I Prefer Paris

Paris Photo Potpourri

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind with my tour clients. I’ve been to the tops of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, the hills of Montmartre, across the Pont Neuf, sailed on a Seine cruise, walked the quaint streets of Saint Germain des Pres at night, and explored the funky, fun Southern Pigalle. 

Two of my clients were photographers, so it gave me extra license to take more photos that usual. 

Here’s a compilation of the photos. Do you have some favorites? 

I am excited to have my first article about my favorite café in Paris posted on the Save the Paris Café website. 

Click here to read. 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

 

The First Great Exhibition of Fall 2019: Carte Blanche a Hassan Hajjaj

The Paris cultural calendar for fall 2019 is crammed with stellar exhibitions, concerts, opera, music, plays, and film. 

The first must-see exhibition is Carte Blanche a Hassan Hajjaj at MEP/Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, a photography museum in the Marais.

Moroccan born artist Hassan Hajjaj, who lives between London and Morocco, was given carte blanche to fill the three-story museum with his imagery. The stunning photos are a bold, bright, and beautiful celebration of Moroccan people and their culture, style and spirit. The riot of color and texture is sometimes overwhelming in a good way, where I had to spend a long time looking at each image to capture its full intensity. Notice in the photos below the clever framing in which colorful cans and jars of food line the outside border. The museum has also enhanced the mood of the photos by painting the walls in complementary colors. 

One series titled, Vogue: The Arab Issue, is an imagined photo spread of Moroccan women wearing traditional djellabas, hijabs, and kaftans but styled in a Vogue-like way with the women posing as western super models. 

In another series, Hajjaj shoots portraits that are a tribute to his friends and heroes- belly, dancers, tattoo artists, chefs, singers, boxers, and shop keepers.

Kesh Angels is a provocative series of henna-tattoo artists portrayed as tough, badass women on Hells Angels style motorbikes. The series later inspired a feature film by Hajjaj, Karima: A Day in the Life of Henna Girl. 

Please put Carte Blanche a Hassan Hajjaj at the top of your cultural to do list this fall. 

Carte Blanche a Hassan Hajjaj –Until November 11, 2019 

MEP/Maison Europeenne de la Photographie

5/7 Rue de Fourcy – 75004

Metro: St. Paul 

Open Wedsnesday to Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday 

https://www.mep-fr.org/event/maison-marocaine-de-la-photographie/

Do you think I could pull off this look? 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

 

Oh So Punk Rive Gauche at Le Bon Marché

The ever so chic Le Bon Marché has gone punk. The late 70s/early 80s cultural, fashion, and music phenomenon Punk Rock started in England and forty years later is being celebrated in Paris. 

The Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, The Ramones, and David Bowie were the musical super stars of the punk movement and at Le Bon Marché they encourage shoppers to reveal their inner punk by making and recording your own music with lifestyle brand Lola James Harper. You can also listen to vinyl records, get a custom piercing from Maria Tash, design your own punk style T-shirt with a workshop by Notify, and cover your leather jacket with badges by Godert Me. 

Fashion designers have come on board with their versions of punk including Tods studded loafers, animal prints by Andamane, ripped jeans by ELV Denim plus jewelry from Girls Crew,Maria Black, Lisa C and Atelier Paulin. 

The fun window displays feature colored animals with mohawks. 

I dare you to get a Mohawk! 

I also took shots of the fun street posters with dogs, kids, and adults doing there punk thing. 

Oh So Punk 

Until October 20 

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche 

24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007

https://www.24s.com/en-fr/le-bon-marche/vu-au-bon-marche/so-punk 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

 

Portraits du Grand Siècle du Marais

While walking in my neighborhood last week I kept seeing beautifully painted street art portraits with the title- Portraits du Grand Siècle du Marais. 

Upon further research I discovered that the mayor of the fourth arrondissement, Ariel Weil, invited renowned street artist Christian Guémy alias C215 to paint a series of portraits of the great figures in French history who lived in the Marais during the 17^th century. This period was the golden age of the Marais in terms of culture and art, and it was also the seat of political power. Starting with the reign of King Henry IV, from 1589 to 1610, the Marais became the cultural, intellectual, and social hub of Paris. The first literary salons were held in the grand mansions of the Marais inhabited by Paul Scarron and his wife, Françoise d'Aubigné, Madame de Sevigne and Madame de Maintenon. Other powerful figures of the period include Maximilian of Bethune, Duke of Sully, the Princess of Soubise, mistress of Louis XIV, and François Mansart, architect of the King Louis XIV and later Louis Le Vau. 

The portraits are cleverly mounted on public electric boxes painted brown all around the third and fourth arrondissement. Below is a list of addresses and names of the boxes if you would like to view them. 

1. Henri IV : à retrouver 15 boulevard Henri IV - 75004

2. Louis XIII et Ninon de l'Enclos : à retrouver 7 rue du Pas de la Mule - 75004

3. Maximilien de Béthune, Duc de Sully : à retrouver 47 rue Saint-Antoine - 75004

4. Mme de Sévigné : à retrouver 34 rue de Sévigné - 75004

5. Madeleine de Scudéry : à retrouver 2 rue du Temple - 75004

6. Mme de Montespan : à retrouver Place Monique Antoine - 75004

7. Mme de Maintenon et Paul Scarron : à retrouver 51 rue de Turenne - 75003

8. Simon Vouet : à retrouver 98 rue Saint-Antoine - 75004

9. François Mansart : à retrouver 8 rue Payenne - 75004

10. Salomon de Brosse : à retrouver Place Saint-Gervais - 75004

11. Molière et Pierre Corneille : à retrouver face au 28 quai des Célestins - 75004

12. Princesse de Soubise : à retrouver 41 rue des Archives - 75004

13. Philippe de Champaigne : à retrouver Place Saint-Gervais - 75004

14. François Couperin dit "Le Grand" : à retrouver 25 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe - 75004

15. Charles Le Brun : à retrouver 1 quai aux Fleurs – 75004

Click here to download map and other info

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

 

Paris Duck Store

Just when I thought I had seen every type of one item shop come and go, another unexpected one pops up. In past years I’ve discovered shops for just honey, creampuffs, Madeleines, jelly, candles, foie gras, eclairs, halvah, and antique keys.

The newest member of the one item only club is the Paris Duck Store. Passing by the Paris Duck Store during a recent Montmartre tour with one of my clients, the store only sells rubber ducks. The vast selection of 350 of the beloved bathtub toys line the shelves of the adorable shop. 

Perusing the shelves with fascination and sometimes glee, I spotted Napoleon, Prince, Marilyn Monroe, Uncle Sam, super heroes, cows, the Statue of Liberty, the gay rainbow flag, and Sargent Pepper. If I had more time, I probably would have discovered many more pop culture figures in rubber. 

The first Duck Store was launched in Amsterdam in 2015. The ducks are made with the highest quality CE certified raw material and the designs are inspired by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. 

Lucky ducks can schedule an appointment at the boutique to customize their own duck with a logo, initials, and special design. 

Paris Duck Store 

9 rue Yvonne le Tac, 75018 

Metro: Abbesses or Anvers 

Open everyday 10:30AM-7PM 

https://parisduckstore.fr/

Is that KISS on the right? 

If you love salted butter caramels, please watch my newest A Bite of Paris video about Henri Le Roux, the man who actually invented the salted butter caramel.

Click here to watch or link below

https://youtu.be/Am22oSA_UYc

Please remember to hit the LIKE button if you like it and SUBSCRIBE button to subscribe to my channel. 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.