I Prefer Paris

Isabelle Huppert and Robert Wilson at the Odeon Theatre

My first Paris play: Isabelle Huppert in “Quartett”, directed by Robert Wilson at the Odeon Theatre.

My friend Olivier generously invited me to the theater last night and what a stellar introduction it was with a performance by one of France’s greatest actresses at the most prestigious theater in Paris.

Officially titled the Odeon- Theatre of Europe, it was built in 1827 and was the first theater in France to present Shakespeare in English and introduced French audiences to Ibsen, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Stindberg. Its mission is “to foster joint work and projects by stage directors, actors, and writers for the purpose of presenting new original works and bringing life to the artistic heritage of Europe “. The theater, recently reopened after extensive renovations, is a beautiful formidable structure with creamy white columns outside, gorgeous sculptures and chandeliers in the lobby, and the theater itself a marvel of gold gilt and velvet.

Thanks to Olivier’s connections, we had perfect seats in a luxurious private box with red velvet chairs. Quartett is based on Les Liasons Dangereuses, a story I was familiar with, Thank god, so it made it easier for me to understand even when the French was flying out of the actors mouths at 100 mph. Isabelle Huppert as Merteuil, so deliciously played by Glenn Close in the 1988 film, was radiant in a deep purple one-shoulder column gown. I was enthralled by her performance and was pleasantly surprised by her strong stage presence, since I’ve seen many great film actors fall flat when they are on stage. The production was vintage Robert Wilson with stunning lighting, minimal sets, hypnotic movement, and innovative use of sound. The end scene with Isabelle Huppert lying still on the floor on a dark stage while the back wall slowly unfolded into a white screen, was spellbinding. 

Afterwards, we went to dinner nearby at Cremerie Restaurant Polidor, a wonderful old brasserie with tile floors, dark wood walls and long communal tables serving classic no-nonsense French food. I enjoyed pumpkin soup, beef bourguignon, and home baked lemon tart for only 20 Euros.

Thrilled by the play and satisfied by my hearty dinner, my passion for theater and food was well taken care of.

Quartett at the Odeon Theatre till December 2
http://www.theatre-odeon.fr/

Cremerie Restaurant Polidor
41 rue Monsieur Le Prince, 75006
01 43 26 95 34
Open everyday till 12:30 AM

Eye Prefer Paris Contest
I am starting a monthly feature that’s a short list of must see/must do things in Paris. I am looking for clever title for it and the lucky winner who comes up with the best one, will be credited on the blog and sent a DVD of my favorite American movie about Paris
Please submit your entries in the comment box below
Entries must be received before next Thursday, November 2nd
May the best Monsieur/Madame win!

Eye Prefer Paris Contest

Dear Treasured Readers,
Eye Prefer Paris is having its first contest.

I am starting a monthly feature that’s a short list of must see/must do things in Paris. I am looking for clever title for it and the lucky winner who comes up with the best one, will be credited on the blog and sent a DVD of my favorite American movie about Paris
Please submit your entries in the comment box below
Entries must be received before next Thursday, November 2nd
May the best Monsieur/Madame win!

Important Announcements
I have added a box called Franglo on the left sidebar. Franglo is a great classified site for all things Paris including  apartments, jobs, services, events, and more. Check it out: http://eyepreferparis.franglo.com/classifieds/index.php

There is now an Amazon.com box on the left side bar so that you can shop for books about Paris, CD’s with all your favorite French chanteurs & chantueses, and classic French films on DVD.

Le Marche des Enfants Rouges

Le Marche des Enfants Rouges is the oldest food market in Paris, built in 1615 under the rule of King Louis XIII. The name literally means “ Market of the Red Children” and in my research all I found was the name comes from a nearby 17th century orphanage where the children wore red uniforms. What that has to do with the price of cabbage, I don’t know, but the name has a mysterious, romantic air to it.

Located in the chic northern part of the Marais, Le Marche des Enfants Rouges is a compact indoor market with a small iron-gate entrance that’s easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it. I arrived in the late afternoon and was starving for lunch. The nice thing about the market is that many of the stands sell fresh prepared food that you can eat on tables with cheerful plastic tablecloths spread out through the market. The heavenly aroma from an Asian food stand seduced me and I chowed down on a delicious dish of Asian–style chicken nuggets with seaweed salad.

The market was quiet as I walked around and smelled the bouquets of vibrant flowers, marveled at the wide selection of obscure wines, admired the gorgeous bounty of organic pumpkins, tomatoes, cauliflower, and other richly colored fruits and vegetables, and savored the treasures of a stand with fresh pasta,
Italian olives and extra virgin olive oil. Some of the other stands had a great selection of fresh seafood, meat and charcuterie, and French & imported cheeses.

I was just about to start filling my basket so I could whip up a delicious dinner but darn!, I already had dinner reservations.

Le Marche des Enfants Rouges
39 rue de Bretagne
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:  8:30-1PM and 4PM-7: 30PM
Friday, Saturday- 8h30AM-1PM and 4PM-8PM
Sunday: 8:30AM–2PM
Metro: Filles- Calvaire or Temple

A Museum with a View: The Pompidou Center with Yves Klein and Benetton

I love taking Friday afternoons off, and yesterday I went to The Pompidou Center to see the Yves Klein retrospective and an exhibit sponsored by Benetton.Going there brought back fond memories of visiting The Brooklyn Museum for a treasure hunt every Friday afternoon when I was 12, where I would win a prize if I uncovered all the clues in the hunt.

The Fabrica: Les Yeux Ouverts exhibit is a showcase of multi -media images from the communication lab Fabrica started by Luciano Benetton and Oliviero Toscani in 1994. The lab has an international team that hand picks photography, graphic design and cinema submissions from young artists and encourages their creative output. Although the images were striking and the show cleverly curated, I felt something was missing that I couldn’t put my finger on.

Benetton Exhibit
Slightly disappointed by the Fabrica show, I went to the fifth floor to see the soothing Yves Klein show. As I was taking in the stunning cobalt blue paintings and sculptures, I was wonderfully distracted by the view out the window of Paris wrapped around a band of dramatic black clouds. The colors, patterns, light, and textures of the city were as affecting as the art on the walls. As an insider, I think the Pompidou has the best panoramic views of Paris. Bringing myself back to the show, I saw an amusing video where Yves Klein, elegantly dressed in a tuxedo smoking a cigarette, is directing a naked woman slathered in paint to roll around on a blank canvas, so that her body impressions create a painting. My other favorite things in he exhibition were the gold leaf paintings and the beautiful series of fire drawings. Afterwards I went to Café Beauborg for a coffee and enjoyed another favorite view: the outside of the Pompidou Center, a marvelous industrial sculpture of glass, metal, and white fluorescent lights.

Do you have a favorite view of Paris you want to tell us about? Click on the comment icon below and please share.
 

Pompidou Center View

Sunday in the Park with George, Almost:I’lle de la Grande Jette and Levallois

I spent Friday humming tunes from Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” while walking on I’lle de la Grande Jette, the setting for the musical and the “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette” painting by Georges Seurat.

My good friend Deborah and her family live in Levallois, a charming turn of the century village, minutes away from the center of Paris. She took me on a tour of her neighborhood Friday afternoon, showing me another part of Paris I’ve never seen.

Every arrondissement in Paris has it’s own Hotel de Ville (City Hall) and the Levallois one in the center of town is one of the most beautiful. A spectacular example of 19th century French architecture, the white stone building with window boxes dripping abundant foliage and the impeccably planted flower gardens were a knockout.


Hotel De Ville

With a balmy breeze and gray skies threatening rain, we walked across a high bridge over the Seine to a small island. Once I realized it was La Grande Jette, the score from “Sunday in the Park with George” flashed into my head and right out of my lips. Although there was a lovely park, disappointingly, it didn’t resemble the painting in anyway but I let my imagination work overtime to create it. Singing the tunes all the way back to the house, we settled in and Deborah whipped up a delicious dinner of grilled tuna and Asian coleslaw.

Just another day of spending quality time with a friend exploring Paris, being inspired by great music and history, and sharing a yummy meal with people I love to be with. I have a tough job, but someone has to do it.
 

Levallois Cityscape

Absolut Bling-bling

Absolut vodka had a major invitation-only launch party for new limited-edition vodka called Bling-bling on Wednesday night. The launch was at La Bellevilloise, a sprawling 20,000 sq. foot multi-use space with large open loft spaces for openings, parties, and exhibitions. Located on a remote street in Menilmontant, a cool, fringe neighborhood in the 20th, La Bellevilloise was founded in 1877 and was the cultural and artistic think tank of its day.

I arrived at the event with friends at 10:30PM, wearing silver Puma sneakers, and an outrageous sized silver watch dripping with rhinestones: Just enough to say bling without overkill. Talk about an entrance, there were two vintage Rolls Royce’s parked in front and the outside entry vestibule had a long black carpet strewn with gold flecks. Inside there were party spaces on 3 levels: the main floor reception area with hanging big white fake-fur globes, the dark cavernous dance floor downstairs, and a mood lit lounge upstairs with areas separated by sheer white billowing curtains.

Entrance Paved with Gold

My Watch-Pure Bling!

The A-list Paris hipster crowd consisted of gay young dressed-down hotties, well heeled/well dressed men & women in their 30’s and 40’s, and a flurry of festive drag queens and trannies. By midnight the lively party had swelled to about 2,000 swingers, swilling down smart vodka cocktails and dancing away to 80’s disco music.

As much fun as I was having, I left at 1AM only because the smoke was so dense I practically needed an eye transplant. I missed a performance by rap singer Uffie, and was told the crowd had lingered till 6AM and the bar poured over 1,000 bottles of vodka. The next day must have been the world’s largest communal hangover- I could have made a fortune delivering 2,000 Bloody Marys.


The Paris In-Crowd

Younger than Blingtime
 

George Michael 25 Live Tour:George,You Sexy Thing

Click Links Below for Video Clips
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Vincent and I arrived at The George Michael 25 Live concert at Bercy last night, only to find we were in a classic “I Love Lucy” mishap: Our great, top-price seats were for Monday instead of Tuesday. Reeling with anger and disappointment, we scrambled to find a cash machine so we could buy scalper tickets. We lucked out and got two standing floor room tickets for 50 Euros, half the price they were marked.

As my fallen arches stood for the two-hour plus concert, one word kept coming to mind: sexy, sexy, sexy. His smooth but not-too-croony voice wafted over me with sexiness, whether he was singing a shake-your-hips dance track or a poignant ballad. He’s skilled at seamlessly going from rock to pop to dance music. Dressed in all black, sporting tinted sunglasses and stubble, the look matched his sexy voice.

Some of the highlights were the moving rendition of Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, a guitar-rocking “Faith”, and a rousing “Father Figure”. He also successfully pulled off two Wham! songs without making them sound dated.

The simple set with three video screens, the middle one showing colorful geometric images and the other two televising the show, made the concert about the music, not special effects. Pitch perfect sound made his voice crystal clear and not overpowered by the music, as with so many recent concerts I’ve been to. It’s the rare performer who can create intimacy in a cavernous stadium with 15,000 people and George Michael did it with flying colors.
 

Paris Fashion Week: Chloe, Galeries Lafayette, Kevin Costner & Kate Bosworth

Chloe Show

My Paris fashion week/spring 2007 included Chloe, Galeries Lafayette, Kevin Costner, and Kate Bosworth, and was a strange combination of an in-store fashion show and a top runway show

Galeries Lafayette hosts an in-store fashion show once a week and last Tuesday I checked it out. I schlepped up to the 8th floor to a hidden away, airless room with 6-foot ceilings, cheesy klieg lights, and tinny music, where I experienced the lowest rung of runway shows. The front row, where the likes of Anna Wintour and the editors of Elle, Marie-Claire, and Harpers Bazaar usually sit, was replaced with a group of giggling 14-year-old Asian girls in blue uniforms on a school trip. As the amateur looking models walked the catwalk that was 3 inches high, they were grouped into categories called Rockabilly, Soft Lady, Winter in White, and Paris Chic with an annoying woman cooing the names into a microphone. The beautiful, well-designed clothes by Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabanna, Kenzo, and Lacroix were marred by the cheap looking shoes and accessories.

Best Dressed

After the Galeries Lafayette debacle, I saved face by being invited to the Chloe show on Saturday afternoon. It was a magnificent, crisp autumn day and the entrance to the tent in the Tuileries was where the action was. Anybody who was anyone in fashion or not, was there: top magazine editors, buyers, fashion groupies, fashion celebrities (Kate Bosworth) and celebrities with no connection to fashion (Kevin Costner). To me the most fun part of a fashion show is the people watching/ what people are wearing aspect and the crowd was rich with photo ops. Once inside the dark cavernous tent, the 3PM show started right on fashion time at 3:45PM. The clothes were flirty and feminine and the short dresses in fun geometric prints stood out.

After the show I continued having fun photographing the best & worst dressed people from the fashion parade entering and leaving the Tuileries.

Worst Dressed

 

Viaduc des Arts/Promenade Plantee

Next to the Opera Bastille is the entrance to the Promenade Plantee.The Promenade Plantee is the Paris version of the proposed High Line project in New York city: It is a 2.8 mile unused elevated railroad track that was recently transformed to a planted garden walkway and park.

A visiting friend from San Francisco invited me to join him on a walk through the park on Monday afternoon. Sometimes it takes a visitor to make you move your butt to see things in your own city. It was a cool, rainy afternoon and the even gray light was perfect for photo taking. As we walked along the prettily planted park lined with common urban plantings of ferns, bamboo, and wild roses, what interested me more was the unique, elevated prospective of the city I was seeing. Being able to see up close the details of the turrets, domes, and statues adorning the Haussmann and deco buildings was thrilling, and my camera snapped away.Some of the other highlights of the garden are the long, rectangular blue green ponds surrounded by low sage colored bushes, and the tiered walls with cascading plants.

After our refreshing stroll, we headed downstairs to the Viaduc des Arts to warm ourselves with a coffee. The Viaduc des Arts is the structure below the Promenade Plantee, which is a series of large, dramatic, brick archways housing a series of design& craft shops and cafes. I was disappointed that most of the shops were closed because they looked like they had things that I have not seen anywhere else in Paris.

I now have a new shopping and park destination to further show off my insider’s knowledge of Paris.


Promenade Plantee- Entrance stairway on rue de Lyon- right behind Opera Bastille-Metro: Bastille

Viaduc des Arts- Ave Daumensil- Metro: Gare de Lyon or Ledru Rollin