-
Spend the night in the Opera Garnier?
Glancing at the Arts in the City‘s newsletter, the headline “Reservez une nuit d’hôtel à l’ Opéra Garnier” (Reserve a night at the Opera Garnier) caught my eye. Mark your calendar and keep your computer open! Reservations open March 1 at 6 pm (CET-Paris). The first date to reserve is July 16. Sit down for the next piece of information: 37 Euros a night. The Opera National de Paris and Air BnB are collaborating for an extraordinary experience: a one-night stay in the Box of Honor. This loge (box) usually reserved for visiting dignitaries (without the bed, of course). Additional, fun information about the event “Guests will sleep in the largest opera box in the Palais Garnier – the Box of Honour – a…
-
Printemps and Galeries Lafayette Christmas 2022 Windows in Paris
Have you ever felt a bit of pressure to beat the clock? Looking at my photos, I found Boulevard Haussmann’s Printemps and Galeries Lafayette Christmas 2022 window, interior and sunset photos waiting for a story. As I write this, it is New Year’s Eve and 2023 is only hours away!! This year Printemps definitely won the Paris Christmas window display in the Colleen’s Paris opinion survey with their circus theme. Printemps also kept the wooden steps for the shorter members of society to see and enjoy the window displays. Galeries Lafayette did not keep the steps; maybe because of their theme: Planet Fir Tree (Planète sapin). All the trees were…
-
Notre-Dame de Paris: Oaks and Stone – the Latest News
The day after the fire, President Emmanuel Macron said that Notre-Dame de Paris would be repaired by 2024. That was the easy part. Where do you find trees at least 100-years old to replace Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's spire? Where do you find the stones to replace those from 760 year ago that were damaged by water and fire? Finding trees and stone is the easy part. The race against time is the hard part. The President and the committee in charge of the reconstruction have decided to restore the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral to its 1865 renovation. The oak trees for the spire (flêche) are located west of Paris in the…
-
A Rare Moment in Paris with Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry had just left the auditorium in a conversation with Jean-Louis Cohen at the Fondation Louis-Vuitton. After listening to his architectural journey as it relates to the "free and independent" architect Charlotte Perriand, I walked up to him. I thanked him for sharing his thoughts and for his unique design of this Fondation Louis Vuitton museum shaped like a boat, which is the symbol of Paris. He touched my arm and asked if I had seen the Charlotte Perriand exhibit, which had opened the day before.
-
Art of Graphic Novels at Arts et Métiers
Are you interested in futuristic graphic novels? machines? retro drawings? You may be interested in the graphic novel, “Paris Revoir”. A recent exhibition in Paris uses instruments, models, machines from the Musée des Arts et Métiers that illustrates Paris Revoir. If you are interested in architecture, you may have seen more of these drawings from the novel at the Paris Revoir exhibition in 2014 Cité de l’architecture et du Patrimoine. Videos Arts et Métiers video trailer: Drawing Machines Machines à dessiner Arts et Métiers long version video: Birth of a poster (Naissance d’un affiche) The Illustrator, François Schuiten and the writer, Benoît Peeters are the creators of “Obscure cities”, an…
-
Paris Art Déco with Walk My Steps
The design style of Art Déco is a hobby for some Paris visitors. This modern style was a focus for a Chicago couple one Saturday afternoon on a tour with Walk My Steps. Our guide, Andrea, introduced us to one neighborhood of Paris in the sixteenth arrondissement that traces the eclectic, ....