The Far Side of Paris
“Very often Paris is considered a museum-city, frozen in its elegant Haussmanian avenues, monuments, and upscale districts…..But when you stray from the beaten track, you realize this is not the case at all: Paris innovates and reinvents itself every day.” – Nicolas...
My Country Believes in Voter ID
I’ll come out and say it: Voter ID is a good thing. That’s a controversial view in the U.S. But I have seen it work here, not once but for every one of the 10 times I have voted in France. All voters carry their national identification card (a passport will do too)...
Escaping the Center of the Universe
Charlie and I celebrated the phaseout of lockdown recently with a trip to Rouen, a lovely city with a knockout cathedral. The trip was also a reminder that France isn’t just Paris. In the past we’ve traveled widely in our adopted country, but the various COVID...
A Moveable Feast of Paris Demonstrations
Did you ever try to attend several parties in one evening because they all sounded so fun? I was given a similar opportunity via an email from the U.S. Embassy the other day. “Multiple protests on Saturday beginning at noon. Demonstrators are expected on a variety of...
The Inside Story of Paris’s Outdoor Reopening
It was the most-awaited day in France since the pandemic began: Restaurants and cafés could finally open. Closed by government decree since Oct. 26, eating and watering and caffeinating places had survived only by offering takeout, and by a dose of government aid. For...
Paris on the Edge
I made my third circuit around Paris the other day. The first, a few years ago, was on foot, over 16 weekend days. The second, just after the second COVID lockdown ended last fall, was by bike. This trip was on the Paris tram system, which encircles almost all of the...
America’s Great Big Express Lane
Much of what’s good about America can be found at the grocery store. Like many long-term residents abroad, Charlie and I experience reverse culture shock when we go back to the U.S. We marvel at the width of the highways and their broad medians as we drive away from...
Building for the Renaissance
Until the pandemic, I never associated the word "hope" with the word "construction." But my wanderings around Paris show that people are investing money and time in businesses that are not even allowed to operate now. It's a sign they believe this will all end before...
The Bouquinistes of Paris Talk Their Book
Paris’s riverside booksellers have had to be tough to make it through the 500+ years they’ve been in business. Kings censored or outlawed them multiple times and wars shut them down. They’ve always come back to set up their green-metal stalls along the Seine. The...
At a Snail’s Pace
Originally published in The American Scholar On the evening of March 6, 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, went to the theater. They saw a performance of Par le Bout du Nez, By the Tip of the Nose, about a French president who has an itch...