I started early, knowing that the stands pack it up and close up shop by about 1 pm. My original plan was to take a walk-through once and then go back to buy things, but I was meeting someone at noon and couldn’t take all the time I wanted in the end. So, I strolled through, stopping at [...]

The George V Four Seasons is well-known for its Michelin-starred restaurant Le Cinq. But for those of us who look for more affordable places to treat ourselves, La Galerie is the place to go. This elegant lounge is located along the windows facing the interior garden courtyard, between Le Bar and Le Cinq. That makes it [...]

Linda Donahue, Editor-in-Chief of ParisienSalon.com, recently asked me to fill out a questionnaire about some of the places I love in Paris. For an indecisive person such as myself (which I prefer to think of as open-minded, curious, and appreciative), making choices like this can be like deciding which of my children I’m leaving at [...]

This incredible show of black and white photographs, mostly from the 1940s and ’50s, is on until the 22nd of August. And unlike the Orsay and the Louvre, there are no crowds and the exhibit is the perfect size, enough to absorb without completely exhausting you.
If you don’t know Ronis by name, you will certainly [...]

Coming to Paris in July or August? High summer in the city is one long social whirl. There are a few unfortunate Parisians who find themselves spending July and August in the city, instead of disappearing to St. Barthélemy, Île de Ré or the Riviera like everyone else. Just imagine having to spend the entire summer [...]

Want to see Paris in a really special way? I recommend the ultimate in summer touring—via a Citroën Deux Chevaux, or 2CV. Engineered by Pierre-Jules Boulanger, and first produced in 1949 but last manufactured in the 1990s, these beloved cars are mythic. The enterprising company 4 Roues sous 1 parapluie (Four Wheels under an Umbrella) takes its [...]

The brasserie La Rotonde is one of our regular stops when we’re in Paris. It’s been around since 1910 and is known to have been frequented by famous painters like Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Federico Cantú, Henri Matisse and Tsuguharu Fujita (most of them depicted La Rotonde in their paintings) and writers/artists from the Lost [...]

In Paris, spring rainfall hovers around two inches per month. Should a shower derail your plans, it’s nice to have backup—especially one spot where you can spend all day. As long as it’s not a Tuesday, take my tip and head to the museum complex at Beaubourg, a.k.a. the Centre Pompidou. [...]

Neither of us had ever been to (or really heard of) Dieppe. It was chosen for its proximity to both Paris and the ocean. And, as a tourist destination, Dieppe doesn’t have all that much to offer. Like much of this part of the Normand coast, the town is known for it’s (failed) battle against [...]

Among many Parisians, Nice has a bad reputation. It’s boring, they say. A place for retirees. It’s the top vacation destination for the worst kinds of French tourists, like Les Bronzés. The English and American second-home buyers who live there don’t even try to speak French. The mafia runs the city. The locals are cliquish. Their [...]