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by maribeth
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Paris ‘Palaces’ Controversy: Off with Their Heads!
As I watched the rainbow-colored display of cyclists zoom around the place de la Concorde during last Sunday’s final stage of the Tour de France, I was nagged by only one discouraging thought. No, it had nothing to do with cycling or the fact that an American wasn’t going to make the podium. It was about that grand and imposing building bordering this famous place and how it’s no longer officially considered une palace de Paris. Yes, I’m talking about the renowned Hôtel de Crillon, the place where Queen Elizabeth stayed when she visited Paris many years ago. It’s, in fact, the glorious abode chosen by Lance Armstrong after several Tour finishes when he was at the peak of his reign. It’s sandwiched in between the American Consulate and the Residence of the American Ambassador in Paris. And if you can’t make it to Versailles, have tea here and you’ll have a taste of eighteenth-century French grandeur that will more than satisfy all your senses and sensibilities.
Here’s what I wrote about Les Palaces in my book, The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide: