Posts by Michael Westra
Le Grand Colbert, 2nd arr.
2, rue Vivienne, 75002 / 33 1 42 86 87 88 Just North of the Palais Royal, Le Grand Colbert has been popular for decades. Its fame received an added bump in 2004 when it was the backdrop for Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson’s final scene in Something’s Gotta Give. The rush of tourists occasioned…
Read MoreL’Absinthe 1st arr.
PLACE DU MARCHÉ SAINT-HONORÉ, 75001 /+33 1 49 26 90 04 24 On a hidden square in the heart of the 1st Arrondissement, this modern bistro is part of Michelin-Chef Michel Rostang’s constellation of wonderful eateries. French cuisine with an international twist and a relaxed atmosphere. We have never been disappointed here. There’s even a…
Read MoreA TALE OF FOUR HARRYS
Any Paris expat or tourist worth his/her salt has a personal acquaintance with, or at least a passing knowledge of, HARRY’S New York Bar. This inconspicuous saloon in the shadow of the Paris Opera has played host to a pantheon of celebrities and an unending stream of tourists since opening its doors 110 years ago.…
Read MoreOn the Hunt for Hemingway
On December 22, 1921, a young Ernest Hemingway and his new bride, Hadley, arrived in Paris. He was 22, she was eight years his senior. He was penniless, she had a small inheritance. Ernest would call Paris his home, on and off, for the next six years. When he departed in 1928, he had acquired…
Read More“Let them eat brioche.”
With so many great artists, writers, and statesmen, it is not surprising that a wealth of famous quotes from notable Parisians have worked their way into the contemporary lore of Paris. But like so many sayings that are wrongly ascribed to the likes of Shakespeare, Mark Twain or Winston Churchill, many Paris quotations have either…
Read MoreL’Arcane – A dining delight on the Northern Slopes of Montmartre
One of our biggest pleasures on each trip to Paris is the search for new dining experiences. Just prior to departure for our most recent visit I received a note from Susan Carter, a fellow Paris restaurant junkie who lives one county away from me. Susan and her sister make dining pilgrimages to Paris every…
Read MoreMIND YOUR STEP IN PARIS
When conducting my walking tours of Paris I frequently remind my fellow strollers (flâneurs) to LOOK UP, as so much of the city’s architecture, historical signage and grand vistas are missed if people have eyes fixed on the sidewalk immediately before them. That notwithstanding, there are many instances when it does pay to peruse the…
Read MoreDining Amid the “New Art”
In America it was called “The Gilded Age†and the “Gay Ninetiesâ€. In Britain it was the peak of the Victorian and Edwardian Age. In France, it was called La Belle Époque . . . The Beautiful Era. For a few brief decades immediately before and after the turn of the 20th Century, Europe and America…
Read More“Exiled” in St-Germain, PART II
TODAY’S ARTICLE is a follow-up to my previous post which began an exploration of that most quintessential of all Left Bank districts; the Sixth Arrondissement. In this, and periodic posts to follow, we’ll take a closer look at the various neighborhoods of the 6th (there are four of them) and detail pieces of their history…
Read More“Exiled” in St-Germain – Part I
In ancient Rome, the Caesars practiced a special form of punishment on political rivals whom they did not want (or could ill-afford) to have executed, but whom they wanted to be rid of. The punishment: EXILE. The most famous recipient of this brand of imperial justice was Augustus Caesar’s own daughter, Julia. For her treacherous…
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