Musée d’Orsay – busiest times 
Musée d’Orsay – busiest times 
Cimietière Montparnasse: a favorite haunt in our neighborhood
Cimietière Montparnasse: a favorite haunt in our neighborhood
Paris plans to banish all but electric cars by 2030
Paris plans to banish all but electric cars by 2030
Gotta have: MAISONS BULLES
Gotta have: MAISONS BULLES
Love this flow chart on use of vous vs. tu (via Quora)
Love this flow chart on use of vous vs. tu (via Quora)
La Cigale Récamier soufflé restaurant is gone
La Cigale Récamier soufflé restaurant is gone
Culture, Understand France and the French

Good news/Bad news – no more smoking outside French cafés

September 23, 2010

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.

In the News

French expect Americans to come back to Paris

September 23, 2010

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.

Culture, Understand France and the French

What’s the deal with the Rentree this year?

September 1, 2010
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. Those with kids did indeed…read more
In the News, Understand France and the French

Current postage rates from France to the US?

August 27, 2010

Are these the current postage rates in France?

Standard first-class letters (20g or less) and postcards within France cost €0.56; to continental European countries (from Scandinavia to Portugal), Baltic states, Greece, and the British Isles €0.70; to other European or Eurasian countries (Iceland, Russia, etc.), Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand) €0.85.

Apartment - 39 rue de Vaugirard - short term rental, Apartment neighborhood, Architecture and Design, Tours and visites, Travel, Travel with Kids

Jardin du Luxumbourg named one of the 60 greatest places in the world

August 23, 2010
Image via Wikipedia I'm consistently awestruck every time we visit our 'Jardin.'  We're so lucky to have le Jardin du Luxumbourg as our backyard.   Even after more than a decade and a half of coming to this lovely city each year, I have always found this park and its gardens magical.  Lately, I've found myself reading more about the planning…read more
In the News, Movies, film, and photography

Movie Love for Paris, City of Klieg Lights – NYTimes.com

August 13, 2010

We will be in Paris next week. I can hardly stand the long times between being there, the place where I feel the most "at home." Well, at home, because it's all so familiar and doesn't change like everything here does. Through a viewfinder of any type, it still looks like the black and white images from the first Truffaut movies I saw 30 years ago.

Good article here from today's NYT on Paris in the movies. I don't have a 16mm, but may bring a big Nikon for once, now that I'm not carrying little kids in my arms half the day.

In the News

Bad news on apartment rentals

August 2, 2010

To the dismay of everyone in the travel industry other than hotel executives, Gov. David Paterson of New York has signed legislation outlawing the rental of apartments in New York -- which means primarily New York City -- for periods of less than 30 days.

This is very bad news for family tourists everywhere who've recently discovered the joys of renting an apartment for the week, rather than a hotel room. As parents of two small children, I wouldn't say that the availability of apartment rentals is the difference between going or not, but it is often the difference between having a good time versus a nightmare of four people crowded into an over-priced hotel. Not only do apartment rentals mean not paying for a lot of hotel amenities that go unused by families, they also provide a kitchen, which helps families stay away from hotel restaurants and the dreaded $10 glass of orange juice.

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