The Final Word

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." -Ernest Hemingway

My sentiments exactly.

Paris, Best Of

Living in a place, you inevitably start to carve out your niche; the places and things that become your memories, your backdrops, your landscapes. Paris has no shortage of picturesque settings, cool cafés and neighborhood hangouts. But these are some of my favorites. And just some of the many things I'll be back for...

Museum: Le musée du quai Branly

Green gardens that overflow onto the building, a unique collection of indigenous art, a great café and the best free library around. Plus AC. Say what.

Café: Les Editeurs (4, carrefour de l'Odéon)

Coffee and books in the peak of literary elegance.




















Park: Jardin de Luxembourg

Bring a book, a picnic, or your ipod, lay out, spread out, and cozy up to people watch, sky gaze and just chill out. Oh yeah and skip the Museum.

Neighborhood to Wander: The Marais

Jewish deli's, window shopping, stylish men. What's not to love?

5 € Lunch: Pitzman's falafel (12 rue Pavée)

Daily Bread: Eric Kayser

Time & Place: Sunset on the Seine

Splurge: Hot Chocolate at Angélina (226 rue de Rivoli)

Au Revoir Paree

Paris, it's month 11 and the end of our love affair is near. Like any couple, we had our ups and downs, our moments of fervent passion followed by those of bitter hatred, but I think overall we had a good run. So, it's time to take a step back and reflect on the hots and not-so-hots of life in the city of lights...

Hots:
- Culture (The plethora of activities (museums, parks, concerts, etc.) still gives me butterflies.)
- Student Discounts (Yay for being young in a city that believes you shouldn't have to pay for anything if you are under 26)
- Relaxin' (Lingering 2 hours over a cup of coffee, or dining with friends until the wee hours of the morning is a lifestyle pace I'm going to miss dearly)
- Public Transportation (Easy, affordable, the city at your doorstep, and the best of all no LA traffic)

Not-so-Hot:
- Parisian Superiority Complex (Would it really hurt to fake a smile every now & then?)
- Metro Stikes (Like the boy who cried wolf, striking every single week for being "agressed" kind of makes it seem like you are just being babies. Or don't want to work.)
- Dogs Pooping on Sidewalks and Men Peeing in the Streets (I just don't get it)
- No Airconditioning? (Say it with me... climatisation. Why is it so hard? Ok, at least give me ice in my drink.)

The French Haircut

Any girl who has ever lived in Paris and needed to get a haircut knows what I'm talking about when I say that I was a bit apprehensive to undergo the scissors. While French women are undeniably chic and fashionable in terms of attitude and clothes, hair and make-up seem to go by the general adage of the less attention paid, the better. Despite my best efforts to defy nature and wait a year to go back to California for a cut, I finally broke down and decided it was time for une coupe de cheveux. Nearly everyone I talked to had the same reaction... Eeek. Eeew. Good luck! The most common response was "Don't tell them your hair is too thick." Followed by mullet horror stories galore. But I figured at the very least it is something that grows back and I have gotten bad cuts before and it wasn't the end of the world. Or at least the end of the world only ever lasted a few days before being rescued by a ponytail. There is a cute salon by my flat that I regularly pass on my way to the metro called Francois B on Rue des Acacias, and I thought it was a good sign that I usually liked the cuts I saw coming out of the salon. With a special price for those under 26 (only 29 Euros compared to the regular 58 for long hair), I decided to book myself an appointment and give it a go. I feel like I need to share my experience with everyone I know, because from start to finish it was painless and dare I say fun? And the best part is that I came out with exactly what I asked for... simple, not too short, nothing crazy, and please, please, please, no mullet. The man who owns the salon, Francois, who trained with Frederic Fekkai, was the one who gave me my cut after I was shampooed and conditioned by one of his assistants. He joked with me about my French and showed me the special "etoile technique" which he boasts you won't find in the states. I was in and out in about 30 minutes, no fuss, no stress, and passed a good time indeed. So if I ever find myself back in Paris with some unruly locks in need of taming, I feel much better knowing Francois has got my back. And my hair for that matter.

Remembering D-Day

It's that time of year again, the anniversary of the débarquement of Normandy, and this year just happens to be the 65th. Rumor has it Obama is going to make a cameo on the beaches and the American Cemetery tomorrow, and while I will not be there to welcome him, my Dad and I did get a chance to visit a few weeks ago. We took the train from Paris up to Caen, where we rented a car and drove to various points of interest. We began with the Memorial Museum in Caen which was filled with a chronological history of the war, collected photographs, and assorted objects like letters, press announcements and soldier's uniforms. (Very informative, although a bit expensive.) We then drove to Omaha Beach, where we roamed the shores and had ourselves a picnic while we watched the waves roll in. The American Cemetery was the last stop of our trip, where there is quite an impressive museum (which is free to the public along with the cemetery) and of course the overwhelming effect of looking out at all of the white crosses, lined up one after the other as far as the eye can see. It was both an educational and moving journey, that really made me appreciate our shared history with France (and the rest of Europe of course) and the fact that I have not had to live through a war like that. So tomorrow while Obma is honoring the memory of this important historical event, I will be too, especially the fact that it has passed.

Technology Deprived

So my MacBook crashed and my telephone is broke, and while I go through the jitters of technology withdrawals, I have been greedily seeking out alternate ways of "staying connected". Luckily, my luck in that department is gradually improving and I have found various internet cafes with descending hourly rates (the best being Milk (don't ask), just off of Metro Chatelet for 3.90€/hr) But, glorious bargain seeker that I am, today I discovered that the Centre Pompidou library offers free public internet access in intervals of 40 minutes! Yes, you have to line up and wait usually around 10 minutes, but that is a small price to pay for gloriously gratuit websurfing. On the upside of this mostly frustrating venture, I have discovered a whole new underbelly of Parisian culture; the glaze-eyed gamers who sit intensly at their cavernous cubicles shooting imaginary gunmen in the midst of cyber wars. Fun fun.

Awesome Museum Alert

I'm back in Paris and before I delve into the magic that was Madrid and my trip with Dad, I thought it was worth mentioning that I discovered a new museum in Paris that just might be my new favorite. Musée du quai Branly is located just near the Eiffel Tower, and I hadn't heard anything about it until spotting posters for a Jazz exhibit over the past few months. I finally had the time to go and check it out and was pleased to discover that there is much more to rave about than this fabulous temporary expo, Le siècle du Jazz, that chronicles the evolution of jazz (and ends Saturday, so if you haven't seen it I would highly recommend heading over there sometime soon!). By fortuitous coincidence, my visit Sunday just happened to fall an hour before they were featuring a free jazz concert with the famous sax player Steve Potts. Of course I stayed, and the ensuing ensemble between him and contrebassist Jean-Jacques Avenel was the best jazz I have ever seen live. Even if it was tucked away in the library of the museum and I had to sit cross legged on the floor for a good view. Definitely worth it. This peaked my curiosity about the museum and I picked up their brochure which features a whole host of free public lectures, performances, dance concerts, and debates. They even host a brunch the first Saturday of every month and have tons of activities for kids. But perhaps my favorite thing about the museum was the unique permanent collection which is a nice break from all of the standard religious art and impressionist paintings, that while beautiful, I have certainly had my fill of while touring Europe. Their collection is a unique assortment of music, tapestry, clothing, carved statues, masks, and other objects all of which give insight into indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. My imagination was bursting with excitement as I wandered around, feeling as though I were 10 again, exploring the Southwestern US in my family's motor home with my Native American loom. Um, maybe you have to be me to understand that reference. Anyways, also worth mentioning is the museum's architecture and gardens. Very "green" and if you go visit, you will see what I mean.