Paris Suburb, Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Paris is so full of treasures that once I’m there, I don’t like to leave. But last month, the friend of a friend invited me to the cultured suburb of Saint-Germain-en Laye, a half hour from Paris by train. My only regret was that I couldn’t stay in this elegant, medieval city a little longer.

History lovers in particular will want to visit Saint-Germain. French kings François I, Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV have all left their mark on the town; the last made the town’s chateau his main residence from 1661 to 1681. Today the chateau contains the National Museum of Archeology, which houses the world’s largest collection of prehistoric art.

Mozart visited Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1778, staying in the lavish Hôtel de Noailles. This building, built by Hardouin Mansart at the end of the 17th century, is one of the stops on a self-guided walking tour of the city’s historic dwellings. At the beginning of the tour is the birthplace of Claude Debussy, where a small museum contains some of the composer’s personal belongings.

Nabi painter Maurice Denis also lived in Saint-Germain; the museum in his home displays work by Denis, his contemporary Paul Sérusier, and Bonnard, Roussel, Vuillard, and Gaugin. The high point, though, is the 17th century chapel. Entirely designed by Denis and completed in 1928, it is a stunning work of modern art in a beautiful, old world setting.

Complete immersion in the history of Saint-Germain involves an overnight stay at the Château du Val (pictured above). Built as a hunting lodge by Henri IV and later enlarged by Louis XIV, this grand residence with ties to the prestigious Légion d’Honneur sits on the edge of town. Beautifully renovated and appointed, with fabulous food, beautiful gardens, and surprisingly low prices, it’s definitely worth the trip from Paris.

Paris B and B

Staying in a Paris B&B has advantages. You’re greeted by locals, treated to terrific breakfasts, and often have the run of the house.

Françoise Foret started Alcôve & Agapes—the first B&B service in Paris—in 1998, and the company has flourished. She arranges lodging for visitors from all over the world.

Take the time to go through her listings, and you’ll find wonderful surprises: the house and gardens of a well known jazz musician; spacious accommodations on Ile St Louis; a suite that was formerly an artist’s atelier.

Photos and text provide good detail on the hosts and the homes. You can search for properties by location, type of accommodation, or by value added services, such as which hosts provide French conversation, dinner, or wine tasting.

Bonne nuit!

Paris neighborhoods: the 14th

When staying in Paris with clients, I choose a centrally located neighborhood. My criteria: a short walk to the Seine, great restaurants and interesting shopping nearby.

When I’m in Paris alone, I venture farther from the center, and often return to the neighborhoods south of Montparnasse. Staying in the 14th or 15th, I forget that Paris is the world’s favorite destination for lovers of art, food, fashion and romance. I focus instead on the joys of everyday living in a culture that I adore.

I wander, with no destination in mind—or I set off with a French guide book in hand, in search of hidden architectural delights. I look for lines at the neighborhood bakeries to determine where to buy my bread and morning croissants. I stop to read restaurant menus, noting tiny places filled at 1:00 and 9:00 with locals.

Here are a few favorite addresses in the 14th.

• Near Métro Pernety, rue de Plaisance and rue Boyer-Barret contain small gardens and courtyards, as well as artisan shops. There is a lovely square at the eastern end of rue Thermopyles, where residents unpack picnics and relax with a book. And Cité Bauer is an architectural delight (see the image above).

• The owner of La Fournée d’Augustine, 96, rue Raymond-Losserand, makes one of the best baguettes in Paris. He won the Grand Prix de la Baguette in 2004, and was runner up in 2003.

• Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson—located in a trim, 5 story building on Impasse Lebouis— beautifully exhibits the photographs of Cartier-Bresson and his contemporaries. The privately owned museum is housed in a former atelier built in 1913 by Molinié.

• Venture two blocks north, to the Métro Gaîté, and you’re in a funky theater district, with thriving restaurants and bars—including the Café Tournesol (Sunflower Café) where tables on the street fill quickly, the colors run to neon, and the music ranges from soul and jazz to funk and techno. 9, Rue de la Gaîté.

What are your favorite addresses in the 14th?

Giverny Update

As part of my research for a spring trip to Paris with gardeners, I recently checked the Giverny website to see what was new. Monet’s home, studio and gardens are closed now, but the website changes often, as does the practical information, such as opening and closing dates.

The site had indeed been updated since my last visit. Navigation has been streamlined—you can plan a visit, buy tickets on line, and find photographs and videos of the gardens more quickly than before.

And speaking of photos, scroll down to the bottom of the home page for glorious new images—photos and videos—of the house and gardens, as well as interesting information about artist residencies that take place at Giverny, and discussion of specific flowers (the latter in French only).

Another improvement to the site is the detail that the secondary navigation makes possible. Click on the “Giverny” tab at the top of the page, and you find beautiful photos of the estate, nicely complemented by text. One page recalls Monet’s planting plans, another discusses his love of Japanese prints.

Select “Monet” and you can read quotations from Monet’s letters to other artists, and a delightful description of the artists and benefactors who have spent time at Giverny (in French).

I’ll send my group to the site before we leave for Paris; with more details under their collective ceintures, they’ll better appreciate being there, and get infinitely more from their time.

Paris via Montreal: Cinemania

One of the ways I relax in Paris is to see French films. This is doubly a treat because many of the films I see never come to the US. Others make it, though they arrive at least a year later.

So I’m really looking forward to Cinemania in Montreal next month. Cinemania is the largest French film festival in the Americas. Many of the greatest names of French cinema as well as young up-and-coming talents are featured at the festival. The 10 day event is like a passport to Paris, minus the jet lag, and at much less cost.

Unlike other major Montreal film festivals, Cinemania features one film at a time, at one venue, the amazing Imperial Cinema. Its large-screen format, always in 35mm, make it wonderful all around.

There is an air of suspense, too. Films aren’t announced until a week before the festival. Fortunately, I have my sources.

I’m teaming up with former independent theater owners and film festival programmers Rick Winston and Andrea Serota. For those who would like an in-depth film experience with a like-minded group, we’re going to provide a weekend of film, food and conversation at the festival, Nov 2-4.

Over the course of the weekend, we’ll see 7 films together (all films have English subtitles), and talk about them in depth. Rick will give background on the films before we go, and he and Andrea will facilitate discussions throughout the weekend. We’ll also recommend lodging and lunch spots near the Imperial, and suggest Montreal activities and addresses for free time.

Our group is limited to 12, and price (discounted until Oct 9) includes tickets and dinners for all 3 days.

Hoping I can tempt you to join us… but in any case, do check out the festival. The experience is sublime!

Off the Beaten Path: Mary Cassatt at the Mona Bismarck American Center

The Mona Bismarck American Center for art and culture, in the 16th, is showing Mary Cassatt in Paris: Prints & Drawings from the Ambroise Vollard Collection.

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), was an American Impressionist who lived in Paris, and is best known for her portrayals of mothers and children.

The goal of the Bismarck Center is to strengthen links between the US and France through exhibits, classes, concerts, and other cultural events held at the center’s townhouse overlooking the Seine, the former residence of philanthropist Mona Bismarck.

Thus, art, architecture, history and international relations all come together in this delightful expo.

Seventy prints, drawings, etchings and aquatints, all purchased from Cassatt by art dealer Ambroise Vollard, not only better acquaint us with her work, but provide a wonderful visual record of her creative process.

Until Jan 20, 2013

 

Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design, for Fashionistas

What do you do when you see a startling new building on the Paris horizon? You ask friends what it’s called. And if they don’t know know?

You ask the kindly older woman on the bus next to you, pointing to the wavelike, green structure on the Left Bank as you cross the Seine.

And if she doesn’t know?

You walk along the river in the 13th, to investigate.

Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design, a sleek concrete and glass space that used to be a dockside warehouse, is dedicated to avant-garde fashion. Designed by Paris architects Jakob+Macfarlane, Les Docks contains classrooms and offices for l’Institut Français de la Mode (the French Fashion Institute), and hosts designer runway shows.

The space also houses a concept store; a boutique; a fabulous upper deck terrasse; a hip café, restaurant and 2 nightclubs; and fashion expos.

Through Oct 7, see “Cristóbal Balenciaga: Collector of Fashion.” This collection of Balenciaga costumes and clothing from the designer’s private collection is stunning, especially in the ubermodern setting.

Also showing: a Rei Kawakubo installation of Comme des Garçon’s 1212 all-white spring/summer collection, “White Drama.”

Three Free, Fun Activities for Kids

The area around Centre Pompidou offers a trio of activities for kids, all of them are free. Plus, family friendly food at good prices.

First is the public space around Centre Pompidou. On nice days, Place Georges Pompidou, the sloped plaza in front of the national modern art museum, is filled with street performers—artists, musicians, mimes and more.

It’s a great place to relax while surrounded by young people of many nationalities. And the building’s inside-out architecture (the building is basically a huge glass box, punctuated by brightly painted pipes and tubes) appeals to kids of all ages.

Beside the museum, at one end of the plaza is Atelier Brancusi. Sculptor Constantin Brancusi arrived in Paris in 1904 after attending the Bucharest School of Fine Arts, and created most of his work in two Montparnasse studios. His second studio has been recreated down to the last detail—with Brancusi’s sculptures, photographs, and tools in place. Panels identify the objects, and admission is free for students and adults. Its size and layout make Atelier Brancusi fun and manageable for young artists.

On the other side of Centre Pompidou is the delightful fountain at Place Stravinsky, with its whimsical sculptures by Nicki de St Phalle and metal mobiles by Jean Tinguely. The fountain is a great backdrop for photos, and there are always a lot of happy kids running around, cooling off beside the sprays of water.

Hungry? Street vendors sell sandwiches and drinks; at the far end of the fountain is Crêperie Beaubourg. They make so many different sweet and savory crêpes that the menu fills a huge blackboard. (Click on the link above to see a video of crêpes being made there.)

Off the Beaten Path – Paris Street Art Tour

If your interest in Paris art extends beyond the museums and into the streets, there is much to see – and a new tour that shows you the best of it.

Paris Street Art tours, run by street artists to promote their art, take place Saturdays at 11am, rain or shine. Tours last 3 hours and are free (tips are accepted).

Street art is much more than graffiti. The movement began in the 1970s when creative minds were filled with political ideas and the city had lots of blank wall space. Early artists, (Némo was one of the first), were called pochoiristes because they made art using pochoirs, or stencils.

Pochoiristes repeat images and engage in visual conversation with one another. Némo’s signature, a man with a bowler hat, for example, is often seen opposite the luminous white man created by Jérôme Mesnager. (Mesnager isn’t really a pochoiriste, because he paints freehand, but you wouldn’t know it to look at the work).

Paris Street Art tours include graffiti and non stencil art, as well as pochoir. They get you off the beaten path, taking you to artist squats and tiny back streets, largely in the Belleville – Ménilmontant area. A recent tour included a changing exhibition space, Le MUR, a wall the city has turned into a competition for street artists.

Hemingway Bar Closes at the Ritz

The Hemingway Bar at the Paris Ritz closed earlier this month, as the hotel prepares for two years of renovations. The bar, which contains the author’s rifle and other memorabilia, has been a gathering place for locals, and a place of literary pilgrimage for visitors to the city.

The Ritz opened in 1898 under the direction of Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz. It was the first Paris hotel to have electricity on all floors, and bathrooms within its rooms.

Renovations won’t greatly change the luxurious, Louis XV style, but will certainly update behind-the-scenes functions, such as air conditioning, heating and plumbing.

The renovation will close more than 100 rooms and suites, as well as L’Espadon restaurant (a Michelin two star), and the Ritz-Escoffier cooking school.

The trendy Ritz Bar has also closed; the Bar Vendôme will be open for lunch, brunch, dinner and high tea through the summer. The hotel will close July 31.