This mall was right across the street from my hotel and after having checked in to my hotel and…read morewandered in here in need of a coffee/snack, and having just arrived in the area I was very pleasently surprised to see that the mall offers free wifi. My excitment was dimmed a little though when I found out that the wifi was not that reliable, my email would be working fine but trying to load facebook or just a browser seemed to ellicit error messages or would be extremely slow. Nevertheless I got through emails which was enough with the odd window of reliable wifi providing me access to facebook and Yelp. And the free wifi is a huge reason I give this location 3 stars (more like 3.5) because nothing in the mall really makes it stand out, hardly anyone was fluent in English (except for one barista at the Starbucks). Even the woman at the information counter could not converse in English when I tried to figure out where to get a sim for my phone. Speaking of which, a minor moment I'm proud is how I managed to get myself a prepaid plan for a week with an attendant that did not speak English well, but he was very friendly despite that being the last day he was working there before moving to Paris (yes we even managed to have small talk, because he was glad to try his English out). The mall is great option for a quick snack, I would not recommend eating at any of the restaurants in here (I might even go as far as to say that the McDonalds here would be the best food option) but I did see a sushi stand that looked like it could be all right. They don't see a lot of tourists in this area so I can't blame them for not being well equipped with a blundering tourists like myself managing to blend in, but the mall is at a very convenient location, not more than a 5 minute walk from the metro station and it seems to have any store that one would need for their daily life and it's clean, pretty and a nice place to come in for an escape from the elements especially thanks to their wifi.

This is an atypical spot for shopping/dining/etc in Paris. We just happened to be at a hotel…read moreacross the street and stopped in. There are lots of little shops for kitchen ware and home decor, a huge place called Truffault for arts/crafts/gardening supplies/plants/pets/decor and several really nice little shops for chocolates and cookies. The hidden gem here is a large grocery store with beautiful local produce, staples, and chocolates for the holidays at very reasonable prices. Instead of 2 euros for one apple, you can get a whole 5 pound bag for 2.49 E. That was fun! If you drive, there is a 2hr free space under the building. If you come by train, take the RER B to the LaPlace stop, its a short walk up the street from it. The station is clean, with friendly staff. No weirdos hanging out there. This is actually a very nice and quiet area just out of the hustle and bustle of Paris!

They're a French Home Goods store. A little like a French Pier 1. It's cutesy tootsy but they're a…read morechain so there's not any regional merchandise. On a few items the only thing that makes 'em French is a word of Francaise embroidered on top of 'em. Not especially impressive. My wife did find some padded seats for our wooden chairs that she loved. They have 5 seats in stock and we've got 6 chairs. I think I know what some sweet little Frenchie's gettin' for Christmas!

If you read about Les Halles in Le Ventre de Paris (1873) by Emile Zola you would know of the place…read morewhere fresh food was wholesaled. Perhaps I was crazy to imagine a spectacular view of halls after halls of the fresh seafoods, meats or poultrys. It inspired me so much it sent us on a roadtrip from Belgium at 11 PM, we were running behind for Rungis that opened from 1-5 AM. We reached Rungis Marche International a city on its own at 2 AM. The market was just slowing awakening and alive with fresh food. We drove around these enormous buildings the size of convention centers, it was so confusing we had to consult the site map. The halls opened in cascading fashion 1 hall per hour we were told by the Chefs the seafood hall would open first. When we arrived I was literally speechless at the sheer number of wholesalers proudly displaying their seafood: fresh boxes of sea urchins, scallops on shells, trouts so fresh they were shining and live shrimps still jumping. At the poultry and game hall, fresh chickens/squab/ ducks/ pheasants/ rabbits/ were displayed. The poultry all cleaned except retaining the head and feather around the neck to show its freshness. The cases of foie gras, pates and charcuterie were just mouth wateringly attractive. We ventured into the Triperie where the organs, trotters and other stuff were sold. It was quite amazing to see the standard of hygiene and lack of foul smell you would imagine from a place as such. The same was for the meat hall it was clean and odorless - I never saw more beef, lamb or pork in my life!! I was glad to have made this trip.