Heidi Ellison
Hôtel de la Marine
A New Paris Museum
Built by a king, emptied by revolutionaries and then taken over by the French Ministry of the Navy for over two centuries, the palatial Hôtel de la Marine has opened its doors to the public for the first time in … Read More
Habile Restaurant
Designer Dining
I’m on a roll! After discovering the restaurant L’Oyat last week during a walk down Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, I have found another brand-new spot, Habile, not far away, on Rue Château d’Eau. This time I was attracted by … Read More
Paris Update Press Review
This Week's Good Reads about Paris and France
Grand Palais Éphémère An impressive temporary structure facing the Eiffel Tower has been built on the Champs de Mars to house some of the functions of the Grand Palais, including art fairs and Olympic judo and wrestling competitions in 2024, … Read More
Eugène Atget: Voir Paris
Balzac of the Camera
I fell in love with Eugène Atget’s photos of Paris long before I ever set foot on French soil when a friend gave me a book of his pictures many years ago. I couldn’t get enough. While I have seen … Read More
L’Oyat Restaurant
Post-Lockdown Revelation
I usually choose a restaurant to review each week by looking at my list of recommendations from friends and from press reviews, then try to get a reservation in one of them (often most difficult for the more popular ones). … Read More
Paris Update Press Review
This Week's Good Reads about Paris and France
The return of Arsène Lupin An interview with Omar Sy, the charismatic star of the popular Netflix series Lupin, talks about his huge international success and dealing with racism in France. (The Guardian) Frenchman wins International Booker Prize David Diop‘s … Read More
Salammbô
Art Imitates Life Imitates Art
The lovely Musée des Beaux-arts in Rouen is celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of its famed native son Gustave Flaubert with a clever exhibition based on his historical novel Salammbô. Why Salammbô and not the much more famous Madame … Read More
Eats Thyme Restaurant
Lebanese Light
I’m not sure if this is a strictly Parisian phenomenon or if it happens everywhere, but Paris is full of restaurants and food shops owned by former bankers or other high-paid professionals who became fed up with their gilded cage … Read More
Paris Update Press Review
This Week's Good Reads about Paris and France
Adopt a gargoyle Anyone can contribute any amount to the restoration of Notre Dame’s treasures after the great fire by donating to the Friends of Notre Dame’s fundraising campaign. (Hyperallergic) Call My Agent star reveals all Liliane Rovère, who played … Read More
Musée Carnavalet
Revamped Home for Treasures of Paris History
Anyone who loves Paris has to love the Musée Carnavalet, the museum of the city’s history, located in part in the stately 16th-century mansion in the Marais once occupied by one of its pre-eminent citizens, the famous aristocratic letter-writer Madame … Read More