Looking for a gift for a friend who's moving to Paris for two months.
June 15, 2006 8:48 PM Subscribe
I have a friend who has decided to go live in Paris for two months or more. She's searching for her next career and life move, and has always loved the City of Lights. I'm looking for a gift that is inspired, but practical. It also has to pack and travel well--not weigh her down. She's going to be free and hopes the city will be a sort of muse. She's set on luggage, has a place to stay, won't have a car, loves fashion, going out on the town, and I'm sure has plenty of maps.
Somewhere in the range of 100 euros.
a gnome?
seriously my friend's parents got her this little guy before she went to paris, and she like took pictures of him all over europe its adorable.
posted by radioamy at 9:36 PM on June 15, 2006
seriously my friend's parents got her this little guy before she went to paris, and she like took pictures of him all over europe its adorable.
posted by radioamy at 9:36 PM on June 15, 2006
Since she's looking for her muse, why not make her une amie du Musée du Louvre (officially)?
posted by rob511 at 10:11 PM on June 15, 2006
posted by rob511 at 10:11 PM on June 15, 2006
A carrot peeler? They don't seem to believe in them over there.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:23 PM on June 15, 2006
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:23 PM on June 15, 2006
100 euros
posted by growabrain at 11:03 PM on June 15, 2006
posted by growabrain at 11:03 PM on June 15, 2006
I had the same idea as typewriter - a nice Moleskine maybe?
posted by antifuse at 2:17 AM on June 16, 2006
posted by antifuse at 2:17 AM on June 16, 2006
Best answer: OK, I know you said your friend has "plenty of maps," but:
The ultimate map of Paris, absolutely crucial for day-to-day navigation, is the Plan de Paris par Arrondissement. It's a very complete, pocket-sized street atlas of Paris broken up "par arrondissement" (by district); it also includes Metro and rapid-transit train maps, and is just generally an absolutely indispensable item in bag, pocket or purse. Plenty of actual Parisians use it, not just tourists and temporary visitors. USD30 from Amazon.com, quite possibly less from a European vendor.
One of these, plus a couple of fancy notebooks (I second the recommendation of Moleskines, above) and a nice pen, would be a very nice gift package.
P.S. There are about a gazillion titles on the market about "How to move to France to live and work." It's a common dream.
posted by enrevanche at 4:26 AM on June 16, 2006
The ultimate map of Paris, absolutely crucial for day-to-day navigation, is the Plan de Paris par Arrondissement. It's a very complete, pocket-sized street atlas of Paris broken up "par arrondissement" (by district); it also includes Metro and rapid-transit train maps, and is just generally an absolutely indispensable item in bag, pocket or purse. Plenty of actual Parisians use it, not just tourists and temporary visitors. USD30 from Amazon.com, quite possibly less from a European vendor.
One of these, plus a couple of fancy notebooks (I second the recommendation of Moleskines, above) and a nice pen, would be a very nice gift package.
P.S. There are about a gazillion titles on the market about "How to move to France to live and work." It's a common dream.
posted by enrevanche at 4:26 AM on June 16, 2006
How about a really nice, compact corkscrew in her favourite color? Remember to pack it in her checked luggage.
posted by KathyK at 5:45 AM on June 16, 2006
posted by KathyK at 5:45 AM on June 16, 2006
Best answer: I think a journal would be an excellent gift (I'm agreeing with all the previous peeps that suggsted it)
I have a custom travel journal from here that is one of my favourite possessions. She made it exactly to my specifications and it was cheaper than a lot of the "travel journals" I was finding on the web.
posted by LunaticFringe at 6:24 AM on June 16, 2006
I have a custom travel journal from here that is one of my favourite possessions. She made it exactly to my specifications and it was cheaper than a lot of the "travel journals" I was finding on the web.
posted by LunaticFringe at 6:24 AM on June 16, 2006
Best answer: The plan de Paris par arrondissement costs about 5 Euros from any Parisian bookstore or news kiosk. Don't waste 30 USD on it from Amazon!
posted by brianogilvie at 5:20 PM on June 16, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by brianogilvie at 5:20 PM on June 16, 2006 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great answers, folks. Great link LunaticFringe.
It's shoppin' time.
posted by nenequesadilla at 9:49 PM on June 18, 2006
It's shoppin' time.
posted by nenequesadilla at 9:49 PM on June 18, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by typewriter at 9:03 PM on June 15, 2006