Today it’s one of the most emblematic – a symbol of the launch of modernity, an artist’s icon, a destination for lovers who propose marriage at 1,000 feet. ... So revered is the Eiffel that it’s a shock at 120 to find out how close it came to being torn down.
... It's still a ritual visit for all first-timers to Paris, and worth wait to climb up the sides for the view, but no longer because it's " the only place in Paris where you don’t have to look at it,” as Tower critic and Belle Époque humorist Tristan Bernard famously quipped.
Of course, as I read this article in NY Times , I was reminded once again, the democratic pleasures of Paris... that the Proustian aspects of Paris need not be costly.... 
IF YOU GO HOW TO GET AROUND The Vélib’ bicycle-rental system has become exceedingly popular. ... Le Bar à Soupes, 33, rue de Charonne; (33-1) 4357-5379; www.lebarasoupes.com, offers an excellent lunch deal: a fresh market soup, two types of cheese, bread and a glass of wine for 9.90 euros.
I've never really been a fan of Rodin - too sappy and too derivative of Dobie Gillis, but do have to say that this is a great way to make use of Museum Night and give visitors a way to see art in a new light (excuse the pun). ... Art lovers who visit the Rodin museum in Paris for this year's Museum Nights festival will be given a flashlight to admire the sculptor's masterpieces in pitch darkness. Hundreds of museums in France and in 40 more European countries will hold the annual dusk-to-midnight event on Saturday to encourage patrons to appreciate art in a different light.
But it goes on the list for our next trip to Paris since we're all over the the smaller "second tier" museums which are hidden all over the city. ... It faces the Musee D’Orsay on the Left Bank and occupies a wing of one of the city’s finest palaces, the Hotel de Salm, completed in 1788 and much admired by Thomas Jefferson. ... Its galleries explain why orders of merit came into being and identify recipients such as Thomas Wiltberger Evans, dentist of Napoleon III, and Maurice Floquet, France’s oldest surviving veteran of World War I (who died in 2006).
PARIS (Reuters) - France returned to its rightful owners on Thursday a painting by French master Henri Matisse which was seized by the Nazis in 1941 after its Jewish owner fled anti-Semitic persecutions in Germany. ... In a story right out of the 2007 film, " The Rape of Europa ," the heirs and the painting were only paired after a German art historian made the connection using an internet database set up for this purpose. Anyone interested in the great art of Europe must see "The Rape of Europa" The film tells the story of the Nazi theft of thousands and thousands of artworks from private and museum collection before and during World War II, and details a lot of the destruction of priceless treasures due to the war.
When the Pyramid was new, it took literally hours in line to get into the Louvre through the main entrance. ... Line ups can be long at the Louvre but there are multiple entrances. ... [From Daily Photos & Frugal Travel Tips » Blog Archive » Entrances To The Louvre, Paris, France ]
