I had a déclic—a realization—recently, while riding the 92 bus home from my weekly doubles tennis game: An amazing proportion of my Paris life, and Charlie’s, has happened within eyeshot of this line. My association began in the summer of 1977, when I had a journalism...
Grieving for a departed husband is no walk in the park. But a walk in the park helps. I’d been unsure how I’d feel when I returned to Paris after Charlie’s passing. We’d lived here full-time for 27 years, and only transferred to the U.S. because the advanced cancer...
I just proved it’s possible to walk through a large section of Paris without seeing a single Haussmanian building. That is, the architectural style that embodies the city: cream-colored stone, grilled balcony railings, ornate decorations. This wasn’t Francie’s and my...
He sleeps surrounded by gilded artwork. The remnants of his power are all around: his minions nearby, the names of the battles he fought posted everywhere. A golden statue, right arm raised, depicts him in regal fashion. An enormous triumphal arch commissioned by him...
I like to explore the outer edges of Paris to see the new, the modern, the unexpected. Walking along the Canal de l’Ourcq gave me that, and also some Paris history. The canal starts in the 19th arrondissement at Bassin de la Villette, which collected water from the...
I knew as soon as I saw the apartment that we should buy it. Not because of how it looked. It was nice enough, but needed a total redo of the space. What really sold me was what I saw out the window. Across the way, a woman was doing calisthenics–on her balcony....
