I Prefer Paris

Best of EPP:Geranium Boxes in the 16th Arr.

I'm taking a blogging siesta for a few weeks and posting some of my favorite and your favorite former posts. Enjoy, and will have all new posts starting again on Monday, April 14.

I have a thing for Parisian geranium boxes.

I was in the upscale 16th Arr. the other day, which was like a ghost town because all the residents are on vacances. It was a great opportunity to roam the streets and take photos of the La Belle Époque style apartment buildings, rich with ornate architectural details. The terraces of the buildings flowed with an over abundance of the purest white, the rosiest pink, and cartoon red geraniums. The dates of when the buildings were built, between the 1890’s and the early 1900’s, are subtly etched on the façade. Most of the photos were taken on Ave. Victor Hugo and its side streets, between Place Victor Hugo and the Arc de Triomphe.



Some great examples of the period iron work

Maison Prunier at 16 ave. Victor Hugo, is one of the top seafood and caviar restaurants in Paris with Art Deco mosaics dating from the 1930's.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

 

Exceptions Gourmands

As you know I have a major thing for sweets and chocolate but lately my intake of my favorite food group has been drastically curtailed by strict doctor’s orders. A visit to my favorite chocolate shop Vannier and top patisserie Gerard Mulot are mandatory stops on my Marais tours and clients generously offer to buy me chocolate and a pastry. Not wanting to insult them by refusing, I always happily indulge them. This was great until January, when I found out my sugar count was off the Richter scale and my doctor said no more sugar for you for a while buddy, or else you will be a diabetic in two years. Ouch, that put a dent in my sweet tooth.

My craving for sweets has only increased since my doctor’s decreed and finding new places for them still piques my curiosity. I recently discovered a sweet little sweet shop right across the street from me, Exceptions Gourmands, on the charming place St. Catherine.

The tiny shop specializes in only a few things, but boy do they get them right. A new line of sophisticated nut spreads inspired by Nutella is made with cashews, almond, hazelnuts and exotic black sesame seeds. Big slabs of traditional nougat candy in chocolate and Montelimar white are hand cut to your specifications, although if I could, I would buy the whole slab. Macarons were excellent and the caramel flavor was exceptional. (I had a few TINY samples. Please don’t squeal on me to my doctor). Wood skewers with marshmallows covered in toasted coconut looked awfully yummy and summer promises a line of homemade gelato.

White washed stone walls, a clever ceiling fixture of a steel pot with lights growing out of it, and brick colored hexagonal floor tiles make a perfect backdrop to show off the simply packaged products. Florence, a smiley and cheerful salesperson, explained to me all about the different creations which made it even harder to resist having a taste of each. Luckily or maybe unluckily, I narrowly escaped with only a taste of the macarons.

4 Place du Marché Sainte Catherine, 4e
Metro:St. Paul
Open Monday to Saturday,11AM-1PM,2PM –7PM
Sunday 1PM-7PM
01.42.77.16.50

Lovely Florence-Please stop offering me samples

Note:I want to thank my friend and fellow Paris blogger Kim Poulin, for writing such a glowing and thoughtful review of my tours and blog last week on The Paris Traveler.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Paris Street Scenes

Place de Andre Malraux is a square bordered by rue St. Honoré, Avenue de l’Opera, and Place Colette with the loveliest fountain. It was a spring-like day and I couldn’t resist splashing my face with the cool water and of course taking some photos.

Andre Malraux, was statesman, writer, and the first Ministry of culture under Charles DeGaulle in the 1960’s. I researched the history of the square but couldn't find anything. If anyone knows anything about it, please let me know in the comments section.

Below is a magnificent shot of a sunset on the Place Madeleine right after a rainstorm.

NEWSFLASH: Paris from NYC in Spring, from $239
NEW YORK--MARCH 20, 2008-- For travel between March 25 and
May 15, Air France has reduced fares from New York to
Paris as low as $288 each way. This
sale must be booked by March 26.

The fare below is listed on Air France's Web site. But,
when we test-booked this deal, we often found prices that
are $30-$40 less in early April than what is listed below.

Sample fare
- New York-Paris ... $288

The sale fare includes fuel surcharges. Additional taxes
will be added in the final price.

For full details and to book this offer through Air
France's Web site, click here:
http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.asp?384289

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Restaurant Review: Floors

Le Floors Bar and Grill by Pamela Grant

Finding a good American-style hamburger in Paris can be challenge. But a trip to the hip new restaurant LE FLOORS just might be the ticket.

Don’t let the down-at-heel neighborhood, Montrouge deter you. Comments on the district from friends who joined me that evening ran from “Is this area a war zone?” to “Looks like little Africa to me.”

Located at the base of the eastern slope of Montmartre, the neighborhood is poised for gentrification. And a good source of sustenance in this area is this small multi-leveled (hence the name “Le Floors”) restaurant.

Cuisine at this spot is all about the burger: from vegetarian to chicken, duck, fish, and a wonderful all-beef patty. The choice was difficult so we decided to tarry over a guacamole.
The creamy rich green dip was abundant for three people. It was tasty but lacked a little spice. Unlike the starter, the mains had more zing.

Presentation offers a feast for the eyes. The generously-sized burgers are layered so high, it’s hard to get your mouth around all the goodies on the inside of the bun. All are accompanied with a thick hunk of tomato, red onion, and lettuce. My veggie burger had additional layers of Portobello mushroom and tapenade, with an original mix of Middle Eastern flavors. Each dish is paired with two tear-drop side dishes of either cole slaw or beets, which are creamy and spicy. Slender “allumette” fries are on offer as well. The beef patty is excellent and, for a small fee, you can make a cheeseburger with camembert or blue cheese, giving it the inimitable French flair.

“Le Floors” has a definite fifties retro diner feel without being too kitsch. Simple wooden tables and rounded metal armchairs are cozy, and each table is equipped with a ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise dispenser.

My meal was cheerfully washed down with a hearty red Chilean wine. By 8:30 p.m. the place was packed with the 20 to 30-something crowd. The Elvis Presley and Ricki Lee Jones songs were difficult to hear, as was our conversation, but the Franco-American ambiance was fun.

For dessert, the New York cheesecake is a highlight, proudly declared to be made on the premises, graham cracker crust and all.

Prices average about 20 to 25 euros per person, dessert and wine included. For the sophisticated French burger, Floors is worth a detour.

100, rue Myrha,18th arr.
Tel : 01 42 62 08 08
Metro: Chateau Rouge, 4 line
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00 pm to 2:00 am

NEWSFLASH: Paris from NYC in Spring, from $239
NEW YORK--MARCH 20, 2008-- For travel between March 25 and
May 15, Air France has reduced fares from New York to
Paris as low as $288 each way. This
sale must be booked by March 26.

The fare below is listed on Air France's Web site. But,
when we test-booked this deal, we often found prices that
are $30-$40 less in early April than what is listed below.

Sample fare
- New York-Paris ... $288

The sale fare includes fuel surcharges. Additional taxes
will be added in the final price.

For full details and to book this offer through Air
France's Web site, click here:
http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.asp?384289

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Fafi Girls on rue St. Honoré

Walking on St. Honoré last week near rue de Julliet 29, I found these fun window displays.

The top photo and the ones below are from the MAC cosmetics shop. The illustrations are of Fafinettes or Fafi girls, a series of outrageous, colorful girls by the artist French artist Fafi.

Chantal Thomass lingerie shop

Kermit with his skateboard at Colette

NEWSFLASH: Paris from NYC in Spring, from $239
NEW YORK--MARCH 20, 2008-- For travel between March 25 and
May 15, Air France has reduced fares from New York to
Paris as low as $288 each way. This
sale must be booked by March 26.

The fare below is listed on Air France's Web site. But,
when we test-booked this deal, we often found prices that
are $30-$40 less in early April than what is listed below.

Sample fare
- New York-Paris ... $288

The sale fare includes fuel surcharges. Additional taxes
will be added in the final price.

For full details and to book this offer through Air
France's Web site, click here:
http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.asp?384289

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Hoppy Easter!

Here are some shop windows and displays filled with Easter goodies like bunnies, chicks, and hens in chocolate, marzipan, and even a giant egg made of colored macaroons.

Hope you have an egg-citing Easter holiday or joyeuses Paques as they say in French.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Parisian of the Month: Susan Shup

I am happy to announce a new monthly feature:The Parisian of the Month. Every month I will do a story or an interview about a Parisian, from an artist to a hotel concierge to celebrities, even my local shopkeepers. For people who moved here from other places, I will ask what the draw was to live in this magical city and for natives, I will find out what makes Paris so special for them.

My first Parisian of the month is painter and video performance artist, Susan Shup, an American who moved to Paris for love with her Belgian husband Claude from Cambridge, Mass. in 1982.

Visiting Susan at the SHUPSHOP, her atelier in the Marais, is like paying a visit to Mr. Rogers, in the sense that she is warm and friendly and you never know what fun surprises her “shop” has in store for you.

I had to go through two massive wood doors that enter into a courtyard and up some narrow, crooked stairs to get to her 17th century atelier. On the walls and the floor are large paintings of beautiful, feminine women wearing fashionable outfits or with funny phrases and words written all over them, and immediately I am ensconced in Susan’s world. Obviously Susan’s work is influenced by fashion and she tells me that when she first moved here she adored Paris fashion and her work is inspired by it till this day. This inspiration led her to create paintings that are figurative but also use language to address how our society is so strongly by judged by fashion and appearances.


Among her many video projects, her series Living with Art investigates the art world with humor in a fake TV documentary format. Another video, The Dressing Room, has Susan as a virtual salesperson in a dressing room who compliments customers in a blatant attempt to hard sell her art.

Susan made a hit CD called “You are Great” in the early 90s, a sound piece to cheer Parisians up during a time when Paris was in the creative doldrums and it was sold at Colette.

Recently, Susan was hired as a consultant to create the visual identity for a new hair salon on the tony rue Poitou in the Marais. The colorful free form pop illustrations of women that adorn the walls of the Rachel Benaich salon are a standout against the bubblegum pink floors. Since she loves fashion, it was only natural to move into textile design, creating signature prints for a new fashion label Les Amies de Louise, who will be opening a concept store in Shanghai soon.


Susan’s work has been exhibited in the Paris galleries Galerie Pixi and La Peripherie, and in London at Rabih Hage. Don’t miss her drawings at the Slick Dessin with the Miss China gallery, April 10-14th.

Even though Susan is a serious and gifted artist, her sense of humor and playfulness is always present in her work. Her work is like a wink and a nod at the very art and fashion world in which she works.

Checkout her wonderful website which has images of her work and also her videos.
www.shupshop.com

I want to thank my friend Pat Addis for giving me the idea for The Parisian of the Month.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Meredith Mullins Monthly Photo Feature:Paris Street Musicians II

This is part two of Merdeith Mullin's street musicians. Enjoy!

There are more street musicians in Paris than in any other city in the world. They are in the long tunnels of the metro, under the arches of the Place des Vosges, and on the romantic bridges connecting island to island and bank to bank. They must claim their territories like guerrilla fighters when competition is fierce and move quickly, like shadows, from the police. They play as much for themselves, for their passion, as for their audience. But when you pass by a spirited musician and the music goes deep, there is nothing like the connection you feel. It is Paris. And, no doubt some day, when the police finally sweep the streets and the artists grow weary of the battles, we'll all say "Where's the music? We need a little beauty in our lives."
Meredith Mullins

Meredith Mullins is an internationally exhibited American photographer, currently living in Paris. Visit www.meredithmullins.artspan.com to see more of the Paris images. Her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment (click here to order), and her 2008 Paris Calendar can be ordered online or in bookstores throughout the U.S.Original photographs are available directly through the artist.

Salt n Pepa Update:
On my Astier de Villatte on Thursday I asked if anyone knew what happened to Salt n' Pepa and here's an update from my friend Laurence Waltman:
Salt n' Pepa have a reality show on VH1 about their reuniting for a tour. Salt is sweet and Christian - married w/a daughter and lives in a McMansion in NJ. Pepa is wild and crazy - loves to party, wears sexy tight revealing outfits, drinks swears and loves men. They are quite funny.
Also thanks to Cheryl and Alicia for updating me too.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Astier de Villatte

Astier de Villatte is one of my favorite home shops in Paris and I am always delighted when I go in there, because I find something that surprises and amuses me, much like a kid discovering new toys at a toy store.

Their specialty is beautifully crafted white china and ceramic pieces. They range from simple over sized dinner plates to teacups with ornate curlyque handles. Deep brown wood shelves strikingly contrast the white stacks of dishes, bowls, plates and egg cups, making them even more palatable. Most clever is their newest item, old-fashioned tin cans made of white ceramic or gold and silver. Astier de Villatte is reminiscent of a favorite shop of mine in New York’s Soho from the 1990’s, called Wolfman Gold, which only sold white china.

After swooning over the china and ceramics for the first few minutes of my visit, I moved on to admiring the jewelry, hand knit scarves & ties, candles, and furniture. A stunning new line of porcelain jewelry by Claire Hecquet Chaut featuring chains of hearts, butterflies, crosses, and guitars in sumptuous shades of chartreuse, lavender, sunshine yellow, pale pink, and periwinkle, is a knockout.

One of the reasons I love the shop is because you can buy inexpensive and fun things like a stereoscope viewfinder with corny Paris photos (9 euros) and small wood boxes with illustrations of chicks and bunny’s filled with candied violets (12 euros), or a fabulous wall unit of odd draws stacked in a haphazard way for thousands of euros.

If anybody ever wants to buy me a gift, something from Astier de Villatte would make me very happy, preferably that fabulous wall unit.

Astier de Villatte
173 rue St. Honoré, 1st arr.
Metro: Palais Royale
Open Monday to Saturday, 11AM –7:30PM
Tel 01.42.60.74.13
www.astierdevillatte.com


Buy me this, PLEASE!

Salt n' Pepa(Does anybody know what happened to them?)

Door of the Month: 17 rue Delambre

The Door of the Month is already a hit and I received many encouraging and enthusiastic comments.

There is an embarrassment of riches of Paris doors, and I could probably do the door of the day or the week and still have plenty of material, but I don’t want to spoil you. You’ll have to just wait once a month.

This month it’s a glass door with rich fire engine red enamel paint over the fancy ironwork at 17 rue Delambre, Montparnasse. These are typical doors in many of the Belle Époque buildings constructed between the 1890s and the 1910’s, and the doors match the ornate architecture of the building.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com