• Image of Man taking selfie at Louvre Pyramid
    Let's Explore,  Neighborhoods

    Springtime Silence in Paris for 55 Days

    It is time to turn the page on Chapter 2020. Who would have guessed that one would feel a bit nostalgic for the Paris Springtime in 2020!? All of the ups and downs and changes during the Springtime in Paris lockdown from total confinement to mostly open for summer and back to partially open; having to differentiate between what is essential (food) and non-essential (books) and back to semi-partial of partial and curfews. Aiiieee!! A Nostalgic Period? One Parisian confinement period stands out among all the rest of 2020. Between March 15 and May 11, 2020 Paris went silent.

  • Cat in construction area at night
    Let's Explore,  Photography-Art

    Paris Evening, Walking in Black and White

    Paris has an aura when the lights dim on a moist evening. With a group of photographers on an evening shoot, the black and white theme had four criteria: reflection, near and far, silhouette and/or en marche (walking, movement). An image could have any or all of these criteria. We began at Place Igor-Stravinsky and walked through the first, second and third districts/arrondissements... click on the title to read more and see the images

  • facade view of Hôtel de Mayenne Rue de Rivoli and a Philippe Starck history marker
    History,  Let's Explore

    Paris History One Translate App Away

    The upside down paddles on the sidewalks around Paris are history markers of the city. The Philippe Starck-designed paddles are in French. When walking and not speaking French you can read them. Shocking? No. Simply install the Google Translate application on your smartphone. How to do it follows this short story. Background story The paddles first appeared in 1992, the year I moved to Paris. The city of Paris contracted with JCDecaux to install the “pelles Starck” to inform the strolling passer-by about a monument, an event, an historical moment, a theater, a passage, etc. Jacques Chirac, then mayor of Paris, initiated the project. For me the shape of the…

  • Le Meurice Restaurant scene looking at fireplace, Paris, Yannick Alléno, Chef des Cuisines
    Food, Drink & Health

    Le Meurice Is A Paris Dining Pleasure

    Lunch is a pleasurable experience at Le Meurice. It is not a stuffy place. The dining room atmosphere and the cordial staff prepare you for the moment when the first amuse-bouche arrives. One of the first things you are asked about dining with them is your allergy situation. Right away it is a hint of where you are going today. You are going to dine your way through a Japanese garden under French influence with those interested in your pleasure.