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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who:
Chet, his Dad and me – coming off a slightly long-ish and boring car ride to gay Paris from Germany.

What:
La Fête Foraine du Jardin des Tuileries is a bit of a Paris institution.  Each summer, between June and August, a small carnival is set up in the Jardin des Tuileries.  The main draw is its large ferris wheel that gives unparalleled views of incredible Parisian landmarks like the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Seine and, how could we forget, the Eiffel Tower.

But it also boasts a ton of other carnie classics like the fun house, around-the-world swing ride, carousel and log flume.  My friends that live in Paris describe said Fête as an “eyesore,” “utterly overpriced and ridiculous,” “a total tourist trap,” and, if you promise not to repeat it to anyone, “so much fun.”

Why:
This particular journey to Paris was to meet some friends.  Our itinerary had been somewhat set by them and included a lot of museums that probably aren’t high on the list of what kids like to do in Paris.  Our hotel was right around the corner from the Jardin and when Chet asked to go on the ferris wheel ride while we drove past, our guilt compelled us to get right on it.  I’ll admit maybe we were keen on heading up on the ferris wheel, too.  We’re uncultured like that.

The Low Point:
The cost.  As we left the Carnival in search of dinner, I casually asked my husband how much Euro he had left.  The answer?  Not much.  With rides priced at 2-6 Euro per person and no kiddie discounts, we believe we dropped at least 90 Euro for what amounted to 7 or 8 two-minute rides.  Whoever said fun ain’t cheap probably spent a few hours at the Fête.

The High Point:
I will openly admit it since I am not a sophisticated Parisian type – we had an absolute blast.  Really, it was just so much fun!  We were all kids again, laughing and trying every ride we could.  The serious high point was the Around-the-World swing ride.  I’ll admit that once I got Chet in his seat I worried a bit that he might freak out mid-air and perhaps plummet to his death.  I could already see the headlines.  But he held on tight – only taking one hand off to point out “Castle, Mommy!” as the Louvre came into view.  I don’t know who was smiling more during that ride – me or him.

The second high point was my husband almost being launched out of the log flume ride upon hitting the bottom of the flume.  (Note:  Chet was safely tucked into the log at all times.  His Dad was showing off).  But part of the fun of these kind of carnivals is the element of danger, right?

The Kid’s Take:
Chet was in heaven.  Not only were there lots of fun rides he could actually go on (the Fête’s ride policy goes by age not by size – which is pretty darn cool for a shortie like my kid) but there were GAMES.  GAMES THAT GAVE AWAY DISNEY PIXAR CARS PRIZES.  I’m honestly surprised that he allowed us to leave.  But maybe having the CARS paddle ball set helped smooth that transition.

The Bottom Line:
We were fleeced.  But we didn’t mind.  For the kids — and yourself, too, because who isn’t thrilled by a little cheesy Fun House ride — head on over to the Fête.  After all, who doesn’t have fun at a carnival?

August 9th, 2009 | by Kayt Sukel 1 comment