Eisenhower, de Gaulle and the Wild Rabbits at the Invalides
Late on a drizzly afternoon, having learned nothing and felt little from reading about and watching videos of the 75th anniversary of D-Day commemorations in Normandy, I went to visit the wild rabbits that inhabit the lawn of the Invalides.
How to Join the French Foreign Legion (in Music and Song)
The French Foreign Legion holds a unique place within France’s national and military heritage due to both the reality and the fantasy of the corps. The reality itself is always clouded in an air of mystery about these men, with their white kepis and their world full of accents.
Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere in Paris: A Drink at the Bar Le Lucien
At the bar of the 5-star Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere, just off the Champs-Elysees, I met Stephane Ginouves, winner of the first Meilleur
Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) competition for bartenders, and got his recipe for mixing with Singles.
Benoît Castel: Bread, Brunch, Pastries in Eastern Paris
Brunch at Benoît Castel Ménilmontant, a pastry shop and bakery in the 20th arrondissement, is an ideal place to begin weekend wandering in the increasingly gentrified neighborhoods of eastern Paris. We came for the bread, we stayed for the brunch, and only later did we taste the heart of Benoît Castel’s trade, the pastries.
Koons Bouquet of Tulips Inaugurated in Paris
Parisians love a good debate about placing a new work of art or architecture in a public space, but honoring victims of terrorism with a Jeff Koons bouquet minus one tulip is too much like honoring victims of famine with a statue of Ronald McDonald with one French fry missing.
Hotel Regina: Wine & Friends & Classic Paris Luxury
Refurbished in 2015 and a wine bar added in 2016, the 5-star Hotel Regina, across the street from the Louvre, has regained its place among the luxury hotels of Paris’s 1st arrondissement. Gary Lee Kraut nods to Joan of Arc then pushes through the revolving door for a visit and a glass of wine.
City Hall Says Paris Nightlife Can’t Be Dead, We Just Launched It
Parisians of the partying kind have long lamented the decline of the city’s nightlife. Those over 45 date the good ole days to the 1980s, those over 30 manage to cite a couple of highlights of the 90s, and those in their 20s simply criticize Paris for not being New York or Madrid.
Paris’s Hôtel de Crillon Closes for Two-Year Renovation
Hôtel de Crillon, the palatial Paris hotel on Place de la Concorde, is closing on March 31, 2013, leaving little time for one last...
Carnivorous Confusion
Meat is customarily served rarer in France than in the United States, so it’s important to know how to answer when the waiter asks...