How would the Champs-Élysées look with 50,000 people, shoulder-to-shoulder? Well, I found out when I joined 49,999 other people to run the Marathon de Paris. The course begins and ends near the Arc de Triomphe, stretching along the Right Bank, past Place de la Concorde and Bastille and encircling the Bois de Vincennes and Bois […]
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E. Dehillerin, Paris, France
E. Dehillerin is the place to buy traditional French cookware in Paris. I emphasize traditional, because there are also many popular shops that sell things like cupcake tins and Oxo products, which are nothing new to Americans, but are still a novelty for French cooks. This family-operated shop has been in operation since 1820. It […]
La Maison de Balzac, Paris, France
Though I love to visit writers’ houses, I only recently trekked out to Western Paris to the neighborhood that was once a smaller village, Passy, to visit La Maison de Balzac. Balzac moved into this house in 1840 under a pseudonym, Monsieur de Breugnol, in order to evade creditors. It sort of feels like it. […]
Musée d’Orsay Clock
The two fifth-floor clocks at the Musée d’Orsay are bold reminders of the Beaux Art building’s former use as a train station, Gare d’Orsay. The clocks offer sweeping, mid-rise (thank you, Haussmann!) views over Paris and make an appealing pit-stop after taking in the unmatched collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art.
Bois de Vincennes, Paris
Bois de Vincennes is one of the two enormous parks that bookend central Paris. I had never given much thought to them since the city center is so engaging, but they recently appeared on my radar because the Paris Marathon, which I’m running in April, winds thoroughly through both. The course actually looks like an […]
Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris
That this small Parisian museum is grossly overshadowed by the larger, more flamboyant art institutions is no reason to omit it from your to-see list. On the contrary, the quiet Boulevard Haussmann location and the lack of enormous crowds makes it a bit of a respite from the giants. Musée Jacquemart-André was the private residence […]
Sofitel Le Faubourg, Paris
Paris has an overwhelming supply of great hotels, and most of them are in desirable locations with amenities and transportation within an easy reach. So how do you decide where to stay? The best way is to pick a neighborhood based on proximity to your intended activities and narrow it down from there. Usually we […]
La Madeleine, Paris
A great way to experience European churches and palaces is to attend classical concerts. Listening to masterful compositions in ornate, historical surroundings is both transporting and relaxing. For me, it’s a bit of time travel, even if the time periods don’t match up. Recently, we heard a concert at La Madeleine. L’Église de la Madeleine […]
Musée Rodin
There’s nothing quite like a visit to Musée Rodin on a sunny day. While the permanent collection is impressive and the temporary exhibits are interesting, the garden is the real draw. It’s thrilling to sit amidst The Thinker and The Gates of Hell with the golden dome of Hôtel des Invalides poking above the treetops. […]
