If you only have a few days to explore Paris or it’s your first trip to the capital, you may want to spend a few […]
What to See & Do Around the Louvre Museum & Tuileries Gardens?
Paris Culture
After the Fire: A Short History of Notre-Dame Cathedral’s Disasters & Rebirths
Like most people, I felt a lump rising in my throat when I saw images of Notre-Dame Cathedral lapped with flames and choked by smoke […]
The Palais Royal in Paris: A Haven From the Crowds
It may be just a few hundred feet away from the Louvre, the buzzing epicenter of tourism in the French capital. It may house a […]
Academie de la Grande Chaumière: The Paris Art Studio Favored by Modigliani, Miró and Lempicka
{Editor’s Note: In July 2025, the historic premises of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière closed its doors. There is a new location (at 2, […]
In Review: The Grand Pigalle Hotel in Paris
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 been […]
La Coupole, a Montparnasse Brasserie Haunted With Artistic History
Referring to the legendary Parisian brasserie on Boulevard de Montparnasse, French historian Georges Viaud once remarked: “If the tables [here] could talk, they would tell […]
Belleville Artists’ Open Studios: Get a Glimpse of Local Creation
Every year in late spring, over 200 artists working in Paris’ northeastern Belleville neighborhood open their studios for a few days to the general public– all for […]
Inside the 104 (Cent-Quatre), a Vibrant Art Hub in Paris
The 104 (Le Cent Quatre), a vast communal art center in Paris’ 19th arrondissement, isn’t really a place most tourists know about– which is one […]
The Weird, Winding History of French Macarons
The history of the French macaron is a strange and winding one, as I first discovered during a trip to the fortified French medieval town […]
How to Get From the Airport to Paris by Taxi (& Avoid Scams)
I still remember my first (and last) scam taxi ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport. I was returning home from a visit with family in […]
Paris Loves Vinyl: The Coveted Collectors’ Event Returns in January
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? […]
Inside Lapérouse, a Romantic Paris Restaurant With History Galore
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 […]
Why Paris’ Quirky Parc de la Villette is Worth a Visit
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 […]
Paris Book Fair (Festival du Livre): The 2023 Program
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 […]
Inside the Atelier des Lumières, Paris’ First (All)-Digital Art Museum
When I learned that an all-digital art museum and cultural space called the Atelier des Lumières would be opening its doors in Paris sometime in […]
Eating Europe’s “Hip Eats and Backstreets” Tour of Paris: Our Review
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” […]
Le Foodist: French Cooking Classes in Paris That Aren’t Intimidating
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 […]
Paris Out of Hand: A Review of the Surrealist Guidebook to the Capital
…& Some Thoughts on the Power of “Imaginary Cities”, in Print & in Dreams The subtitle of the handsomely bound, compact red volume should […]
Exploring Paris’ Belleville District: A Haven for Artists, Immigrants & Revolutionaries
I’m a former resident of Belleville, that fascinating, messy, chaotic neighborhood in northeastern Paris that’s too often maligned (at worst) or overlooked (at best). An […]
These Places in Paris Aren’t Usually Associated With Black American History. They Should Be.
“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 […]
