I Prefer Paris

TFX (Taxes for Expats)- Useful Service for U.S. Expats Filing Taxes

TFX (Taxes for Expats)  is an organization that does tax preparation abroad for U.S. expats. For the last ten years TFX (Taxes for Expats) has been filing my taxes and their staff is very well organized and efficient, and they usually answer my emails within a day. The online filing system is easy to follow. 

TFX (Taxes for Expats) is a top-rated expat tax consultant  with over 4,000 positive reviews. 

Tax forms for U.S. expats are due by June 15, so don’t delay your filing. TFX can also file an extension for a reasonable fee in case you can’t meet the deadline. 

Besides filing taxes also TFX (Taxes for Expats) offers alternative services including non-resident tax returns, foreign bank reporting, tax planning, and IRS representation. 

You can schedule a 30-minute free, phone consultation on TFX (Taxes for Expats). 

Prices start at $400 for their core tax return plan and $500 for their Premier service.  

TFX (Taxes for Expats) has just launched a new service for business clients https://tfx.tax/

Apple Store Champs Elysees

I have been an Apple fan ever since I bought my first Mac laptop in 2001. Every computer I’ve owned since then is an Apple and I bought my first I-Phone in 2008. 

Besides their superior products, I’ve always liked their consistent minimalist and streamlined design, which their stores clearly reflect. They are more like tech laboratories than a retail store. 

A few months ago a new store on the Champs Elysees opened and it’s the most beautiful and unusual Apple store I’ve ever been in. 

What’s unusual about the store is the fact that it’s located in a former hotel Particulier with a corner rotunda. Inventor and aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, who was one of the first men to fly an airplane, once owned it. 

Instead of one vast open space like most Apple stores, there’s an assemblage of smaller scale rooms on three floors. The centerpiece is an ornately carved staircase stripped to its original finish with stairs in chocolate brown veined marble, and landings of black and white diamond shaped tiles. 

Walking through the lobby entrance though a portal of swirled wrought iron, you arrive at the spectacular atrium reaching up three floors capped by a mirrored kaleidoscope ceiling. The atrium, lined with newly potted trees, serves as an event space. There’s a massive screen where videos and news of product updates are shown. Customers can sit on wood cubes to watch. 

On the second floor is a series of salon-like rooms, which are still recognizable as rooms of the original apartment with wood parquet floors and painted over fireplaces and moldings.  

The Genius Bar is discreetly located down a long hall with no sign on it and if one has to wait on line, they are visually rewarded with a series of Art Nouveau stained glass panels.  

My favorite room was the semi-circular with curved glass paned windows overlooking the Champs Elysees filled just with I-Watches. The Hermes double strap one has my name on it. 

Another room, which is beautifully decorated with mid-century style furniture and black and white vintage style photos, appears to be a screening room (there’s a large screen on one wall) and also features a long light wood table, perhaps for dining or reading. 

The store is definitely a destination and you can add it to your must see places in Paris. 

114 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008

Metro: George V 

https://www.apple.com/fr/retail/champs-elysees/?cid=aos-fr-seo-maps

Links Eye Like 

Checkout an article about new crystal fountains being installed on the Champs Elysees in the N.Y. Times

https://www.apple.com/fr/retail/champs-elysees/?cid=aos-fr-seo-maps

Congratulations to Michele K. who was the first person to make a comment about The Empire and the Five Kings and has won a copy of the book. Thanks to the others who submitted their comments. 

If you haven't already seen my Eye Prefer Paris exhibit, it's on until March 31. 

Paris Food and Wine App

Paige Donner, who created the first English language radio show and podcast about food and wine in Paris, Paris Good Food and Wine, interviewed me about my Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes a few years ago. The 30-minute weekly show highlights new happenings and personalities of the Paris culinary world.

Five years ago Paige launched the Paris Food and Wine App. It offers daily deals and promotions on food, drinks, shopping and hotels from participating local Paris businesses. Recent deals include stay two nights/get one night free at Plaza Athenee,  private Seine river cruise in a Chriscraft boat and receive VIP treatment and a contest to win a free trip to Paris sponsored by Fat Tire Bike tours.

Paige has an extensive background in the food and wine world. She is a freelance journalist writing for the International New York Times, Fodors Paris 2013 and Fodors Vancouver & Victoria 2014, a documentary filmmaker- Wine and Climate Change and two forthcoming books Paris Food and Wine and  France Food and Wine.

My Eye Prefer Paris Food Tours and Chocolate and Pastry Tours will be featured on the Paris Food and Wine App with a discount. Download the app and have a look.

http://parisfoodandwine.net

There’s also a Bordeaux Food and Wine App

https://bordeauxfoodandwine.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/download-bordeaux-food-wine-app-available-now/

Checkout my photos in an article about du Faubourg-Saint-Denis by Thirza Valois on France Today

https://www.francetoday.com/travel/paris/parisian-walkways-rue-du-faubourg-saint-denis/

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards

I am thrilled to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards, a 3, 6 or 12-month subscription service where the subscriber receives three physical postcards of my iconic Paris photos every month. Each month will have a specific theme, from architectural street scenes to romantic outdoor cafes to beautiful gardens to unique shots of iconic monuments. Each mailing will include two postcards in color and one in black & white or sepia, beautifully packaged in a special French Blue postcard holder with a custom designed seal.

Each 6” X 4.25” traditional size postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock that enhances the vibrancy of every image.

Only $30 for a 3-month subscription plus shipping or

Only $60 for a 6 month subscription (plus shipping)or

$110 for a 12-month subscription (plus shipping)

Click here to order a 12-month subscription from my Etsy store

Click here to order a 6-month subscription from my Etsy store

Click here to order a 3-month subscription from my Etsy store

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

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 Charlotte's 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: 195 euros per person (about $210)
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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

EyePreferParis on Instagram

I’ve been taking Social Media lessons with a private consultant via Skype in the last few weeks, working on beefing up my social media skills.

Instagram, a photo sharing app, is gaining ground as an important social media tool. I’ve been posting daily photos on Instagram for the last few months and below is a selection.

These are exclusive to Instagram and I do not post them on the blog. So enjoy the photos you have been missing and start following eyepreferparis on Instagram immediately.

Click here to follow me on Instagram

http://instagram.com/eyepreferparis

   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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
 

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.

Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

MonDefile.com

I rarely write about websites but a press release came across my desk on Monday about a new fashion website and I thought I would share it with you.

MonDefile.com, meaning my fashion catwalk, is the first website to promote and nurture emerging fashion designers.

The website works in a unique way: Eachmonth, MonDéfilé.com selects a handful of promising fashion designers who create an exclusive garment, accessory, or piece of jewelry, inspired by some of the season’s most popular trends.

The selected designs are then put to the public vote, as the consumers choose their favorite
designer to be sold on the site and land a permanent place in MonDéfilé.com’s online community. The selected items are produced on demand in MonDéfilé.com’s workshops and delivered internationally to customers within 15 days.

It’s a great way to be the first on your block to discover new French designers in an accessible and affordable way.

MonDéfilé.com has received a lot of media attention recently with write-ups and articles in Elle, Glamour, and Elle magazines. The company has also received numerous business awards for their innovation including the winner of the Paris City Hall Innovation Prize by the Paris City Hall, and winner of the Paris Chamber of Commerce E-Commerce Prize 2012.

The company was started in 2011 by the team of Jeanne Coeffe, who graduated from the HEC Paris Business School and worked in London and Beijing, Sarah Fenerol, who graduated from the Paris Insitute of Fashion and Management, and Thomas Meron, who also graduated from HEC Paris Business School.

http://www.mondefile.com/en/

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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
 

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.

Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Yelp France

Yelp, the hugely popular U.S. site for local services, has recently launched in France. Much like its U.S. counterpart, it's a great resource for restaurants, shopping, nightlife, entertainment, and cultural events with up to the minute reviews written by real locals. Cities include Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier, Rennes, Strasbourg, and Toulouse.

Yelp is having a week long event,Yelp Drinks, where 7 of the hottest bars in Paris are offering 3 special drinks at half-price. Participating bars include La Napoleon, O' Chateau, Quinze bar, Les Enfants Perdu, Le Pixel, Le Petit Chateau d' Eau, and Rolling Poms. Yelp Drinks is happening the same time in 30 other Yelp cities around the world from London and Austin to Vegas, San Francisco and New York.

Happy, Happy hour!

Yelp Drinks
April 4 to April 10
For more info go to http://www.yelp.fr/events/paris-yelp-drinks?bert=JpS6ek8zC-L9AYZJV_Rngw:M

 

 

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.

www.RLalique.com

Greg Zimmer contacted me in January, asking me permission to use photos of a Lalique door that was a Door of the Month last year. Greg has a website http://Rlalique.com and I was thoroughly fascinated by the information on it and the beautiful photos of some of the pieces. We chatted back and forth via email and told me the story behind his site.

Greg has been a serious collector of Lalique glass for over 30 years, and his extensive collection has one of a kind and commercially produced Lalique pieces. To say he is an expert is an understatement, and with his vast knowledge he is the adviser and manager of the site. What started out as a hobby gone wild has now grown into almost a full time job.

The site is entirely devoted to information about the great French glass maker Rene Lalique and his works, which are commonly called RLalique, (which is how most were signed) made while he was alive.It reports on events, auctions, and exhibitions all around the world. Last year alone, there were three major exhibitions in six cities (2 cities in Japan Lalique only), one in San Fran and Cleveland (Lalique, Tiffany, Faberge), and one for art nouveau jewelry in Boston and Cincinnati that was roughly half RLalique). This year there is major exhibit dedicated only to Lalique at the Kremlin in Moscow this coming fall. The site also reports on fakes and copies, free authentication of pieces believed to be R.Lalique, and services for sellers and buyers offering consulting, appraisals, plus taking consignments and private placements.

This is a terrific site for serious Lalique aficionados or even people like myself who appreciate the great beauty of his work.

http://Rlalique.com

Car Mascot Coq Houdan

Perruches bowl

 
Ring

Statue Suzanne 

Perruches vase

 Tresor De La Mer, made in an edition of 100 for Saks Fifth Avenue in 1936

 
  Unique Vase (Wasps)

www.Rlalique.com

Eye Prefer Paris Contest

If you have the competitive spirit or just love Eye Prefer Paris and want to spread the word, this month's contest is to see who can subscribe the most new readers. In order to do this, you must got to my homepage, www.eyepreferparis.com, and on the right hand side is a "subscribe" button. Above it , you need to put in the emails of the people you are subscribing, and you will then get a message that reads " Please check your inbox for a verification message from “FeedBurner Email Subscriptions”, the service that delivers email subscriptions for Eye Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription.", which they will receive too. Now for the important part: Make sure you tell whoever you are subscribing, they must click on to that link to verify the subscription and to also check for it in their SPAM filter.

Please email me at [email protected] with a list of the emails you subscribed so I can check to see how many of them verified the subscriptions. Whoever has the most verified subscribers will win this glorious prize: A copy of the new, smart and funny book, 24 Hours Paris which gives readers the best of Paris, beyond the Eiffel Tower. Arranged hour by hour, from 5 am to midnight and back again, the guide showcases Paris’ amazing variety of activities. The user-friendly format lets readers see the top tips for what's happening city-wide at any moment in time. I am pleased as punch that my Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes are mentioned in the book.Click here to order 24 Hours Paris. 

I will announce the winner next Tuesday, so good luck and I look forward to happily seeing tons of new subscribers to Eye Prefer Paris.

 

 

 

Coming soon: Eye Prefer New York Tours

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 Charlotte’s 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.

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.

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.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Paris I-Phone Apps

The revolutionary I-Phone has many useful and informative Paris apps. A tour client of mine Jeff from San Diego and my friend Linda from www.parisiensalon.com, for which I am a contributor to, have kindly taken the time to write personal reviews of some Paris apps they used when they were here.

Jeff's List

Free French Tutor and French Essentials- Good. It allowed me to hear the audio of what the correct pronunciations of words in French are.
 
The Paris Cluny and Louvre- used only briefly as a resource (hours open, etc).

Paris2Go - real nice - The best overall Paris travel app. Full of great information, places to see, nearby, transportation, etc.

Paris Street map- very handy because the streets of Paris are not always that easy to navigate and it is a great pocket resource and you don't have to look so silly unfolding a big paper map. It is GPS
enabled, helpful.

Paris Lite HiGuide - GPS enabled map of Paris, helpful.

The I-phone while traveling was great, I could even follow the Eye Prefer Paris blog!!

Linda's List

Metro Paris-the best darned app. It's more than a map of the metro. It offers a screen showing the stops on each line. You can search by station or use the GPS to locate the stop closest to you. But my favorite feature is the "route" feature - input your starting point and end point (by metro station), and it shows you the best route to take and where to transfer.

Paris Offline Street Map- I have a map that uses the locate me feature, but it's unwieldy if you have the data feature turned off and aren't near a WiFi hotspot. So I recommend this one, where you don't need internet or WiFi location services.

Paris i In the City Guide - a directory of restaurants, shops, nightlife, events.

I am listing one more app that could be very useful.

mPassport is an application that helps English-speaking expats and travelers access medical care in Paris. The application was developed by HTH Worldwide, a global health and safety services company, who also sponsors the blog www.HealthyTravelBlog.com. It works without an Internet connection.

Here are some of the things you can do with the app:
* Search, map and choose among carefully selected English-speaking doctors, dentists, hospitals and pharmacies.
* Schedule an appointment with one of these doctors on short notice
* Find equivalent medication brand names and translate important medical terms and phrases (even hear them spoken in French)
* Use a Google maps connection to get walking or driving directions from your current location or pre-loaded landmarks

Coming soon: Eye Prefer New York Tours

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 Charlotte’s 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, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.