I think I’ve found out why Parisians let their dogs shit everywhere. I’ve noticed that it’s been improving since a new ad campaign showing a dog crapping next to a woman in a bath came out but the truth of it hit me when a fellow ex-pat espoused her theory. Owners think […]

Here’s a Smart car with a bunch of ‘em, in Montparnasse. (Oh, what a war zone it is waiting for a table at fine dining rush hour at La Coupole.)

Here’s the Smart’s tattooed sister (granny?) across the pond. 1964 Ford Fairlane 500, shot in Ft. Worth, Texas, September 2006.
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Evidence of Halloween is paltry today, not a ghoul or a goblin to be found. I don’t blame the French for not getting into the holiday – it makes no sense from their perspective.
Logistically, Halloween is a nightmare in Paris. School-sponsored events are out because the holiday falls during a mid-semester break. No […]

“Since everybody quit smoking, France has become as exciting as Switzerland!”

If you are not French I am sure you never heard of this guy. Here, he is pretty famous. He was born in 1841, did a lot of things during his life - he even lived in the States for a while which was not common at that time - and ended up playing an […]

The Economist had an interesting cover this month (at least, the European issue did) - I’d better slip in a disclaimer here, it’s not something I read, it just caught my eye amongst the naked breasts shown in the newspapers street vendors).
The discussion of money, taxes and France often comes up, mainly because everyone is […]

The great thing about Paris is, if you just walk somewhere, you’ll often run into somebody or something interesting. In this case, it was this sign that caught my eye (”Less than 18 years of age is forbidden, contains scenes of explicit sex”). I looked at the names of the filmmakers on the door…Larry Clark, […]

Last week I moto’d up to rue Lepic in Montmarte with my friend, photographer Danielle Voirin, to visit artist/gallerist Jeff Berner and his Café Dada. It was a beautiful night. Jeff was exhibiting Brooklyn artist Craig La Rotonda in an exhibition of Dada-inspired collages (left). Craig is an illustrator who fell into collage only recently. […]

Last month at the Carrefour at Auteuil, in the checkout lane for home delivery, in front of me was a tall, ruggedly handsome man, clearly just back from vacation. He was wearing Bermudas and topsiders, a polo shirt and a great tan. Tousled hair. I was doing my own “check out” by trying to determine […]

My first Paris play: Isabelle Huppert in Quartett, directed by Robert Wilson at the Odeon Theatre.
My friend Olivier generously invited me to the theater last night and what a stellar introduction it was with a performance by one of France’s greatest actresses at the most prestigious theater in Paris. Thanks to Olivier’s connections, we […]