Archive for September, 2010
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Good news/Bad news – no more smoking outside French cafés
Well, no more heaters that allow folks to sit outside and smoke. Paris is moving to ban outdoor heaters at sidewalk cafés.
I’ve heard more and more that these propane heaters are the single worst thing many homes have in the way of polluting devices. Still, I guess like wood-burning fireplaces, it’s sad to see them go.
France long held out against the smoking bans being enacted worldwide in public places, but finally caved in three years ago. But while the inside of Left Bank cafés has been less foggy, the café-clope (coffee and cigarette) culture of the city has continued to thrive by simply spilling into the streets, thanks to the gas heater.
No Comments » - Posted in Culture,Understand France and the French by Paul
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
French expect Americans to come back to Paris
MSNBC reports that last year, American tourism was down 40% versus a decade ago. Worse, the Paris tourism office says 2009 traffic was down another 3.4% versus the prior year.
Surprisingly, while we only read of a double-dip recession, French tourism officials expect that Americans will be coming back “as the the U.S. economy improves. I have no doubt they are correct, but I don’t thing that will mean in 2011.
No Comments » - Posted in In the News by Paul
Monday, September 6th, 2010
Le flaneur des deux rives
I came upon Le flaneur des deux rives, a charming bookstore near Boulevard St. Michel and Rue de Vaugirard. Beautiful lithographs and hard to find books line the window. How lovely to see a line out of Guillame Apollinaire’s book as a name of a book store…
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment - 39 rue de Vaugirard - short term rental,Books,Culture,General,Un peu différent by Jasmine
Sunday, September 5th, 2010
Restaurant l’Agrume, a real gem
Our friend Juliette and Sean, my husband and I had a perfect, end of summer meal at a gem of a find, Restaurant l’Agrume. The menu degustation, at 37 Euros is a bargain, considering that it is like two full meals. The sweet host warned us that the menu consisted of small portions. Perhaps it [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Food,Restaurants by Jasmine
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
What’s the deal with the Rentree this year?
Paris has been deserted until today, the last day before school officially starts. In other years, we noticed an increasing activity each day leading up to school day. This year though, things are different. Several hypotheses: 1. Many people without kids still have this week off and are Still lazing on the beach somewhere. 2. [...]
