There was a time when I actually stayed out 'til 4AM at Chez Castel (now very passé) and the Buddha Bar, but now midnight is late to get the kids to sleep. ... The drinks at this club are reasonably priced, and visitors will be able to order any drink or cocktail at this club on account of the variety of drinks served here. ... Le Galway - This is one of the best Irish pubs in all of Paris; it boasts a live Irish band that plays here every night. ... The best drink in the house is a pint of beer, however, the bartenders are fairly skilled and will be able to mix you any drink of your choice, should you require a cocktail. Le Galway has a good ambience, great drinks and incredible music and is a great place to visit to have a night on the town.
Alert 12/2/09: Many Paris museums closed due to strike
PARIS — On a gray, drizzly day just made for a Paris museum visit, workers at the city's premier art institutions went on strike Wednesday, leaving tourists out in the cold and some residents worried about the image that France projects. The Pompidou Center modern art museum and the Musee d'Orsay, with its famed paintings by the Impressionists, were closed Wednesday after workers angry over a government cost-cutting measure voted to strike. Workers at the Louvre, the crown jewel of Paris museums, also voted to strike, but by midmorning parts of the sprawling complex had been opened to visitors. The museum reduced its euro9 ($13.50) to euro6 ($9.00) for the day. [From The Associated Press: Many Paris museums closed due to strike ]
Sarkozy, the Left and the reburial of Camus at the Pantheon
Imagine a conservative President in the United States embracing a leftist intellectual figure (or several) in order to burnish his own intellectual credentials and position himself as a worthy heir to the 20th Century intellectual tradition of France. ... Given the Panthéon's function as the final repose for France's greatest heroes, it's perhaps not surprising that efforts are now afoot to relocate the ashes of writer and philosopher Albert Camus to a site beneath the 18th century Paris building's cupola. ... President Nicolas Sarkozy said last week that he wanted to add Camus to the giants of French history who are buried at the Panthéon — figures like Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola and Louis Pasteur — as a way of revering an author whose defense of the downtrodden and veneration of the individual over the oppressive forces of society earned him fame and respect around the globe. But the announcement outraged Camus' son, Jean, who saw a motivation of a different sort — an attempt by Sarkozy to "requisition" the legacy of a ferociously independent thinker who has long been a hero of the intellectual left.
...As for myself, as a long long time fan and student of Camus, I think anything that keeps the memory of this thinking and work alive in the minds of the French and foreigners is a good thing.
Tokyo is the new Paris, says Michelin
So say the revered gastronomes at the Michelin Guide, who have awarded three stars to 11 restaurants in the Japanese capital, one more than in Paris. Yesterday's announcement, made days before the launch of the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010, cements the city's deserved reputation as a spectacular place to dine. "Tokyo has become the world culinary capital, ahead of Paris," gushed Jean-Luc Naret, the guide's director general.
... But, I guess if they are giving the title of Paris to the city with the most 3-star restaurants, it might as well be Tokyo. ... I still would rather live, eat, and breathe in Paris for everyday eating than anywhere else in the world, even Northern California, where we live.
Touring “The macarons of Europe”
Again the Patisserie AOKI below our apartment gets the highest marks: Patisserie Sadaharu AOKI 35 rue de Vaugirard 75006 PARIS. €16 for 12 macarons approx AUD$2.60 each. ... They were a bit too crispy on the day we bought them, but by the time they travelled home to Australia – they were pretty perfect texture-wise. ... It’s around the corner from Pierre Hermé so we went there at about 10:30, but all I got was a photo of the outside of the shop. ... Luckily, we ended up back in the 6th later on in the day and I was able to pop in for my fix. I was told off for trying to take photographs in the shop though so you’ll have to trust me when I say that it was full of beautiful chocolates and dainties.
McDonald’s restaurant to be placed inside food court at Carrousel du Louvre
The first is that the Louvre, in a situation they can't control, will have to co-exist with the odeurs of a MacDo in its midst. ... PARIS — French culture and American convenience will come together in December — thanks to plans by the McDonald’s restaurant chain to hang its shingle in the shadow of the Louvre. ... The McDonald’s will be installed in the food court of the underground mall adjoining the museum, known as the Carrousel du Louvre, as the fast food chain fetes its 30th anniversary in France, McDonald’s France said.
Not really my thing, but LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY COULEURS ET LUMIÈRE at the Musée du Luxembourg 16 septembre 2009 – 17 janvier 2010
His look as a painter in terms of color and composition, his passion for exoticism and his innovations in the glass field make him, from1900, becoming a leader of the American design whose reputation goes until the great European capitals: he will compete with the great European glass makers of the end of the 19th century. The splendid ornamentation, the careful work, the spectacular effects and original in their lights and colors which are the main characteristics of his glass production (blown glass vases, stained glass windows, lamps and items) put him in the heart of numerous artistic movements of his time, from the Arts & Crafts and the American Aesthetic Movement to New Art and Symbolism. The exhibition will gather about 160 works (stained-glass windows, vases, lamps, items, jewels and mosaics, drawings, watercolors and photos of the time) which reveal the noteworthy contribution of this creator to the glass industry such as the whole of the decorative arts.
Paris on Less Than $100 Per Day – Fantasy?
However, the issue isn't whether it's possible as a parlor stunt, but how could you have a fulfilling Paris experience while skipping most of the things around you. It's hard to imagine a once in a lifetime Paris vacation spent entirely outside while trying to avoid museum fees, but there is a free Sunday of the Louvre. ... Best advice if you really want to stick to this budget: get a hotel outside the city on the RER line and zip in in the morning and go back out to sleep.
Say goodbye to the “bise?”
That said, there are things you can do to help avoid the flu, like obsessively washing your hands, trying not to touch your face, and avoid close contact with strangers and friends, such as the ever-present "bise." ... Some French schools, companies and a Health Ministry hotline are telling students and employees to avoid the social ritual out of fear the pandemic could make it the kiss of death, or at least illness, as winter approaches.
...The New York Times ran a story the other day ( Swine Flu Upsets Rituals of Greeting ) as well on relative risk levels of different contact, and the bise, or even Hollywood-style air kiss was right at the top, so look for less kissing and touching in the months to come as we all suffer through the season.
News Flash! Picasso Museum Closes for Two-Year Renovation
Not just some guy who broke the mold and then rode the gravy train for the rest of his life (examples too numerous to mention), Picasso morphed throughout his life, making art whenever his hands weren't busy with women, food or drink. ... Feel free to shed a quiet tear from either of your unevenly spaced, asymmetrical eyes: the Picasso Museum in Paris closed its doors on Sunday and will not reopen them to visitors for more than two years as it undergoes an extensive renovation, The Associated Press reported. The 32,000-square-foot museum, which opened in 1985 in Paris’s Marais district, holds about 5,000 pieces of art by Picasso, including paintings, sculptures and sketches, but was only able to display between 250 and 300 at a time.