All posts tagged: travel

Reflections on our most significant place in Paris

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For 2017 we’ve decided to reflect on the places in Paris that are the most significant to us, as well as ask some friends for their contributions. Lawrence Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, between Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle and Boulevard de Magenta Here is my favorite bar in the city. It’s called Mauri7, pronounced MORE-ISS-SET, MORE-EES-SET if you’re French.  Here there are beers for average prices and wine for cheap.  It’s two fifty for their house red, which you can ask for without embarrassment, as it should be. In my brokest months, I brought a flask filled with trash whiskey from the Lidl, ordered Coca-Cola and made myself endless mixed drinks that got stronger and stronger. They play good hip-hop.  It’s very busy on weekends.  There is a small smoking area in front cordoned off under a dark awning.  In the warm months it’s packed shoulder to shoulder, and a stocky bouncer polices its boundaries.  I saw him at the Franprix on Boulevard de Magenta once, but I didn’t speak to him – what was I …

Amsterdam

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                Coffee & Coconuts Ceintuurbaan 282-284, 1072 LR Amsterdam Possibly my favorite café in the world, I came to Coffee & Coconuts twice over a 3-day trip in Amsterdam. People seeking inspiration, a place to write/read/sketch/think, will find it here with the beanbag cushions, the hanging tables, the old theater-converted to a coffee shop venue, the sheer size of the place and of course, the coconut water you can drink straight from a young coconut! – A Van ‘t Spit http://vantspit.nl/ It’s not a café or a museum, but I can only describe the roast chicken at Van ‘t Spit as a spiritual experience. You have to wait for a good hour (maybe even two) before getting a table, but it’s more than worth it. My friend described the two chefs (twin brothers) as born on this earth to give us one gift and that gift was their roast chicken. The comfort level of this food, that satisfied feeling of eating well without eating too much, may inspire …

Marché Aux Puces (Flea Market) de la Porte de Vanves

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Paris is famous for its flea markets and all the wonderful treasures to be found within them. We’ve written before about the pop-up brocantes (or mini flea markets) that happen almost every weekend rotating around various neighborhoods. But for the best finds it can be better to focus on the city’s larger markets, usually more of a time commitment due to location and size, but definitely worth the effort. The largest and most well known flea market is probably the Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen, located just outside the city’s border near Porte de Clignancourt. It offers a mini village of individual vendors selling things ranging from antique furniture to vintage magazines, clothing and so much more. This market is truly an experience, and offers such a variety of items that it can definitely be worth the trip. One of our favorite markets in the complex is the Jules Vallès Market where there are a lot of well-priced finds to be had. That said, our recent impression of this market is that it’s become overpriced and a …

Paris in August

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Spending August in Paris and not sure how to survive the boulangerie closings, the Parisian exodus and the empty streets? Don’t worry, we have your back! Below are some of our suggestions to keep your creative juices and morale up in the midst of a Parisian August. Picnics No summer in Paris (let alone August) is complete without a few full-fledged picnics, lying out into the late afternoon on a towel, drinking picnic wine (aka cheap rosé or white) and running your bare feet through the grass. Some of our favorite spots — Buttes Chaumont (bonus: it’s open all night this summer), Canal de la Villette (if you prefer no grass), Jardin des Plantes, Square du Vert Galant. Courtyard of the Swedish Institute A new favorite summer spot, the courtyard of the Swedish Institute in the 4th offers free lawn chairs (in exchange, you have to check out a book from their pop-up library with an ID). Their stand serves up bagels, cinnamon rolls and refreshingly cold iced tea. If you lay back and open …

Montparnasse: A Guide Inspired by The Dud Avocado

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Inspired by one of our favorite books about Paris, we decided to spend an afternoon in the Montparnasse neighborhood, formerly a happening bohemian scene in the 1920s and then again in the late 1950s. Now less of a nightlife destination, we were curious to see what the area still has to offer and also to check out the hotspots of Sally-Jay Gorce, the book’s young American protagonist. Although The Dud Avocado is a work of fiction, it’s based on the reality of this once booming left bank neighborhood and the lives of the creative, free spirits who spent time there. Settling in with tea at her go-to bar, Le Select, we tried to imagine the environment as it was 60 years ago– filled with intriguing artists, French regulars sweating out their drinks, and East Coast crossovers. “The waiters at the Select comported themselves with that slightly theatrical mixture of charm, complicity and contempt that one would expect from servants in Hell.” pg. 93 The Dud Avocado Explore the neighborhood in the present: – Pay a pilgrimage to …

Take the Metro to a random stop

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Sometimes a random adventure is the best way to discover the best parts of a city! For this prompt, use the public transportation system as a guide and pick a random stop you’ve never been to. Get off there and walk in one direction for 10-15 minutes recording what you see with either photos or writing. Take notes on your impressions of the area, the people there, and use your observations to create a neighborhood profile. You might be surprised at what you find! Most of the world’s big cities have comprehensive public transportation systems, and riding them is a great way to explore and get to know the area. Remember: many of our ideas can be done in any urban environment! Nora: Metro stop: Porte de la Villette (Line 7) The edges of Paris next to the Blvd Périphérique are often neglected and overlooked as just the transition zones between the city and its surrounding suburbs. But recently more interesting spots have been popping up and make the trip to the outskirts worth it. I …

Best Winter activities to do in Paris

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When it’s cold, rainy and grey in Paris, it can be hard to feel motivated to go outside and do things. Here are just a few ideas of some indoor activities for the Winter time. 1. Explore Paris’ covered galleries (les passages couverts) Dating back to the 18th and 19th century, these glass roofed shopping galleries offer shelter from the rain and transport you to a different time. Wander through Galerie Vivienne and adjacent Galerie Colbert absorbing the elegant architecture, mosaic floor, and chic boutiques. Be sure to check out A Priori Thé in Galerie Vivienne. One of the best places in Paris for cream tea and real scones.           2. Drink mint tea at the Paris Mosque Just across the street from the Jardin des Plantes in the 5e arrondissement is La Mosquée de Paris and its restaurant and tea room. The tea room is a very popular spot where waiters bring around 2€ cups of steaming hot, sugary mint tea. For those with a real sweet tooth, you can also choose traditional …

Museum Musings

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Ekphrasis: a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art (Merriam-Webster) For this creative adventure we decided to take a classic Paris activity–a museum visit– and get something more out of it than just looking at some pretty art. We asked ourselves: How do we best engage with a museum? How do we really get impacted and inspired by it?  How do we really feel a work of art? Prompt:  Pick a museum with an exhibition that interests you or somewhere you’ve never been. Take some time to explore and notice what artworks jump out at you, instead of scanning through the entire exhibit. Try to sit with the work of art that speaks to you most for 20 minutes or more and let your mind wander. If feeling inspired, take it a level further and pull out a notebook. Sketch the painting or simply write free-associations that come to mind, something you could turn back to later as a seed for a poem or short story. Our creative adventure: We chose …

Market, Moules, Meat, and More

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For this week’s creative adventure we decided to get inspired by one of Paris’ largest and most celebrated outdoor food markets and challenge ourselves in the kitchen. Dinner party challenge: Think about a recipe or dish that holds some meaning for you. What is a dish that you’ve always wanted to make but have been too scared to try? Or the meal that your parents made for you growing up that instantly transports you back home? Don’t plan a meal that you know you have perfected. Challenge yourself instead to cook a dish that will make you feel something, be it nostalgia or pride. Make a day out of your dinner by shopping for ingredients at a local market (where prices are cheaper and food is fresher than in chain grocery stores). Wander around the stalls looking for not just any parsley, but “the most beautiful parsley” (as our favorite vegetable guy described it). Turn off your phone and take your time. Market Recommendation: The Marché Bastille takes place weekly on Thursdays and Sundays from …

Window Sketch

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For this creativity break, take a picture of a window that you like visually or that intrigues you in some way. Maybe it’s a window you pass daily, or one that stands out in an unfamiliar area. Write a short character sketch about who you think lives inside, what they do, or what goes on behind the window. It can be a more formalized short story, or simply a free form writing exercise in imagination. bonus: send us your photo and text and we’ll publish a collection of window sketches from around the world!  Nora: Behind the orange and white striped windows lived Cornelius. He spent his days selling popcorn at a movie theater, and at night he chain smoked, wrote bad poems, and sometimes tried to paint in search of the romanticized “starving artist in paris” life he had read about so many times. He’d been squatting in this abandoned building for 3 weeks, eating tuna out of a can, and trying not to start a fire with the candles scattered all over the room–so far …