FlyFreakquently

Having a dad who works in journalism can have its benefits. I've been lucky enough to tag along with him to many interesting destinations and some awesome hotels and restaurants, and this was no exception. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that he would need to go to the French Open in Paris as well as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzlerand for his work. Given that I would be on break by then and had a slew of trip credits on American (involuntary denied boarding), I proposed that I should join him. Surprisingly, he agreed, and the stage was set for a father/son trip abroad.

I got home yesterday, and didn't have the time nor energy to write any of it up on the actual trip, so I will post a day of the trip every day for a week starting with Day 1 in a few hours. I hope you enjoy!

Plan:
Amtrak/Long Island Railroad/Airtrain to JFK Intl Airport
Flagship Lounge at JFK
American Airlines Premium Economy from JFK-CDG
2 nights at the Luxembourg Parc Hotel
French Open Day 1
Train to Davos, Switzlerand
2 nights at company-rented apartment
2 days at the World Economic Forum
Train back to Paris, France
2 nights at the La Villa St. Germain des Pres
French Open Day 2
Admirals Club at CDG
American Airlines Main Cabin Extra from CDG-PHL

GetSetJetSet

The Luxembourg Parc! That's around the corner from me! I hope they treated you well. Hidden gem of a hotel, I always send people there.

FlyFreakquently

Friday, May 20th, is where the journey begins. Given that we live 45 minutes from PHL and 2 and a half hours from JFK, it may be a source of bewilderment as to why we chose to start the trip ex-JFK and not ex-PHL. The reason was two-fold. First, I had suggested we leverage my OW Sapphire status to use the Flagship Lounge. I rarely get the chance to fly on eligible routes (usually LAX-PHL or LAX-DFW-PHL), so I figured it would be nice to take advantage of this opportunity. The second reason was this: the JFK flight leaves at 5:30pm, getting us to CDG at around 6:30am. The PHL flight, on the other hand, doesn't leave until 10:35, getting us in at 11:35. Given that we wanted to spend as much time in Paris as possible and enjoy a first full day, the JFK flight was ideal. So at around 11:30, we called the uber to take us to the train station to begin our journey.

The trainride up to Penn Station was incredibly unremarkable, and by 1:45 we were in New York. After a short ride on the Long Island Rail Road and the Air Train to JFK T8, the fun began.

Boarding the NE Regional

Headed to the LIRR

Views from the Air Train. Really wish I was headed to Paris via Dubai on Emirates F!

The Flagship Lounge at JFK was quite nice and not unbearably crowded. I found a counter for my dad and I adjacent to the self-pour wine bar, partly by design and partly because it was in a less-crowded area. We had about an hour and half before boarding, so this was plenty of time to sample the offerings. I must say, the food wasn't anything special. None of it was bad, but it just wasn't impressive. The sea-bass in some sort of cream sauce was probably the best thing I had, with the spiced eggplant? being a close second. It was fine, on-par with Centurion Lounge fare. We also decided to take showers shortly before boarding. Although I had been to the JFK FL once before, I didn't bother taking a shower so I was pleasantly surprised to see over half a dozen stalls. After freshening up, we grabbed our belongings and went to board the 777W that would take us to France.

We had a 3 hour delay due to weather, and while I was excited to try (more like see) the premium economy food, I gave up and popped some melatonin. Usually it just makes me tired, but I guess it was a potent combination with the wine and once I donned my eyemask and earplugs, I went out like a lamp. I vaguely remember being woken up by an FA somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland and being asked if I wanted my pre-reserved meal. My answer? Absolutely not. I apologize I don't have an in-depth review of the food or seat but on a short redeye, I'm glad I fell asleep so easily.


Flagship Lounge entrance

Wine bar





Shower suite

Boarding

Solid legroom in PE


Day 2 will be up tomorrow!

FlyFreakquently

Due to the delay, we didn't land in Paris until around 9:30. It was a quick taxi to the gate and once the boarding door opened, it was a mad dash to passport control to beat out the passengers coming off the 787-9 that just landed from Chicago. After getting through this checkpoint and claiming my checked bag, we stepped out into the Parisian sunlight and ordered a cab. The driver dropped us off right in front of our hotel, the Luxembourg Parc. It was a gorgeous hotel with a quaint by charming lobby, a library, a full bar, and a workout room. For our purposes, it was perfect. The man working the front desk, Tristan, was extremely friendly and went out of our way to ensure a seamless check-in process and a memorable stay.

Mad dash to customs

View from Uber


Gorgeous facade



Very comfortable beds

View out of one side of the room

Messy bed, oops

After dropping our bags off, my dad and I began exploring. Perhaps exploring isn't the right word. Maybe becoming reacquainted is better. This was my fifth time in the city, with my first three visits coming when I was too young to remember anything. My dad, on the other hand, has been to the city nearly 30 times and knows the 6th arrondissement like the back of his hand. He could probably be a tour guide at this point. The first order of business was to get something to eat. Maison Mulot is a patisserie located right near where we were staying, and I couldn't resist a salmon quiche. It was fantastic. After this, we went to a market next to the patisserie just to admire the fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish and meats on offer. After a few hours of walking around, including through the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, we decided to grab some lunch at Le Comptoir. The last time I was in Paris, it was in 2019 when I went with my family. We liked Comptoir so much that out of five days in Paris, we ate there 3 times. Unfortunately, I felt a bit let down by their lunch. They used to have a squid-ink risotto that was out of this world, but that was taken off the menu unfortunately. I settled on a tuna tartare dish, which was fine but nothing special. My Dad, on the other hand, got the pea dish.


Maison Mulot




Senate


Luxembourg Gardens

Le Comptoir

Upon returning to the hotel, we decided to head to the gym. If you're looking for a state of the art fitness facility, this hotel is not for you. However, it was a clean space with a diverse selection of cardio equipment--perfectly fine for a two-night stay. I don't have a picture of the facility, unfortunately, but imagine a wooden box with mirrors and a bike, treadmill, and elliptical. After vegging out for around an hour, it was time to go to dinner. We had made a reservation at this place called Paul Bert in the 11th. I had eaten there the last time we went to the city and it was fantastic, so I was excited about returning. To start, I ordered the lamb sweetbreads with mushrooms in a puff pastry and my god it was good. It was honestly the best thing I ate the whole trip. Maybe it was because the bar was set so high, but the main was rather disappointing. I just found the pigeon dish very bony and lacking flavor. It was honestly pretty bad. On the bright side, the pair sitting one table over actually donated to us their half-finished Cote De Boeuf for two as well as the remainder of their Chablis. Both were delicious, and their generosity served as the impetus for an hour long conversation. We finished off dinner by sharing the grand mariner soufflé which was solid.

At the conclusion of the meal, I suggested that we spend the remainder of our first night in Paris walking back to the hotel. It was a 2 mile walk but the sights and sounds of the city made the 45 minutes whizz by.

Paul Bert menu

Sweetbread starter

The gift

Underwhelming pigeon

Soufflé

Bastille

Seine at night

Authentic french cuisine

GetSetJetSet

I hope you also got some pastries from Mulot, they are one of the best in the city. Le Comptoir d'Odeon is also a top notch restaurant. Good to see you enjoyed the neighborhood!

1P

I'm intrigued by all the photos taken at a disconcerting angle. One might be considered artistic. but a whole series? Just looks odd to me. Or is this a thing that I have missed out on?

nequine

Glad I am not the only one that isn't a fan of squint photos!

Great TR otherwise though!

FlyFreakquently

Funny you pointed that out--it's most definitely not intentional. When I take pictures, it's often when I'm walking and I just whip my phone out and take the photo. I think the way I hold my phone turns the photo at an angle. I will definitely fix that moving forward!

FlyFreakquently

As you will soon see, we went to Mulot 5 or 6 times throughout the 4 days in Paris. It's fantastic.

FlyFreakquently

The third day started with an early wakeup call and a trip downstairs to the hotel gym. After working out for half an hour on the treadmill, my dad and I showered and prepared to hit the city. Breakfast was once again a quiche from Mulot, this time the Quiche Lorraine. It was delicious. We also made a pit stop at a cafe around the corner from our hotel, Le Pre Aux Clercs, for a coffee. Parisian coffee doesn't hold a candle to it's Italian counterpart, but caffeine is caffeine. 15 minutes later and it was off to Roland Garros for some tennis. I had a grounds pass which meant I would be unable to enter any of the three stadiums, but luckily, there were some really entertaining matches on the side courts. The highlight of the day was probably a match between Nuno Borges, a Portuguese player, and Karen Khachanov, a Russian ranked in the top 25. While Khachanov beat Borges in four sets, the energy of the Borges fans was incredible. There was a group of men on the far baseline who were Nuno die-hards and their incessant cheering and palpable energy was absolutely hilarious. One negative about the French is the quality of the food. Despite taking place in a city that is known for its fantastic cuisine, the offerings at Roland Garros were absolutely disgusting. Ham and cheese sandwiches that were 90% baguette, crudite salads that looked horrifically dry, and hotdogs. Not the best way to showcase the culinary acumen of Paris. I begrudgingly had a turkey sandwich, which should have been named a mayo sandwich.

Quiche Lorraine


Ugliest building in Paris

Line to get to security at the Open






Quintessential French cooking
After spending roughly 8 hours at the tennis, we decided to call it a day. In the sixth, there are four restaurants all owned by the same person and three of them are literally next to eachother. Le Comptoir, the place we went on the previous day, two charcuterie places, and a seafood place. My dad wanted to go to the seafood bar for some oysters, and who am I to oppose that? We split a dozen oysters and after a short while, went next door for dinner at Le Comptoir. I admit, I wasn't hungry at all after eating what likely amounted to an entire loaf of bread but who I am to reject escargot and beef stew? The food was solid, although I found the escargot overly herby and wayyy too drenched in butter---yes, too much better is a thing for me. Nevertheless, it was a fine meal, but I believe Le Comptoir has definitely gone a bit downhill since August 2019. After walking around for an hour, we called it a night and went back to the hotel as we had a 7:20 train to Zurich.





Paris at night

Église Saint-Sulpice, right around the corner from our hotel

Hopefully this time around, the pictures weren't crooked! Day four up tomorrow!

GregWTravels

The oysters look lovely. I was surprised to see the sausage with them, but have now just goggled it and find that Oysters Charentaise is a thing. I've never seen it before, but will have to try it next time I see it, as I love oysters and I love sausages!

Looking forward to the rest of the report.

FlyFreakquently

I was a bit confused by them, too, but I can confirm they were delicious. The greasy, meaty flavor contrasted the silky oysters perfectly.

FlyFreakquently

Monday started with an unwelcome 6am alarm clock and a quick trip to the Gare De Lyon where we had a 7:20 train to Zurich. As could be expected, the station was bustling even at that early hour. After grabbing a coffee from Pierre Hermes, we made the trek to the other terminal and boarded our ride south. The train was fairly busy, but not uncomfortable--likely due to the fact my Dad and I were assigned seats without someone facing us. Somewhere in the middle of France, I got hungry and ventured to the cafe car where I ordered a quiche. It was surprisingly good. After four hours racing through the countryside, we pulled in to Zurich.






French countryside

We didn't have much time in Zurich; our train to Landquartz was due to depart just minutes after our train from Paris arrived. The Zurich station was nearly identical to the Gare De Nord, which is not a bad thing as I found the latter to be quite nice. Shortly after we pulled out of the station, we were treated to some spectacular views of Lake Zurich and Lake Walen. The Swiss landscape provided all the entertainment I needed for the hour trip east.



The train from Landquartz to Davos was the epitome of pastoral and I came to the realization that as much as I love air travel, trains are an amazing way to see the world. Another hour later, and we pulled into Davos.



So, the elephant in the room. How the hell was I allowed into the World Economic Forum? I mean, I highly doubt my in-progress minor in economics qualifies me to be at the same event as Michael Dell or foreign ministers, but I'm not complaining. All jokes aside, my Dad is doing a book on a company that was in Davos, and while I wasn't able to get a badge (each company had a limited number, and they weren't going to give it to someone in the middle of their undergrad), I was able to hang out and attend talks at the company pavilion and walk around pretty much wherever I wanted. The food at the pavilion was actually fantastic, and because I somehow was deemed a part of the company's team, I had full access to their food and drink selection.

I basically spent the majority of that afternoon listening to talks in the company pavilion, mingling with and picking the brains of those in my vicinity, and just taking in the scene that is the World Economic Forum.



This garage sums up the event pretty well

As far as accommodations, the company put us up in an apartment not far from the main street. Because Davos is such a small town, there simply are not enough hotel rooms for the few thousand people who descend on it each year. Therefore, many residents actually rent out their apartments for the week and stay elsewhere. Our apartment was quite nice, and the company did a wonderful job of giving us snacks, supplies, and other miscellaneous items.

roadwarrier

I cannot see the photos???

hugolover

There won’t be any pics of Klaus? I was wondering if he would look as handsome in the candid snaps as he does in the official ones.