Author Archives: jen

Looking up in the 13th
In parts of the southeastern section of Paris, small white plaster buildings give way to dozens of imposing apartment blocks jostled together. Monotonously repeating structures stretch along city blocks, mixed with buildings coated in lighter filigrees of steel, enormous murals,

Looking up in the 13th
In parts of the southeastern section of Paris, small white plaster buildings give way to dozens of imposing apartment blocks jostled together. Monotonously repeating structures stretch along city blocks, mixed with buildings coated in lighter filigrees of steel, enormous murals,

wooden bricks
I walked into a fundraising sale in a nondescript building, looked down at the floor, and saw these bricks made of wood. They form the floor of the Bastille Design Center, in a building that had been used in the

wooden bricks
I walked into a fundraising sale in a nondescript building, looked down at the floor, and saw these bricks made of wood. They form the floor of the Bastille Design Center, in a building that had been used in the

Blue elephants
Just off a street of bars and hardware stores, this quiet cobblestone path feels like a secret discovery. It’s home to metal workshops, artisans, design studios, and families. And magical items: tropical blue elephants, a plant that could gobble up

Blue elephants
Just off a street of bars and hardware stores, this quiet cobblestone path feels like a secret discovery. It’s home to metal workshops, artisans, design studios, and families. And magical items: tropical blue elephants, a plant that could gobble up

A subtle suggestion from Paris florists
Thank you to Matthew Rose for posting this sign, and Sailor Itis for her always-interesting photos of Paris.

A subtle suggestion from Paris florists
Thank you to Matthew Rose for posting this sign, and Sailor Itis for her always-interesting photos of Paris.

Flaky crusts, organic flour, and…
Boulangeries all over Paris offer little one-bite puffs of pastry coated with big sugar crystals. They’re called chouquettes and are the perfect little snack. Those at a boulangerie on a quiet street in the 19th taste like eggy, sweet, airy

Flaky crusts, organic flour, and…
Boulangeries all over Paris offer little one-bite puffs of pastry coated with big sugar crystals. They’re called chouquettes and are the perfect little snack. Those at a boulangerie on a quiet street in the 19th taste like eggy, sweet, airy

Brave New World
Notre Dame — that’s a big, impressive building. As is the new Fondation Louis Vuitton museum. But just outside Paris, two sets of vast edifices make humans look like tiny, computer-generated characters in science fiction film crowd scenes. These colossal

Brave New World
Notre Dame — that’s a big, impressive building. As is the new Fondation Louis Vuitton museum. But just outside Paris, two sets of vast edifices make humans look like tiny, computer-generated characters in science fiction film crowd scenes. These colossal

Brilliant sunset colors on glass
On a quiet street near the blaring, traffic-filled intersection of Montparnasse, a flourish of bright red and yellow stands out from the usual creams and grays of Paris streets. It’s fantastic. The glass-enclosed building, a super-modern extension of a preserved 1908

Brilliant sunset colors on glass
On a quiet street near the blaring, traffic-filled intersection of Montparnasse, a flourish of bright red and yellow stands out from the usual creams and grays of Paris streets. It’s fantastic. The glass-enclosed building, a super-modern extension of a preserved 1908

It’s your party
Ear-buds and headphones supply our personal soundtracks as we walk through the city. But sometimes a song is So Damn Good I want everyone to hear it. The City of Paris has kindly made that possible under the acoustically pleasing

It’s your party
Ear-buds and headphones supply our personal soundtracks as we walk through the city. But sometimes a song is So Damn Good I want everyone to hear it. The City of Paris has kindly made that possible under the acoustically pleasing

grande bouteille!
Under this bouteille enorme rests an unassuming old café with a 1950s interior and a welcoming, non-hipster, barman. Location: Rou Moufle & Blvd Richard Lenoir, 75011.

grande bouteille!
Under this bouteille enorme rests an unassuming old café with a 1950s interior and a welcoming, non-hipster, barman. Location: Rou Moufle & Blvd Richard Lenoir, 75011.