On a quiet side street in Montparnasse that seems worlds apart from the frenetic Boulevards and terraced cafes just feet away, there’s a typically Belle-Epoque […]
Situated in South Pigalle, a formerly seedy Parisian district that’s recently been colonized by hipsters, foodies and fashionistas, the Grand Pigalle Hotel has only […]
Referring to the legendary Parisian brasserie on Boulevard de Montparnasse, French historian Georges Viaud once remarked: “If the tables [here] could talk, they would […]
Every year in late spring (this year in October), over 200 artists working in Paris’ northeastern Belleville neighborhood open their studios for a few days to the […]
A fascinating and important branch in the Parisian culture scene, the 104 (Le Cent Quatre) is a vast communal art center in Paris’ remote 19th […]
On a recent trip to the fortified medieval town of Saint-Emilion, my partner and I stayed in a lovely B&B plunged in the middle of […]
I still remember my first bad taxi ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport. I was returning home from a visit with family in California, lugging […]
Do you routinely lament the poor sound quality of MP3s and other digital music formats, as your spouse or friends groan at your predictable rant? […]
First opened in 1766 as “La Maison Lapérouse”, this distinguished restaurant and bar situated smack on the banks of the Seine is a favorite spot for […]
One place in Paris where you aren’t likely to see as many tourists wandering around? The sprawling, quirky, modern complex in the far northeast known […]
One of the rare trade shows in the French capital to attract both the general public and professionals, the Festival du Livre/Paris Book Fair (formerly […]
Following the runaway success of the Klimt show at the Atelier des Lumières, the Jardin des Plantes in Paris is hosting its own light-centric exhibit […]
Ever since moving to the northeastern side of Paris, I’d been curious to give La Bellevilloise a try, having heard that it’s a closely-guarded […]
When I first heard that an all-digital art museum and cultural space called the Atelier des Lumières would be opening its doors in Paris sometime […]
I’ll start by saying this: If there’s any food tour that you should take on an empty stomach, it’s this one. The “Hip Eats and Backstreets” […]
I arrive at Le Foodist, located near the Sorbonne University, notebook in hand and ready to observe a day of traditional French cooking. But as […]
…& Some Thoughts on the Power of “Imaginary Cities”, in Print & in Dreams The subtitle of the handsomely bound, compact red volume should […]
I’m a former resident of Belleville, that fascinating, messy, somewhat chaotic neighborhood in a corner of northeastern Paris that’s so often maligned. One that many […]
“It’s a great city, Paris, a beautiful city––and––it was very good for me.”– James Baldwin, Another Country (1962) One of the most singular and important […]
Much ink has been spilled about French people having no “real”sense of humor– at least not beyond a strong penchant for biting political satire, à […]
