BonjourParis

In one of the most romantic cities in the world, there are bound to be a ton of charming cinemas. However, the problem of rifling through the phone book to figure out which silver screen is ideal for a unique date night can be solved right here. Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 August 2008 )

How many streets in the city you live are named after writers? In Paris: more than 400. David Burke seems to have walked them all. And that's just for starters. He also seems to have read all the books by those writers, cross-referenced their friendships, and then figured out a clever way to summarize his knowledge in a modest 240 pages, with 125 photos along the way.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 July 2008 )

The other day I wandered up to San Francisco’s Union Square, and into Neiman Marcus department store, which opened in 1982. In the front of the store is a fabulous rotunda which came from another store in town, which was called The City of Paris. The store had belonged to the Verdier family originally of Nimes, France. Two brothers were the first to come, in May of 1850, bringing with them all kinds of finery that the French community might need, especially since the Gold Rush was on. There has been a French community here since 1831, which was very involved in development of the city…not just for themselves but the whole community. Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 July 2008 )

My first glimpses of Paris through the window of the RER B metro probably seemed more poetic than they should have been because I was serenaded by a tango on the accordion. While everyone else looked away with stony faces when the man walked by with his change cup in hand, I happily gave the traveling musician some money, because he single-handedly made my first Parisian metro ride ten times better through his music, and that particular tango will forever have a place in my imaginary soundtrack of life in Paris. Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )

Up out of the Métro at Javel-André Citroën and I am bemused. Who but the Parisians would name a subway stop for both the neighborhood where household bleach was invented and the celebrated inventor of the double helical gear? The tiles along the platform are no whiter than any tiles in other Métro stations, and any homage to gears or cars is too subtle for me to notice. Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 July 2008 )

The title of the book says it, really: Writers in Paris …writers and Paris -- two of my grand passions combined. I've always loved reading, since I was a little kid, and my fascination with Paris -- what I read about it, what I heard about it -- began long before I ever went there. Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 June 2008 )

Paris inspires the urge to be artsy even in those who have even the smallest modicum of creativity. How can it not, with the ornate, grandiose architecture of every monument rising against the horizon; the spirit of artistic giants like Renoir, Van Gogh, and Degas occupying the narrow, winding streets of Montmartre; original works of local artists in the Place de Tertre; the numerous museums filled with the work of masters, porteurs of French fashion fiercely walking down the Champs Elysées; and postcards of finely drawn Parisian cityscape hanging on every souvenir stand? Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 June 2008 )

On the Fourth of July 2008 weekend, Paris will join London, Prague and Madrid in the tradition of holding an annual culinary festival. Called Gastronomy by the Seine, this historic first annual international gourmet festival is designed for food, wine and luxury hospitality professionals. The event celebrates culinary traditions, regional specialties, seasonality and the evolution of flavors and tastes, as well as skilled crafts in table art (such as fine cutlery and crystal) and culinary equipment. Gourmet literature in the form of cookbooks, culinary guides, magazines, and epicurean memoirs will also be featured. The theme of the event is “Innovation, Creativity and Haute Cuisine for All”. Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 June 2008 )

The French are innately chic (darn them). Although we may not be as subtly cool as they are, we can come close by shopping where they shop. Here are the best districts in Paris where shops are abundant and the goods of your dreams are on overflow. Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 June 2008 )