Michael

There were 3 Michaels for 3 days in Paris (not a bad opening line for a children's book?). Osman, originally from PA, has been living in Paris for 20 years, initially an art history student and painter, now custom-tailored guide - particularly good with children.
His low-key approach and street-wise knowledge of Paris was perfect for us, anticipating our taste for unusual, interesting sites, as well as making museums accessible for the kids, especially Michael. He'd come over to our apartment in the morning, and we'd plot out the day and just start walking.

Michael Osman became quite energized when explaining artwork, cleverly weaving in key works with the history of Paris and exact places we'd visited.

An outdoor installment place at the Louvre.

Concorde was one of coolest metro stops, where the entire Declaration of the Rights of Man was TILED letter by letter, including the punctuation.
Michael loved the metro, where you got to turn the handle to open the door - tiny bit of manual labor surprisingly still at work. The tickets were mechanically collected auto-turnstiles.

Joel Robuchon, one of the first celebrity chefs, had a nearby restaurant, introducing casual dining, which meant a counter style like sushi bars.

Another chocolatier, Pierre Herme,

had a boutique of chocolates in lit glass cases! Apparently Herme has brought back the macaroon into mainstream popularity. Not my taste, but M & J ate their sandwich-style confection.

We ended the second day with visit to the famous merry-go-round at the Luxembourg Gardens. The carousel is a jousting exercise; children hold batons and aim for rings held by the operator.
We were surprised to learn that the carousel was invented to curb accidental deaths during jousting. My boys' delight links to a medieval mother's sorrow, who formally ended the dangerous practice, at least by one account.

Luxembourg featured a great swinging bar ride

and a bee farm.
The scene of the exterminator in Ratatouille was a REAL pest control store with actual dead rats!

Petrified animals was a recurring motif:

displayed in this taxidermy shop.

Berthillon had remarkable ice cream

The saint of Paris (St. Denis) beheaded for his faith.

The archway doors of Notre Dame:

I was particularly drawn to the wooden reliefs, illustrating New Testament accounts.

and the wrought iron work on the doors:
Lovers symbolize their bond by locks over the Seine:

Jack's favorite meal: crepe, often served with ice cream.