Closed permanently. The best savory tarts and fruit compote sans sucre, just a stone’s throw away. We finally went there for lunch, and it was delicious. Our favorite, the tomato tart, the asparagus, bacon, and dill. And the couscous looked great. 62 rue de Vaugirard, 6me. Sadly, this old classic is closed permanently. Save
Walk along Ile de la Cité and behind Notre Dame, and at the edge of the garden is the Memorial of the Martyrs of the Holocaust, a monument dedicated to the all those Parisiens deported from 1941 to 1944 during the Vichy occupation. — at Memorial des Martyrs de la déportation. The architecture is stunning,… Continue reading Memorial des Martyrs de la deportation
Another little surprise, from Parc de Villette, rediscovering Canal St. Martin by walking from Parc de Villette to Bastille. The neighborhoods along the way are so lively, especially during the summer months, when Paris Plage is going on. All of the activities here beat the Paris Plage by the Seine. Canal St. Martin, is… Continue reading Canal Saint Martin is a walk in the Park of Paris
Ok. I thought New York City’s High Line was an original. Then I discovered that idea of elevated linear parks built on old railroad tracks actually originated in Paris in 1988 with the design of the Promenade Plantée, a 2.8-mile-long series of gardens built atop an abandoned railway viaduct in the Right Bank’s 12th Arrondissement,… Continue reading Promenade Plantée vs. High Line
La Rotonde has become our go to brasserie in the neighborhood. Their terrace is perfect in the summer. So is their menu. Their Tomato Carpaccio is out of this world. So is their Œufs Cocotte (BIO) à la crème de morilles. Our son’s favorite is the Cote de boeuf avec gratin dauphinois. Since 1911, la… Continue reading La Rotonde is Our Go To Neighborhood Brasserie Frequented by Ghosts of Hemingway
There has always been a long history of love of all that is Japanese in France. The trend became so intense that in the 19th century, there was a movement called ‘Japonisme.’ This wonderful NY travelpost lists many interesting destinations, including Albert Kahn Museé et Jardin. Musts: 1. Galerie Sentou 2. Kunitoraya 3. Jugetsudo … Continue reading Tokyo on the Seine
Albert Kahn, amazing philanthropist and traveler, bought the Boulogne property in 1895 and slowly bought up his neighbours’ lands to the point where, in 1910, he owned an immense plot of nearly four hectares. In the shady avenues, near the Boulogne. The Jardin is a collection of homage to a Japanese garden, an English garden,… Continue reading Albert Kahn Museé et Jardin
We’re doing our best while in Paris to make up for it, but French people are not eating as much bread as they used to. It’s probably that crazy gluten thing. Those of us untouched by gluten sensitivity will continue to try to our part to keep the neighborhood boulange thriving. The average Frenchman these… Continue reading Campaign to Eat More French Bread ‘Coucou, Tu as pris le pain?’
I love my kids’ education at the French American school here in San Francisco. Among other things, it’s made them so much more sensitive to language and humor. Today, I asked the kids if there was a French word for a whiteboard. They said that everyone just calls it the “ardoise,” which of course is like continuing to call a whiteboard a “blackboard” in English. … My 8 year old son replied, “How about “blardoise,” which I’d say is the perfect adaptation.
The background on that whole crazy “locks on pedestrian bridges” thing: Symbols of undying love — though not in the view of Parisians — adorn Pont de l’Archevêché, in front of Notre Dame. … On some of the city’s most iconic bridges, thousands of visitors left small padlocks, neatly attached to the metal railings. Once discreet, doing their deed at night, visitors soon acted in broad daylight, in pairs, photographing each other in front of their locks, and videotaping the throwing of the keys into the Seine. … One night about two years ago, someone cut through the wires and removed all the locks on one of the bridges.
…Such a font of conversation topics, from the madness of crowds, the meaning of love, which side of the bridge is more popular and why the choice matters, and if there was any symbolism to the bike locks we saw chained in front of the ecole maternelle near our house.
