While art is in the open, much of the city skyline is under cover. The glamorous new face of Maxim's, on view in December, is a result of a project that involved tearing down a glassed-in terrace obscuring the restaurant's original oak facade. Reservations possible at FNAC stores. Through Dec. 3 at 120 Rue de Lyon. Berio's deliberately fragmented story line incorporates references to Homer, Joyce, Auden, Brecht and Melville.
Comic books get serious treatment in two lighthearted shows.
101 Bis Quai Branly, through Dec. 18. Sightseeing void the endless lines at the Eiffel Tower by combining sightseeing with lunch or dinner. Reservations at the child-friendly Altitude 95 restaurant on the first floor, open daily, permit diners to cut to the head of the line. Or take the elevator and a flight of stairs to the 11th-floor outdoor Panorama at the top of the Samaritaine Department Store. A 1920's enamel frieze makes landmarks easy to identify.