If you stay up all night, in French you say “J’ai passe la nuit blanche.” (”I had a white night”). In other words, you saw no darkness!
What a better way to stay up all night than to be roaming the streets of Paris going from one artistic exhibition to the next. That’s what “La Nuit Blanche” is all about. Every fall, Paris celebrates its light and sound artists with “La Nuit Blanche”. This year, during the night of October 6 – 7, there will be displays and exhibitions following line 14 of the metro.
To find out where you can see which exhibitions, consult the Nuit Blanche Web site.
Yes it’s true, there is a major difference between outdoor dining or sidewalk cafes in the States and Paris (or Rome, or Venice, etc). The difference is usually the charm, the setting, the view, the noise level, I could go on.
This article from the New York Times hits the nail on the head, I found myself nodding in agreement and laughing out loud as I read it.
The new Citroen building at 42 Champs-Elysees shows off a modern design which includes a panoramic elevator that allows for a fantastic view of the city.
I have a feeling they will be seeing a lot of tourists wanting to get a free view of the city, but surely they’ll have to pass by a few Citroens on their way to the elevator!
From today’s Washington Post:
Velibs — the name combines “velo” (bicycle) and “liberte” (freedom) — have transformed the way Parisians get around. With more than 2 million journeys made in the first 40 days of the program, the French have taken to their new mode of public transport like canards to water.
To read more about Velib in Paris, read the article.
France has lost one of its national icons today, Marcel Marceau has died at age 84. For many, he was as much of a symbol of France as the Eiffel Tower. He turned miming into one of the many French stereotypes (I’ve personally never met a French mime!), and was beloved by many in the world.
To read more about his extraordinary life, see this article from the New York Times.
Over the summer Paris started a great new service called “Velib”, where you can rent a bike in one part of town, ride to another part of town and drop the bike off at another rental station. It’s going like gangbusters in Paris, and the mayor of Chicago (is this the same guy who outlawed foie gras?) might want to get in on the action. And I can think of no better city for a Velib than Chicago….flat and easy to get around (minus the wind factor). Here’s the complete article.
All of France will be celebrating its heritage on September 15 and 16, including Paris. Many artistic and cultural sites will open their doors to visitors free of charge. This is a great opportunity to head out to a multitude of monuments, museums, librairies, even the home of the President of France! No other day in Paris is quite like it.
For more information go to the Journees du Patrimoine Web site.
I learned today of a great deal for a short jaunt to Paris this November – March. Depending on the class of hotel you choose, you can go to Paris for a fraction of what it would usually cost. Even the five-star hotel came to about $2200 for four nights, two people, including the flight over. Details can be found here.
What’s one of the hottest hits in Paris this summer? “Eat Kebab” or “Mange du Kebab”, by Lil’Maaz who runs his own Kebab restaurant on Rue Josephe Maistre in the 18th.
A true fairy tale story, one day he was overheard rapping to his customers, and now he is an overnight sensation with his song all about…kebabs!
Check out the song, with lyrics to boot, on his Web site: Mangedukebab.com
Photo by the Times
Looking for something different or interesting to do in Paris? Try the Canal St. Martin boat ride. It’s a take on the Bateau Mouche but done on a smaller scale: you ride in a small canal boat in a small canal which winds its way through the eastern arrondissements of Paris (starting at Bastille and ending at la Villette). The entire trip is 2.5 miles. Keep in mind, this is a slow moving boat ride: you wait for the locks to fill, you continue leisurely on your way, you repeat multiple times. The entire trip takes a few hours to complete. After spending a very hot afternoon on the canal, my suggestion for others would be to get off the boat somewhere in the middle and discover a new area of Paris.
A good article was recently written in The Times. It takes you an a virtual canal ride and lets you know what kinds of hidden gems you might see along the way.
