The other day, a busy and rainy Sunday afternoon, as Gui and I were leaving McDonald’s to get on with the day, a young boy stopped me and asked me if I had a euro. We were still inside the McDonald’s when the boy approached me, and I had to ask him to repeat himself [...]
As one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Paris takes design very seriously. This attitude manifests itself in the boldness of its many architectural landmarks, as well as day-to-day things, such as the Métro or the ubiquitous newstands on the sidewalk. It’s easy to take for granted that someone, at some time, put [...]
Just next to Madonna in Paris is this adorable rendition of Einstein, carrying a sign, “Love is the answer.”
Velib bikes are fine and all but ever since trying out a bunch of different kinds of vélo électrique (electric bikes) at an expo a couple of years ago, I can’t go back to regular bikes. It’s not that I’m lazy (ok, maybe I’m lazy at times), it just seems like an obvious choice to have [...]
It snowed twice Wednesday and today as well in Paris: huge fluffy flakes that quickly coated everything in a blanket of white. An hour later, the sun shone and the snow melted. This afternoon, another flurry came down hard, only to vanish in an hour. That’s the thing about weather in Paris: not only is [...]
February is the best month ever in Paris. Why? Because I live on the beaten path of tourists in the center of the number one tourist destination in the world. In fact, the street I live on may as well be called BEATEN PATH and I guarantee if they opened a TGIF on it, it [...]
Despite overlooking Notre Dame, the Rue Maitre Albert sees little footfall from the tourist herds who prefer to trek up and down the Rue Saint Jacques or the Boulevard Saint Michel. They are missing little of apparent physical interest, but in mythogeographical terms, this small street is a goldmine!
What significance is there in a name? The [...]
The Champs-Elysées is generally known for the shops that are almost always open. The area between the Arc de Triomphe and the Rond Point (des Champs-Elysées et Marcel Dassault) is practically always buzzing with people. And then, normally, it gets a bit quiter. The part between Rond Point and Concorde is mainly green. No shops [...]
There has been much discussion recently about whether the Paris skyline should be allowed to creep upwards towards the height of other leading cities around the world. The current Mayor of the city, Bertrand Delanoë, is globally in favour so long as the new towers do not spoil exceptional views and are of sufficient architectural [...]
One night before I left Paris I was walking down the street and I ran into a small catastrophe. I think the contents of an entire recycling truck had been jettisoned into the street. Quite a site.
