The Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière is significant for me not as the place where Princess Diana and Josephine Baker took their last breaths, but as the place where my son took his first. On that hot afternoon I walked around the gardens, head-giddy through lack of sleep and sheer excitement. Now I was linked to the ground [...]
There are now six eBay depôt vente (consignment) stores in Paris, called EncherExpert, where you can drop off your objects to sell without an appointment (Tues-Sat 11am-1:30pm & 3-7pm). If you have something too large to schlep over there, like a shelving unit, sofa, or old washing machine, they will even come and pick it up FOR FREE [...]
Can’t get a room where Oscar Wilde fought his famous last battle with the wallpaper? Why not just go for lunch at the restaurant of L’Hôtel, which gained a Michelin star in March 2008, is one of Paris’s foodie bargains and, I’ve been told, attracts famous regulars such as Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis (who, sadly, couldn’t [...]
We just returned from Spain and noticed this newsworthy item at the Orly Airport in Paris and thought it would be a sweet tidbit that might come in handy one day: There’s a Ladurée cart at the Paris Orly Airport, so macaron fanatics can grab their last minute fix on their way out of town – or [...]
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Sculptures of the Palais Royal association is presenting 31 sculptures by world renowned artists. Most of the provocative sculptures from the private collection Artists for Freedom are actual 3.3 X 4 ft. concrete slabs from the Berlin Wall and artists include Richard Long, [...]
I don’t normally recommend coming to Paris with money to exchange if you can help it, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. I’ve listed some exchange bureaus in the touristy areas of Paris (you can NOT exchange money in local banks), but their rates are pretty horrible. Yesterday someone I met had $2000 to exchange into euros. The official [...]
I am always on the prowl to find an undiscovered courtyard, a hidden garden, or intriguing passage. Last week I hit the jackpot at 75 rue Vieille du Temple. As a workman was painting a fresh coat of royal blue on the door of this 17th century hotel particulier that I have passed hundreds [...]
I first encountered Pauline Bordeaux about a year or so ago at the flea markets in Vanves. She was tucked in between two larger vendors and I heard her telling off another vendor about something or another. I have no idea what she was saying but I was struck by this tiny, maybe 4’7″, 70 [...]
APC is Paris style – so French you’ll think you’re in a Jean-Luc Godard movie. For the last 20 years, Jean Touitou has designed sober clothes for men and women with an edge of underground cool and has never yet put a foot wrong. He takes classic shapes: v-neck sweaters, straight-cut jeans, lumberjack shirts and does - well, [...]
According to the OECD, the French spend more time eating and sleeping than people from any other wealthy country. The eating part isn’t that surprising (although I thought the Spanish or Italians would be at the top), but as far as the sleeping – I’m clearly missing out on this aspect of living in France. [...]
