When I first arrived in Paris, I tried to avoid the Parisian métro as much as I possibly could. The horror stories I had heard about people getting their valuables stolen, the stations smelling worse than most bathrooms and the crazy amount of people all fighting for a spot during rush hour made me keep… …read more
One of the many great things about living in Paris is the French approach to relaxation. Around here, it’s serious business. Everyday events that would strike most of us as de rigeur — traffic jams, inhospitable weather, waiting one’s turn in line — can cause mini-attacks of le stress for Parisians, […] …read more
“Mommy, I want to go to Paris again!” This is not a typical wish you’d hear from a three year old. But for my daughter, it’s a constant desire. After spending three amazing months in the city this year, not a single day passes by without a mention of Paris in our innocent conversation. Beaubourg… …read more
Oh, Paris, you fooled me again. When I’m away – whether in Boston, L.A. or San Francisco – la vie en rose beckons, making other cities look shabby by comparison. So much so that I forget real life here […] …read more
Making Magique & Janellie During my recent visit to the U.S., my sister told everyone that I live in Paris just to marvel at their reactions. “Just stick a dagger in my heart, why don’t you,” came the response from a cosmetics salesman. “I’d give anything to live in Paris…” It garnered me bonus points… …read more
Carin Olsson Popelini is a little slice of heaven that specializes in something oh so precious…. choux à la crème. I had passed their adorably lit storefronts many a time, thinking to myself, gosh, I’ve got to check this place out… I finally popped in to give their cream puffs a taste recently, and I… …read more
In the town where I grew up, there was a small, mostly underwhelming children’s science museum. The best part of it by far was its taxidermy Bengal tiger, which was positioned—perhaps strategically—just around a sharp turn in a hallway. If you turned the corner unaware, it would inevitably scare the bejeezus out of you. And… …read more
Making Magique Having grown up on CVS and Walgreens, the French pharmacy was a revelation to me. Anyone who has ever been lured by the glowing green cross knows that pharmacies in France shill more than medicine and bath staples. They’re cosmetic wonderlands that offer some of the most ingenious—not to mention luxurious—products around. Making… …read more
Carin Olsson I have a friend who goes to the supermarket with a set budget and sensible shopping list. Not me. I’m a marketers dream. Bright packets of budget biscuits jump into my basket; heavily reduced items beseech me to take them home. Carin Olsson You can’t even imagine what I’m like in the wine… …read more
Last spring, every food-following Parisian had their sights set on one restaurant: Rino. After it opened in February 2010, chef Giovanni Passerini’s cozy, modern bistro quickly became the place for innovative, market-driven fare at reasonable prices. At the time, nearly every review was favorable (if not positively glowing); a year later, we stopped in again,… …read more
