One of my most delightful tour clients and friend Lizanne from New York highly recommended my tours to her friend Tracey Jackson, who was coming to Paris a few weeks ago. Tracey emailed me and said she was coming for a reading of her new book Between a Rock and a Hot Place-Why Fifty is Not the New Thirty at Shakespeare & Company. She booked a tour for Tuesday and invited me to her reading on Monday night. I was free that night and when I arrived at Shakespeare & Company it was packed and I managed to get the last seat which was in the front row. I am always weary of sitting in the front row for any performance or reading for two reasons: One is if I happen to doze off, which I tend to do at many performances, it's quite embarrassing and you have nowhere to hide, and two, if the performer decides they want a volunteer or someone for audience participation, they always pick someone from the front row. A woman introduced Tracey and out came this very attractive, well-dressed blonde woman wearing a fab necklace and chic pointy black suede pumps. She was vivacious, chatty, and funny. I liked her instantly. The chapter she read from the book was about her mother and her obsession with aging and it was quite entertaining and amusing. After the reading there was a Q& A and I was impressed with her intelligence and candor plus the ease in which she answered the questions. I liked her even more. I introduced myself briefly after the reading and she thanked me so much for coming.
We met at the St. Paul metro for a Marais tour and Tracey's daughter, 11 year old Lucy with long red locks and big brown eyes, was already a serious fashionista with her little Vuitton bag and grown up ballet flats. I could already tell shopping was going to be high on the tour agenda. We toured some of the hotel particuliers in the area to learn some history and then the shopping part of the tour kicked into high gear with the first stop at a paper boutique with unusual, non-tourist looking cards of Paris monuments. Lucy stocked up on them as gifts for her school friends. I had to stop home for a moment to get my camera to photograph Tracey and Lucy during the tour and Tracey asked if there was a bathroom nearby she can use. I told her she might as well come up to my apartment. Tracey has a successful blog and one of the features, Fifty@Fifty, is a series of fifty short video interviews with people over fifty doing interesting and inventive things with their lives. Tracey asked me on the spot if she could tape an interview with me for this series and when I said yes, she whipped out her Flip video camera. I was very flattered but a little unprepared (no time to do my hair and makeup) but I was game and we did the interview, which I thought went well. (Although you never know what you sound or look like on camera. God please let me come off not looking nervous or weird or having three chins).
We stood outside the Boucherie Becquerel next door to me inhaling the roast chickens and Tracey and Lucy were practically licking the glass doors of the rotisserie. They vowed that they would come back to Paris and rent an apartment just for the sake of being able to take the roast chicken home to devour it. It was Lucy's favorite part of the tour. Now Lucy won my heart because she was a fashionista and a true New York foodie. Next up was my mandatory stop on every Marais tour, a pastry and coffee and Gerard Mulot, one of the best patisseries in Paris. We totally pigged out on numerous pastries and I almost couldn't pry them away from them until I adamantly said it's time for more shopping girls. They packed it up toute de suite, and off we went to a charming shop with handmade headbands and hair accessories mostly decorated with Swarovski crystals. Lucy went gaga, and tried almost every headband in the store. After thirty minutes of "This is the one, don't you love this one, do you like this one or that one better, I swear I this is the one", and 78 headbands later, the final choice was made.
Lucy with her tiara/headband-Not the final choice
Lucy looking sweet and innocent before she goes for the kill of the desserts
We hit other numerous clothing boutiques, more purchases were made, and at about 6:15, the girls were laden with shopping bags. We parted hugging each other as if we were old friends and we were going to miss each other. Tracey was so kind and autographed a copy of her book with a touching inscription in French. We are for sure BFF's now.
I am almost finished with Tracey's book and have enjoyed it immensely so far. Not only is it laugh out loud funny ( I had to control myself reading it on the metro the other day), entertaining, informative, and candid but there is so much information about how women age that I never knew. You must order Between a Rock and a Hot Place-Why Fifty is Not the New Thirty straight away. Great book club choice too. Click here to order.
Also checkout Tracey's website and blog http://www.traceyjacksononline.com and read her touching and fabulous blog post about my tours. http://www.traceyjacksononline.com/2011/04/eyepreferparis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+traceyjacksononline%2FQtnO+%28Tracey+Jackson%29
I will let you know when her video interview with me is posted. Maybe Hollywood will finally knock on my door, but if they do I will say Eye Prefer Paris!
In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New York's best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. 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.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
Great entry, loved her blog too. you look cute in the photo with her adorable daughter.
Posted by: joan | April 12, 2011 at 07:06 PM
Richard, Tracey is my kind of gal. I'll be reviewing her book this Sunday at What I'm Reading This Week and would like to link this post with it.
Posted by: Layla Morgan Wilde | April 12, 2011 at 08:48 PM