Final Stages of the Tour de France Tour de France leader Alberto Contador trails Astana teammate Lance Armstrong during Tuesday's 16th stage. Contador remains the overall leader by 1:37. (Eric Gaillard - Reuters) (Eric Gaillard - Reuters) [From Final Stages of the Tour de France - washingtonpost.com ]
Here's another good round-up of food feasts in Paris, many in our neighborhood, and old favorites like Pierre Hermé and La Durée (though we've soured on the last given prices and crowds). ... Stop by Pierre Hermé on rue Cambon on the right bank or rue Vaugirard or Bonaparte locations on the left bank for mouth watering macarons – these are the best in Paris, seconded, perhaps by Ladurée (skip the macarons at Paul). Another worthwhile stop for an afternoon pause gourmande is the Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché, where you can sample many top shelf products, from cheeses, to meats, to a shellfish bar, more types of water than you have ever seen, and speciality products from Fauchon and Hediard.
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.
Sitting in my office in San Francisco, I feel smug that I already had Clue 1 (below) for the 6th figured out without leaving my chair. I wish we could be there for this.
On July 4th, the 4th annual Paris Treasure Hunt will take residents and visitors alike on a day-long quest through the streets of Paris. ... Each district has its own quest and a variety of “enigmas” - the story that leads you along the path - to put people on different paths to the finish line.
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.
Pei Pyramid, the La Defense Arche, the Ministere de la Finance, the Opéra de la Bastille, and the Bibliothèque Nationale, Sarkozy is looking even bigger, imagining an entirely new Paris. One of the first things Sarkozy did after he moved into the Elysée Palace was to convene a meeting of prominent architects and ask them to come up with a new blueprint for Paris...... A formidable list of architects — including Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel, Djamel Klouche and Roland Castro — put forward proposals that address a range of urban problems: from housing the poor to fixing outdated transportation systems to renewing the immigrant suburbs.
...Many of the ideas, thankfully, take "green" to a new level, trading vertical space for more parks and "green belts" to provide the city with more air, produce, and outdoor space.
This may be due to a flight to value, with people looking to spend less than they would on a hotel, or perhaps just because we've marketed our apartment for a few years now and are starting to get good word-of-mouth exposure for it. ... Some people may simply be passing through on the way to final destinations because of France’s central European location and airlines’ use of Paris as a hub. ... In spite of the global economic downturn, there was only a .3 percent decrease in the number of people who came to France in 2008 than in 2007.
Paris Hotels invest in their own branded bicycle fleet and picking models that reinforce the identity of the hotel. Le Meurice, the renowned hotel that occupies an 1835 palace across from the Tuileries, unveiled five retro-style bikes in the blue-green shade of the oxidized copper rooftops of the city, with matching helmets and front baskets emblazoned with the hotel’s gold logo. American and British guests in their 30s tend to be the most enthusiastic customers, according to the hotel; Le Meurice’s sister hotel, the Plaza Athénée, opted for zippy red bikes with panniers. 
