Friday Night and Feeling Alright

What to do in Paris, on a Friday night, in the summertime? During the month of August most Parisians up and leave their favourite city to avoid the hoards of tourists that crowd the markets along the Seine, and ultimately ruin the chic landscape with their sneakers, shorts and fanny-packs (note: Jess and I are donning none of these items... just so ya know!). Those who stay behind are often taking holidays from work as well - but closer to home, so they spend their days at cafes sipping Kir, smoking cigarettes and animatedly discussing politics, sex and... qui sait que!

So come the end of the 'working' week, where's a girl to go? Here are a few suggestions from the locals themselves:

Buddha Bar

8 Rue Boissy d' Anglais M. Concorde, 75008 Paris

We were introduced to this little hot spot last weekend. Listed at No. 34 on worldsbestbars.com, Buddha Bar offers both a full restaurant and a stunning, 18th Century bar mezzanine. Think amber-coloured lighting (so dark you'll consider crawling to your seats a safer option), and rich mahogany furniture... Add the dulcet beats of their resident DJ (chillout/electronic lounge), and you're just about ready to experience French trend-setting at its best. While the food is apparently amazing (unsurprisingly Asian-inspired, but we didn't dine... this time round), the cocktails are tasty too - if not a little on the pricey side... Jess nursed her 17 euro vodka-lemonade tenderly, as I enjoyed the complementary prawn crackers, yum!

Kong

1 Rue du Pont-Neuf , 75001 Paris

Another terribly trendy (and expensive) Paris must-see is, Kong - that's according to fellow twenty-something, French local, Marie-Agnes, a chick with whom we struck up a conversation on one of our many wanderings. Ultramodern, it is a two-storey space above Kenzo's Paris flagship store. Of note, its see-through perspex Louis XV Armchairs with Asian faces printed on them, and a glass rooftop that overlooks the Seine. Described as halfway between Paris and Tokyo, it also boasts a fluorescent staircase and a carpet of pebbles. You have to book ahead though, (which we learned), as it has a very long waiting list!

Le Paris Paris

5 Avenue de L'Opera, 75002 Paris

Okay, so this one was funny... All psyched for our big night out on the town, we took to the streets in search of another of Marie-Agnes's suggested haunts, the tiny but trendy, Le Paris Paris (where apparently big hair and 1980s excess are not only encouraged, but expected!). After pacing up and down the Avenue de L'Opera we finally asked some passersby, who shook their heads in disdain and replied curtly, "It is closed." Apparently anybody who is anyone knows that this club closes for the month of August. When I later jumped on their website, I came across this friendly message:

Le club est en vacances tout le mois d'aout. Paris est la seule ville en europe ou rien ne se passe en aout donc, partez et rendez-vous en septembre

which translates as...

The club is on holidays all August. Paris is the only city in Europe where nothing happens in August so, go away and see you in September

Sounds better in French, doesn't it?!