There is nothing quite like dining in cafés, bistros or brasseries in France. Arguably, the French have everyone else beat and every neighborhood in Paris has a plethora of choices. But even with the many choices, locals tend to gravitate to the same restaurants. One in particular, Variations, is fondly called our “cantine”.  This term is used if one tends to go to a favorite spot so often that it feels like your own kitchen.

As all parents know, watching children is work, so as you begin planning your trip to Paris this season with the kids, chances are high that you will want some much-deserved "grown-up" time. Luckily, Paris is a city that is more-than-ready to accommodate your needs. There are several routes you can take to finding a great babysitter--either for just a night of dinner and drinks or someone to aid you during the entire trip.

Cult cartoonist Robert Crumb is granted “fine art” status as the Museum of Modern Art in Paris hosts an in-depth retrospective of his work. Covering nearly fifty years of his life, every detail of the controversial artist's creative history is laid bare in all its agonisingly-obsessive glory.

In a quiet side street off rue Saint Dominique Catherine Reed is cooking delicious dishes influenced by her time at The Ritz! At Hôtel Daniel there's brunch, well it's not really brunch, or lunch, but a delicious combination of light snacks and pastries to set you up for a successful afternoon of shopping on the Champs Elysées.

There’s been an awful lot of flak over the publication of Bringing Up Bébé (by Pamela Druckerman), but is anyone reading it? Is anyone taking the opportunity to learn something about how we could improve our parenting skills by learning from the wisdom of the French?

The Camargue region is one of the most unique areas in France, a vast salt delta and marshland nestled in between the two arms of the Rhone River. The Gypsy Festival and pilgrimage to Saintes Maries de la Mer, in the Camargue region of Provence, has been formally taking place since 1448, though the date varies according to one's historical point of view, with some accounts as early as the 6th century.

The second round of the French Presidential Election took place last Sunday, May 6th. François Hollande, of the Socialist party, won the election with 51.63% of the vote to Sarkozy's 48.37%. Posters of the two candidates covered the city in the weeks leading up to the runoff...

Contrary to what one would think prior to entering the exhibition, the Masters of Disorder do not attempt to make chaos, but rather eliminate it, in order to return to an equilibrium state--by any means necessary. On display until July 29 at Musée du quai Branly, the exhibition displays numerous traditions practiced across the globe that depict the struggle between order and chaos. To protect against the misfortune and unhappiness that reveal the imperfections of the world, intercessors or shamans appear as negotiators who interact with ambivalent and dangerous forces. They are called the masters of chaos--and they certainly scared any bad "forces" (not to mention, appetite) out of this visitor!

If you live in France, you’re the first to admit the month of May is pretty much a non-month because of the four official holidays. Should that keep you from coming?  Absolutelly not. The weather is generally lovely and museums are open with the exception of May 1st. But, as is the case during August, there are so many other things to do and to see. And, let’s face it, you can only do so much in one day.

On your first or second visit to the City of Light, you may overlook the markets of all kinds that are a prominent feature of Paris. But at some point, when you have been to the top of the Tour Eiffel and the Arc de Triomphe, seen the Louvre and the Palais de Justice from the deck of a Bateau Mouche on the Seine, and subjected yourself to the musty attractions of the sewers and catacombs, markets will begin to appeal as a real and relevant aspect of everyday life in the capital city.

I have to admit, when I heard of a walking tour featuring street art in Paris, I was a bit skeptical. This is a city where every building, whether residential or commercial, not only has a distinct charm, but history as well. The thought of seeing the defacing of that, combined with flashbacks of my former city of New York covered in graffiti during the 1980's, definitely left me feeling uneasy. Living a short distance from the tour and embodied with a curious, if not masochistic, temperament, however, I decided to join one of Street Art Paris' Saturday morning outings...

Mama Shelter just launched in Marseille with funky design by Philippe Starck, menus by super-chef Alain Senderens. Christian Constant is proud of his latest award from the Ministry of Education. Eric Frechon publishes his secrets and, at Alain Ducasse Formation, learn that, when it comes to meal times, the French do it differently.

For the first time in my life, I had to set my alarm to get to a hamburger truck. It was a windy, rainy 10 am when I left my apartment to make sure I was in line by 10:30 am at Le Camion qui fume, Paris' first (and still only) food truck, which started service at Place de la Madeline at 11 am. Coming from New York, where there are so many food trucks that they now seem part of the pavement, I was interested to see why this concept has become so popular in the land of haute cuisine, and if the food was worth the wait.