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 […]
Remembering Olympe de Gouges, France’s First Revolutionary Feminist
Stories & Anecdotes
Voices from Drancy, one of France’s Most Important Holocaust Memorial Sites
In March of 2020, I made a short trip from Paris that was a long time coming. I boarded a train, then a bus, to […]
France’s Bastille Day Once Celebrated Constitutional Monarchy (& Other Curious Facts)
On July 14th, 2021, Paris will once again celebrate Bastille Day, or the Fête Nationale (National Holiday) with all the pomp, circumstance and vibrancy we’ve […]
An Elegant Paris Building– With a Dark History of Nazi Collaboration
On the Place des Petits Pères in central Paris, a sense of calm abounds these days. The Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church graces the square, and the […]
Paris, the Week Before Lockdown: Springtime Poetry & Rising Anxiety
I’m currently sitting in my kitchen and watching a jackdaw hop around in the back garden, while bees hum around a rosemary bush that’s recently […]
A Short History of Quarantines in Europe and France
The early spring of 2020 will no doubt take up some space in the history books. It marks a moment that was unprecedented in contemporary […]
Art on Water: Fluctuart, First Floating Urban Gallery, Opens in Paris
Opened in July 2019, Fluctuart is the world’s first floating “urban art center”. Docked at the foot of The Pont des Invalides on the left […]
Fluctuat Nec Mergitur: Why is it Paris’ Motto, and What Does it Mean?
If you follow Parisian cultural trends on a regular basis, you’ve probably seen locals reference the Latin expression “Fluctuat nec mergitur” as the city’s motto. […]
The Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris: 8 Reasons to Love It
More than a museum, it’s a cultural touchstone Few places in Paris carry the sort of sentimental weight that the Centre Georges Pompidou does for […]
Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris: Walking Paths & Famous Graves
Opened in 1824, Montparnasse Cemetery sits on a site that was once occupied by three farms, in what was then a rural, sleepy corner of […]
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 […]
Academie de la Grande Chaumière: The Paris Art Studio Favored by Modigliani, Miró and Lempicka
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 […]
Paris Airport Taxis: How to Use Them (& Avoid the Bad Ones)
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 […]
Medieval Paris: A Self-Guided Tour of 6 Intriguing Places
During the 19th century, the Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann gutted much of what had been medieval Paris– forging the iconic skyline and enormous, grandiose boulevards we […]
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 […]
The Oldest House in Paris Was Built by Famous “Alchemist” Nicolas Flamel
The modest medieval house located at 51, Rue de Montmorency in Paris is off-radar for most tourists. Yet for a niche set of visitors with […]
In Review: Farine & O, One of Paris’ Best New Bakeries
In France, there’s a strongly held belief that the most talented boulangers (bread bakers) are not generally equally gifted at producing top-notch pastries. Similarly, pâtissiers (pastry makers) tend to […]
Exploring Paris’ Belleville District: A Haven for Artists, Immigrants & Revolutionaries
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 […]
How I Became a French Citizen: Reflections On My Long Path to “La Citoyenneté”
In 2010, I became a French citizen after a long, painstaking decade of renewing visas and residency cards, struggling at times to make ends meet […]
These 5 Places in Paris Aren’t Usually Associated With African-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 important […]
