Lost in Paris

When I emerged from the Métro at Les Abbesses, I popped into Au Levain d'Antan, a boulangerie that got the top place in this year's best baguette competition, and bought a demi-baguette, still warm from the oven. Then I raced down the street and up seven flights of stairs to my garret, where I sliced open the bread, slathered it with good Échiré butter, cracked open a bottle of ice-cold Sancerre and consumed my snack while watching the setting sun cast shadows across the City of Light. Forget the past, the present, the future, my expectations and my memories - this was living, no matter where or when I was.

When at last the morning came to check out of the Eagle's Nest, I took one more look at the sunlit view and could see almost nowhere I hadn't set foot. No doubt secrets remained, but they would be revealed in time.

It was 11:30. The rental agency's rep would be downstairs, waiting for me to let her in. I patted my back pocket, heard the reassuring clink of my keys and walked into the hall, closing the door behind me. Then I froze. That clink was not keys but coins. I was locked out, just as my wife and I had been 13 years before.

This was only a minor emergency. The apartment's owner would be located in a few hours, the keys reproduced, my belongings recovered. But until then, there was nothing to do but walk out - as I'd done a hundred times before, as I hope to do a thousand times more - into the streets of Paris, with no clear idea of where I was going, or what I would do when I got there.

TIME AND AGAIN

While I discovered a lot of new places on this trip, there are several old favorites I wish I'd gotten back to.

OLD FAVORITES

Fondation Cartier,261, boulevard Raspail, 14th Arrondissement; (33-1) 42-18-56-50; fondation.cartier.com. There's always something thought-provoking at this contemporary art space, like "Mathematics: A Beautiful Elsewhere," opening Oct. 21.

Kulte,two locations; kulte.fr. This Marseille-based men's wear label strikes a nice balance between street style and formality, and at a fair price.

Le Bistrot du Peintre,116, avenue Ledru-Rollin, 11th; (33-1) 47-00-34-39; bistrotdupeintre.com. I've never eaten here, but it's my favorite building in Paris, with a stunning Art Nouveau interior that's perfect for afternoon coffee.

Librairie Ulysse,26 Rue-St.-Louis-en-l'Île, Fourth; (33-1) 43-25-17-35; www.ulysse.fr. A travel bookstore jammed with novels, histories, maps and photography.

NEW DISCOVERIES

Au Levain d'Antan,6, rue des Abbesses, 18th; (33-1) 42-64-97-83.

Auberge de la Reine Blanche,30, rue St.-Louis-en-l'Île, Fourth; (33-1)-46-33-07-87.

Les Amis de la Commune de Paris,46, rue des Cinq-Diamants, 13th; (33-1) 45-81-60-54; commune-paris.lu.

Les Frigos,19, rue des Frigos, 13th; les-frigos.com

Studios Paris,4, rue Androuet, 18th; (33-977) 219-888, paris-apartment-rent.com.

Action Christine,4, rue Christine, Sixth; (33-1) 43-25-85-78; actioncinemas.com. Tucked away down a St.-Germain alleyway, this tiny repertory cinema runs series devoted to, say, Humphrey Bogart or Hollywood westerns.

Prohibido,34, rue Durantin, 18th. In the early evening, the down-to-earth crowds at this Brazilian-ish bar overflow onto the street - a free-form party.