Songs proclaim it, movies portray it, and myths perpetuate it. As much as the phrase seems like a cliché, springtime in Paris is indeed a special time in a unique place. Paris food markets celebrate the season as outdoor stalls overflow with thick asparagus, tangled…
I can’t help but peer at my feet when I shop at street markets in Paris. I imagine generations of shoppers who have stepped on the same well-worn cobblestones. I conjure up women swishing by in long dresses and men in buttoned-up shoes. The imaginary…
The first time I strolled rue Cadet market street in Paris, I couldn’t get beyond the noise and dust of nearby construction. I’ve returned several times since that gritty introduction and, even though construction sites still lurk nearby, I’ve come to enjoy this very typical…
The writer Mavis Gallant died last week in Paris at age 91. She published novels and a smattering of nonfiction but kept returning to short stories as her favored form for an outpouring of tales. She published a whopping 116 stories in the pages of The New…
I hadn’t thought that this high temple of food in Paris, otherwise known as La Grande Épicerie, needed any sprucing up. But it has undergone a major redo. After 18 months of renovation, the new look was unveiled this past December. In January I went…
Luckily for me, I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Patricia Wells and Ann Mah which was hosted at The American Library in Paris this week. It was a fascinating conversation where they interviewed each other and then entertained questions from the audience….
Earlier this week I escaped the frigid temperatures of New England and landed in Paris. The warmer temps, while no means that warm, feel practically balmy. It’s a relief to walk outside with only one pair of gloves on at a time. So, I flew from…
Brian Pfeiffer recently returned to Paris and, while waiting for pesky things such as a travel visa to be approved, he bided his time scouring the city for pastries. His taste in food and architecture is impeccable plus he has an uncanny ability to ferret…
Marché Jourdan is a new open-air food market in Paris. For at least 40 years, Parisians living in the 14th arrondissement near Porte d’Orléans have clamored for a market of their own. Now they finally have one. It’s thanks to Pascal Cherki, the mayor of the…
