary cafés, places that
galvanized the likes of some of our favorite writers and artists.
Hemingway, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Leon Trotsky,
Jean Paul Sartre & Simone de Beauvoir, André Gide,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, the list is both long and awe-inspiring.
  It may be corny but it's cool to realize you may be seated at the
same table where these legends nurtured their genius.
  And you'll continue to witness creative types hunched over,
quietly working, finding inspiration for (hopefully)
  a new masterpiece for the next generation of creative arts.

Names like Les Deux Magots, Le Select, La Coupole, Café de Flore,
La Closerie des Lilas, La Rotunde .... there are too many to list.
  These cafes are still relevant today and worth a stop.
  Still, it's best to make your own discovery, your secret find, the
place that pours the fresh oj that gets your own juices going.

  Maybe its the hidden place down the street from your hotel
that brings your own Lady and the Tramp moment,
a romantic joint with rustic atmosphere and kissing clientele.
Amelie's Café des Deux Moulins wasn't just a manufactured movie prop.
  It's still there, a local haunt in Montmartre, waiting for you to spill
some sugar into your own cup while your Paris story unfolds.

  Or you might look for that little café that features just a few tables on its
sidewalk, reclaimed Metro benches inside, a horseshoe shaped
marble bar surrounded by stools filled with colorful characters.
Oh wait, that sounds like au Petit Fer a Cheval,
a spot you'll wish was your own
"place where everyone knows your name"
for all eternity.

---

Foodies have long aired exhausting complaints about the
disappointing coffee in Paris, lamenting its decline.
I can't deny the truth of that.
Thankfully, there's a whole new coffee culture emerging,
one that's taking shape right before our eyes.
New venues such as La Caféothèque, Coutume and Belleville Brulerie
are on an ever-widening list --- quickly growing and hopefully, stimulating
our favorite old haunts to up the ante in their own espresso machines.
  Either way, if you don't like the coffee, order a fresh juice
or your favorite adult beverage.

But really, who cares if the coffee is less than stellar when the view of the square (Cafe de la Marie on Place St Sulpice comes to mind) is so magical.
The ritual of the bill is always something I look forward to - crazy, yes.
  It's "served" on a little plate, the faded paper ripped a bit once you've paid.
  You're paying for the chair and the view --- which is priceless.
  Any excuse to sit and soak up Paris.

Speaking of favorite cafés, your Paris café-sanctuary
doesn't need to be on this list or on any other docket.
  It's your hangout, the shoes that fit.

I'll never forget the nondescript little café that stood just down
the street from our hotel in the Latin Quarter years ago.
  I don't even remember its name but I well remember its charm.
  We always just referred to it as The Matt Lauer Café because
the overworked waiter, who manned the whole terrace seemingly
from dawn to dusk, looked just like The Today Show host.
They offered the best ever sandwich au saucisson on a perfect baguette,
slathered with buttered, of course, and served with a smile by trustworthy "Matt".

  It's fun, too, to be recognized in your favorite haunt à la Norm from Cheers.
  We enjoyed a particularly friendly server once who enjoyed
talking up his fair city (admittedly, it wasn't in Paris) whenever
he wasn't stealing kisses with his girlfriend.
  The guy who serves your morning coffee may advise you
on how to treat your hiccups or
where to find the best bookstore in the neighborhood.
I'm still looking for that rude guy people mention
when talking about Parisian waiters.
  Rushed, yes.  Overworked, yes.  Rude, not likely.

It comes down to this. 
Much like the genres of your favorite movies and books,
cafés earn their own characteristic calling card.
  Think about it.
Is your café a Classic?
  A Romantic Comedy? 
Slice-of-life?  Memoir?  Period Piece?
Whodunit, Current Affairs or Adventure-Drama?
One bet I'll venture to take is that your best-loved café, hands down,
is one of the best Variety Shows you'll ever see.
And you're not just the audience, you're in the cast.

So whether you decide to go early, stay late, order a croissant or a tartine,
a café will welcome you to the abundant joys of Paris.
Soup & sandwich, Bert & Ernie, Paris & Cafés.

 You can't have one without the other.

Cafés & Paris.
Experience It!