Seizing the forgotten places

"We seize forgotten places, places in transformation, places waiting for change or simply places that need to connect their audiences to create places of life, places of meeting and sharing for 6 months, 1 year, 3 years ... "  That's how Frédéric Lambert and Vincent Quenor describe their business, Paris Enchanté.

The "forgotten places" that they "seize" and transform tend to be large.  Last summer, Paris Enchanté opened Le Jardin Suspendu, a vast bar on top of a large parking garage by the Paris Expo grounds -- where many agricultural and other fairs and trade shows are held.

Grocery on the Rue Hameau that we passed when walking
to the Jardin Suspendu.

This edgy place is on the edge of the city, literally.  To find it, we walked through the old Vaugirard part of the 15th and kept going, beyond the Boulevard Lefebvre.  As we approached the Peripherique (highway that encircles Paris proper), I did not know what to expect.  Were we going to cross beneath or over the highway?

Then I saw that in that particular place in the Porte de Versailles area, where the Avenue Ernest Renan crosses the Peripherique, the highway is elevated and enclosed in glass!  We could barely hear the cars and trucks zooming by as we walked up to and crossed beneath that busy roadway.

Views from the top of the parking garage.

Then we turned right on the Rue d'Oradour sur Glane, where the north side of the street is in Paris and the south side is in the suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux.  The stone retaining wall of the Peripherique, to our right, was a beautifully vegetated wall.  That wall was not only beautiful, it also seemed to absorb traffic noise.

Vegetated wall along the Rue d'Oradour sur Glane, beneath the Peripherique highway.

A wide opening in the wall marked the entrance to a parking garage on the other side of the Peripherique.  We followed it beneath the highway, and in the entryway to the garage were two security guards (unarmed).  There was no pedestrian walkway, only the ramp for cars to go in and out of the garage.

We politely greeted one of the guards and asked if this was the entrance to Le Jardin Suspendu -- the Suspended Garden.  He said yes, and he explained that we'd walk up the ramp and through the garage to the elevator, but first he had to check my handbag.

Sling chairs (above), and food/beverage booths (below) in the Jardin Suspendu.

This happens almost everywhere that large numbers of people gather these days in Paris.  Always be ready to show guards the inside of your bags or knapsacks.

As we approached the elevator, we noticed rows of metal barriers indicating that sometimes there were long lines of people waiting here.  Another guard was stationed by the elevator, probably to control the number of people who used the elevator at a time.  But now, there were so few people around, he seemed to be bored.  The Garden opened at 4PM and it was only 5PM.  It would stay open until midnight or 1AM.  I'm guessing that the crowds come after dark.

The elevator guard nicely told us that we wanted to go to the 7th floor.  In the elevator, I noticed a sign explaining that to buy drinks or food in the Garden, we would need to first purchase a card at the cashier's desk.  A similar system is used for many popular bars in Paris now.  This way, you don't have cash being handled in a crowded, chaotic party situation.

Out on the roof, sling chairs and other casual seating was arranged around the periphery, and a food court of sorts was set up in the middle, with booths selling a variety of tapas and beverages. 

At each end of the vast rectangular space was a stage.  On one, three DJs were playing funky music, and the other was set up for showing movies or videos.

Wildflowers growing along the Petit Ceinture.

The decorations were ephemeral and fun.  Nothing looks permanent, because the Garden is only seasonal.  It also may exist for only a few years, only to be replaced by some other vast forgotten space that is to be discovered and transformed by Frédéric and Vincent.

If we were drinkers, we would have grabbed a couple of beers and lounged in sling chairs in the sun.  But we aren't; we are flaneurs.  So we walked around, took some photos, got the feel of the place, and then moved on after deciding that it was a good idea, this Suspended Garden.

Paris Enchanté opened Le Jardin Suspendu last summer.  This summer, their newest operation is Le Jardin Defendu, at La Defense, a business district just northwest of Paris.  Both of these places are basically summertime operations.  Paris Enchanté also operates La Grand Surface which is not open in the summer; it will reopen at the rentrée, this Fall.  La Grand Surface is in the 9th arrondissement, at 4 rue des Italiens.

A B&B for bugs on the Petite Ceinture.

Looking down on a street in the 15th arrondissement, from the Petite Ceinture.

We decided to walk along the Petite Ceinture (former railway, now a walkway) part of the way home.  This is another forgotten place that was seized, this one by the City of Paris, and transformed into an enchanting promenade. 

At Balard, we descended many steps from the elevated track to the street level and walked into the Parc André Citroen, where we enjoyed a snack and rested our weary feet in the pleasant Buvette du Parc.

Pesky sparrows in the éBuvette du Parc.

In the park, I consulted the fitness app on my phone and discovered that we'd walked way over our limit.  So we found a taxi stand near the Buvette, and we rode home where we flung open the French doors and had a picnic supper in the dining room:  succulent fresh cherries, terrine, cheese, whole wheat bread, strawberries, ham, gherkins, salad, etc.

More scenes from yesterday:

Looking from the Petite Ceinture toward Parc André Citroen, we could see the park's balloon rising.

This building just south of the city seems to have an extensive surface of movable solar panels.
We could see this from the Petite Ceinture.

Square Desnouettes Clos Feuquières (above and below) is a park that was once
a walled estate owned by the Marquis de Feuquières, in the old village of Vaugirard.  

Maison Park, an attractive restaurant at 10 rue Desnouettes, is highly rated.