Playgrounds of Paris - Part I

Les Halles

1st Arr.

Les Halles often gets a bad rap from Parisians. This is because it is essentially an above and below ground shopping mall, and because much of it is butt ugly, especially the underground part. It's also because certain corners do seem to welcome lurkers and up-to-no-goodnicks- this I recall from an extended stay here several years ago.  

Les Halles had once been a wholesale vendors market. Food and flowers mostly. From the sound of it, it was a pretty cool place. The market opened at 5am, and to serve the drivers and the market workers, so did the restaurants. It was a social nexus where everyone in the food trade -- chefs, merchants, restaurant owners, etc --  gathered to discuss le menu. No accident that many of the city's best restaurants sprouted up nearby over the years. But in the early '70's the 19th century pavillions that housed the wholesale market were demolished.

A decade later, the glass and steel era began (right). Now the area is set to receive a $1 billion makeover, completion date 2016. The project calls for a vast glass canopy measuring 38,000 square feet covering the shopping complex and nearby green spaces. Also in the offing- a new library, a concert hall and more cafes. 

In my opinion, someone in the Paris mayor's office is wearing Bad Idea jeans. I mean, I'm just a guy from Pennsylvania so what do I know. But glass canopies covering the nearby green spaces- c'mon. Bad idea. Come to think of it, my hometown had a glass canopy. It covered the downtown shopping area. Wasn't long after it was built that the local merchants split for the mall and every third storefront was a pawn shop. 

OK. Specious logic, but still. Those canopies were wretched. They induced a kind of open-air claustrophobia. And for what? UV protection? So Allentonians didn't have to carry umbrellas? 

Fortunately, there's one part of Les Halles that's not going to get a makeover:

Residents successfully opposed the redesign of the children's playground and changes to the Place Rene-Cassin, a green space at the foot of the gothic Saint Eustache church. This is where Nick and I cast some long, good shadows in the late afternoon of our first day. 

The vibe here? Imagine a dog run, but with children instead of canines. 

Boistrous as shit, all ages, all breeds. There's a euro-style junglegym at the entrance. They seem to favor modern looking, heavy rope-webbing/trellis structures to the wooden Noah's Ark and ChooChoo train getups you see in the states. Walk up a very small hill and you're facing St. Eustache church, with the Bourse due west of you. 

I had not yet thought to buy a ball for the dear boy, but he managed to find some kids to share theirs.  

'Share' may be pushing it. Several times, Nik had gone after a pink and blue ball belonging to a young girl. And several times the young girl yelled, "Petit!" and grabbed it away from him. Finally, young Kwame here grew bored of what he was doing and tolerated Nick playing around with his yellow soccer ball. Thanks, mec.

On our way out of Les Halles we made a point of stopping by the Jardin des Enfants to have a looksee at the elephants that guard the entrance. The 

Jardin des Enfants, which offers several precarious attractions (climbing wall, tunnel, maze and slides) is reserved for kids between 7 and 11 years olds. Adults are strictly forbidden. Fewer credible witnesses. Fewer lawsuits. 

Quick stop on the way back to Rue de la Paix. Beer for dad. 

Kiss both cheeks 'n call it a day!