I Prefer Paris

Trip to Egypt

I’ve been planning a trip to Egypt for many years and finally made it happen in late February.

Since I was going without Vincent, I decided to travel with a planned tour, rather than arranging it myself, and I am very glad I did. There were way too many logistics with fights, buses, and hotels to plan it myself.

I arrived on February 24 in Cairo, and the next eleven days was an extraordinary adventure. In Cairo, I visited the iconic Giza pyramids, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, and the newly opened Grand Museum of Egypt. I then flew down to Aswan and was given a tour of Temple of Philae, followed the next day by a tour of Abu Simbel, which was a 7-hour roundtrip bus ride. It was absolutely worth it, as the two temples in Abu Simbel were carved out of rocks, an almost impossible feat. After getting up at 4:30 in the morning the day before, I had a chance to relax on a Nile cruise going from Aswan to Luxor for three-days. The small but well-appointed boat had an open-air upper deck with comfy lounges, and for the next few hours, I reclined and took in the magnificent scenery. Our ship excursions included more mind-boggling temples and sites such as The Valley of the Kings, the Kom Ombo, the Luxor, the Karnak, and Edfu, which had beautifully painted columns. After so many days of intense site seeing, I ended the trip in Hurghada, with two days at a beach resort on the Red Sea.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.

Azzedine Alaia/Thierry Mugler- 1980-1990 Exhibition

Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaia, friends and sometimes collaborators, shaped the fashion world of the 1980s and early 1990s, with their daring and form fitting clothes, accenting the shoulders with their enormous shoulder pads that became synonymous with the period.

Mugler, who was already established, asked Alaia to design a line of tuxedos for his fall/winter 1979 collection.  Happy with the results, Mugler encouraged Alaia to design his own line, and helped him set up his business. In 1982, Alaia was invited to by Bergdorf Goodman in New York, for his first runway show. Mugler and Alaia remained friends over the decades and influenced each other.

The new show at Azzedine Alaia Gallery, Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler1980-1990- Two Decades of Artistic Affinities, exhibits the the best of the of both designers’ collections, side by side. It was fun trying to guess which was which, as their styles were so similar.

Make sure to visit the upstairs gallery, which features a video clip from the 1982 Alaia show at Bergdorf Goodman.

Until June 29, 2025

18 Rue de la Verrerie 75004

https://fondationazzedinealaia.org/en/expositions/30826/

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.

Cafe of the Month, March 2025: City of Light

I’ve added Flat White to my personal coffee menu besides my café noisette, and only specialized coffee shops prepare Flat Whites, along with oat milk. The closest café to my apartment to get a flat white is a 7-minute walk, way too far when you need a caffeine boost ASAP.

About a 6 weeks ago, I saw a sign for the opening of a new coffee shop, City of Light, just across the street from me. Jumping for joy, and waiting with bated breath, they finally opened last week.

City of Light is run and owned by a pleasant couple, Charles and Catalina. Vincent and I ordered a Flat White and a Cortado, and a few minutes later, Charles brought the coffee in ceramic cups to our table on a handsome wood tray. The flavor was rich and satisfying and the foam done just right. We had a fudge-alicious brownie but they also have cinnamon rolls, croissants, and pain au chocolat. 

The interesting décor has curved, burgundy colored, curved banquettes with small, round tables in front. In the rear of the café, is an intimate room, with a long, wraparound, upholstered bench, perhaps for private or small groups.

City of Light also sells their own brand coffee beans, sourced from Mexico, Brazil, and Ethiopia.

This is Charles and Catalina’s first coffee shop, and I wish them good luck.

3 rue Mahler, 75004

Metro: Saint Paul

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.

 

 

Schiaparelli Boutique Place Vendome

Designer Elsa Schiaparelli, an Italian noble, opened her first boutique in 1935, on the tony Place Vendome, rubbing elbows with the Ritz Paris and Van Cleef and Arpels.

After her success with a Dali collaboration, perfume, jewelry, and notable fashion designs veering into surrealism, the house fell on hard times and shuttered in 1954.

In 2019, Schiaparelli, hired designer Daniel Roseberry, to be the creative director, and the house has flourished again since his appointment. Roseberry infuses the same artistic flair, spirit, and humor that Elsa Schiaparelli created, but puts an updated spin on it for the 2000’s.

I visited the boutique on Place Vendome last month, which is on the second and third floors of the building. The second floor is for haute couture, by appointment only, and the third floor is ready to wear, shoes, jewelry, and accessories, where an appointment is preferred but not essential. I was brought into the chicly designed salon to wait for a salesperson to escort me through the boutique, andshe then offered something to drink.

The salesperson shared the history of the brand and the newly designed boutique, walking me through the various rooms, while I marveled at the sexy gowns, genius jewelry, gorgeous shoes, and the fabulous furniture. The design is inspired by the original boutique designed by Robert Frank with pieces by Alberto Giacometti. The centerpiece of the middle salon was a stunning daybed that Roseberry designed, and if I had my way, I would have taken a nap in it.

 21 Place Vendome, 75001

https://www.schiaparelli.com/en/the-salons-boutique/paris-place-vendome

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.

March 2025 Eye Need to Do’s: Alfred Dreyfus, L'Art de la Rue, Wes Anderson, and Tous Léger

Alfred Dreyfus- Truth and Justice

A new exhibition sheds light on one of the most notorious court trials in France in the late 1800s, The Dreyfus Affair. On Display are 250 archive documents, photographs, film extracts and some sixty works including artists Gustave Caillebotte, Eugène Carrière, Émile Gallé, Maximilien Luce, Camille Pissarro, Félix Vallotton and Édouard Vuillard, which expand the story of Alfred Dreyfus.

March 13 to August 31, 2025

MAHJ/Jewish Museum of Art and History

71 rue de Temple, 75003

https://www.mahj.org/en/programme/alfred-dreyfus-truth-and-justice-31373

L'Art de la Rue

Paris street posters are given the star treatment, with a collection of over 300 illustrated posters on display from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Posters are by well-known artists Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha, Pierre Bonnard, and Edouard Vuillard.

From March 18th to July 6th, 2025

Musée D’Orsay

https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/whats-on/exhibitions/art-street

Wes Anderson

Director Wes Anderson, known for his unique visual style, is being feted in Paris. Costumes, set pieces, personal belongings, film clips, and accessories celebrated Anderson’s artistry.

March 19 to July 27, 2025

Cinémathèque Française

51 Rue de Bercy, 75012

https://www.cinematheque.fr/wes-anderson-l-exposition.html

Tous Léger

Works from two major collections of some of the greatest, 20^th century avant-garde artists, from the South of France are being shown in Paris. Over 100 pieces from artists Niki de Saint Phalle, Arman, Yves Klein, Raymond Hains, Martial Raysse, and César, mixed with American artists Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring, examine the playfulness of the period.

From March 19 to July 20, 2025

Musée du Luxembourg

https://museeduluxembourg.fr/en/agenda/evenement/tous-leger

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you, my insiders, Paris.