EDITOR’S NOTE: This feature was originally published on Medium in 2020, and the interviews with survivors were also conducted that year. I have decided to […]
Voices From Drancy: Interviews With Two Holocaust Survivors Detained in French Camp
History of Paris
Exploring the Galerie Vivienne, One of Paris’ Emblematic Covered Passageways
Built in 1823, the Galerie Vivienne is an outstanding example of Paris’ 19th-century arcades, or covered passageways. Situated in close reach of the Palais-Royal and […]
Review: “From Rock Star to Killer”, a Netflix Series That Revisits a Shocking Domestic Violence Case
{Warning: This post includes graphic descriptions of domestic violence and discusses a case of suicide.} In the summer of 2003, I was an intern reporter […]
Ada “Bricktop” Smith, a Center of Gravity in Paris’ 1920s Jazz Scene
It was during some routine research on the history of Montmartre’s jazz scene that I came across a figure I’d been woefully ignorant of: Ada […]
Notre-Dame Cathedral Re-Opening: Renovations, Repairs & What’s Changed
In April 2019, Notre-Dame Cathedral was badly damaged in a devastating fire. Ever since the flames and smoke subsided, a five-year race began to repair […]
Le Grand Guignol: A Parisian Theatre That Helped Birth the Horror Genre
At the end of a narrow, dead-end street in the formerly-seedy South Pigalle, a bright yellow facade catches your eye, its interiors now occupied by […]
A Few Key Facts About Lee Miller (That the Film “Lee” Won’t Likely Teach You)
Lee Miller was one of the most important photojournalists to have documented the horror and inhumanity of Nazi death camps. But there’s far more to […]
Go Back in Time at These Historic Paris Restaurants
Most of the time, dining out is about the food, with ambience coming a distant second. But in a place like Paris, rich with hundreds […]
Will the Bièvre, Paris’ Underground River, Soon Be Visible Again?
The Bièvre river, a tributary of the Seine that has long been buried under concrete where it flows through Paris, is finally poised to see the […]
Weird Paris: A Forgotten Royalist Monument and Revolutionary Burial Site
Chapelle expiatoire in Paris- Image by Courtney Traub/All rights reserved […]
Seine River Facts & Key Moments in History
With a history spanning thousands of years, the Seine River flows through Paris as a concrete reminder that change is the only constant– even in […]
The French Revolutionary Calendar: An Odd Relic From the 1790s
One thing we take for granted, especially in the industrial era, is the keeping of time– and a stable, standardized way to measure its passage. […]
What Was the Paris Commune (and Why Should We Care?)
One major insurrection (or, some would argue, failed revolution) that is both poorly understood outside of France and obscured by cliché and caricature is the […]
Olympe de Gouges, France’s Revolutionary Feminist (Biography)
Despite holding a significant place in the annals of French revolutionary history, Olympe de Gouges is hardly a household name. Many will easily recognize figures […]
The Interview: Pastry Maestro & Cookbook Author David Lebovitz
It’s been years since I started following the writing and recipes of David Lebovitz, a pastry chef and bestselling author of cookbooks and memoirs such […]
Looking for Roman Paris: Ancient Ruins From Lutetia
Hoping to see significant Roman ruins in Paris on your next trip? Probably not. Unlike Pompeii, Lyon (the former capital of Roman Gaul, once called […]
Curious History of the Croissant (& Is it Really French?)
There’s something mysterious– maybe even alchemical— about the qualities that have to come together to yield the “ideal” croissant. To make the cut, it should […]
Champs-Elysées “Garden” Project Approved Amid Wider Greening Plans for Paris
It’s a sprawling Avenue famous not only for its expensive sidewalk brasseries and high-end shops, but also for its headache-inducing traffic, noise and air pollution. […]
8 American Women Who Moved to Paris– & Made History
Many people interested in American contributions to Parisian art or literary history beeline to the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz, but couldn’t tell you where […]
History of the Paris Catacombs (& How to Visit Them)
Few places in the French capital inspire the kind of morbid fascination than the Paris Catacombs do– and that’s little surprise. The relatively short stretch […]
