Author Archives: Sylvia

About Sylvia

Vini, vidi, Paris... I look forward to sharing the fun, flavours and fashion of living in Paris with two teen Parisiennes and Mr French. A true Californian in search of that certain je ne sais quoi, I came to Paris an over weight, under-shod vegetarian. I've since learned to shave my legs, wear a bra, and act like a grown up. A lot of work, but I'm loving it, and my teens are oh so thankful now that I am infinitely less embarrassing.

Advent -2

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After photography, there is graffiti…A few years ago I was on the look out for a very unique, incredibly personal gift idea for Mr French when I came across a post by AnnetteC on Our Paris Forum. Annette, who has a sweet little flat in the 5th that she rents to tourists (there is a gift idea… a flat in Paris), had recently created an utterly memorable terribly romantique gift for her hubby, a bit of street art. I LOVED the idea and wrote if she minded if I did a little copycat. She didn’t mind and I started purring….

While strolling the streets of Paris, Annette had become curious about the street art of the artist Gregos. Gregos creates faces that look like someone is walking through a wall on to the city’s streets. There are three moulds of the face, but each face is individually painted and Gregos welcomes collaborations by other artists. Artists like me, or YOU!!!

For 30€ you can order a plaster of Paris (I know, ironic, hunh?) face from Gregos‘ website. You then paint the face with an idea, theme or inspiration especially for your giftee. Once painted the face is ready to be gifted or have Gregos stick it on a Paris street. He’ll even tell you how you can put it on the streets of YOUR (or the giftee’s) hometown!!!

Not only did Mr French love his mask, but I absolutely loved the expression on his face as we strolled by the Luxembourg Gardens and he noticed a very cool face coming out of the wall, then realized it was dedicated to him. It was another week or so before he understood that I had not just commissioned the face, but that I was actually the artist behind the art. And every time we we’re in the neighborhood, he wants to stroll by, just to check out his face.

The faces truly are art, which makes them collectables, which means they may be stolen. For Mr French I purchased two, had one put up on a wall in his beloved 5th arrondisement and kept the other one for our balcony at home. Which turned out to be a good thing, because after three years, his face was stolen sometime this summer!

Not an artist? Gregos is and you can buy one of his painted faces (135€) on his website. With the Gregos face, you’re supporting the arts, while giving the gift of art, a gift you’re sure will not be one of three identical gifts. If you’re looking for something fun and funky that doesn’t cost more than a tongue and cheek, this is the gift you’ve been looking for…

Advent -1

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My mom was raised by nuns, so you’d think I’d know what Advent was. I don’t, I have no idea and pathetically my curiousity has never been great enough to inspire a google. However, being a chocolate lover, I know EXACTLY what an Advent calendar is and I’ve always wished that I could have my own. Especially today as I stood at the check out line of the Grande Epicerie du Bon Marche, where Mom after Mom purchased handfuls of treat-filled calendars for their brood at home. Well, today, I made it happen, I got my Advent calendar. It is 100% chocolate-free, but I love it even more than chocolate because I can share it with you… Instead of chocolates, you get 100% fat-free, absolutely healthy, gift ideas for the holidays.

GIFT IDEA #1 / Paris Photos

Much to my dismay, friends and family are always clamouring for photos of myself and my kids. I don’t get it, and it makes me feel rather vain, but the fact is that many people love collecting photos of friends and family. This year was particularly special, so I decided to calm the roar and hired the Paris photographer par excellence, Lindsey Kent of Pictours Paris to create Paris moments we could share.

As a once-upon-a-time photographer myself, I am pretty picky. I found Lindsey’s work to be excellent. We had rather unusual requests and Lindsey came up with photos that we’re as quirky and original as we had wanted, while remaining pretty pictures that the Grandpa was happy to receive. You can judge for yourselves…

When I mentioned my Advent calendar idea to Lindsey, she was thrilled. So thrilled that she is offering 15% off of a 1.5 or 2.5 hour photo session in Paris before February 15th. Just mention FindingNoon and remember to Smile!!!!

If this all sounds like an ad, it is not and I assure you, I paid for my photoshoot with Lindsey. I am just a very enthusiastic client who likes sharing a good thing!

Even more of a good thing includes some of the gifts we’ve come up with since the shoot. These are things you could with any photos of places you’ve loved.      M decided to have a custom case (30$) made for her iPhone at SkinIt.com, while E was talking about making a calendar (20$) at the Apple Store and I am considering getting one of them printed on canvas to have as art. While skimming the web I’ve found throw cotton pillows (20$) from PersonalCreations.com and I’m now thinking of creating my own Paris tote. Whatever you do with your Paris photos, smiles are contagious.

 

 

Announcements, announcements, Announnnnnncements!!!

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For the month of December I will be introducing an Advent Calendar. Which is hysterical, a Jewish girl from California living in sin with a Frenchman in a Parisian convent (Les Soeurs Auxiliaries) comes up with an Advent Calendar to suggest non-commercial (mostly) Pari-related gifts you can offer friends and family in Paris, or anywhere in the world. Ironic and a mouthful, all in one.

Advent (I know this because I googled it) begins tomorrow, the 2nd of December, but when I started sharing this utterly fantastic, completely altruistic idea with friends, family and the blog-o-sphere, I got a lot of really great ideas, and one of those ideas simply could not wait, because TODAY IS WORLD AIDS Day and Doni Belau of The Girls Guide to Paris has a very special charity for children with AIDS.

 

Sponsored by Vanessa Williams, Ubuntu Africa is there to provide health care, social support, nutrition, education and fun for children living with AIDS. To feel great this holiday season and help kids who worry about more than Santa, visit the Ubuntu crowdrise site and start the holiday season by doing good.

STOP the press

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Yes, its Friday, and yes, its time for Friday@Flore, but yesterday I had one of those truly incredible, uniquely Paris discoveries where I felt like Alice in a wonderland of enchantment and I simply have to share it with you…
It began last week when I was strolling the ‘hood and I walked by the rec centre where M and almost every other kid in this neighborhood would take theater, dance martial arts and any other kiddie class you can think of. A wave of nostalgia passed over me as my curiosity went into high alert. MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING, large red and white signage shouted from the entrance, visually stunning anyone who was not wearing black out sunglasses.

It was a Monday morning and the museum was closed, but I put it near the top of my to do list and continued along my way. The place looked fun and un-Parisian from its bright bold colors to its English-only signage.

At home I did a little research and found that the show had already visited the Tate Modern and Selfridge’s in London and that it is a museum dedicated to a very specific kind of art, “In tiny crevices and under dusty beds, there lies a secret creativity by the unknowns of society. Unexpected, delicate, profound, this democratic work has inspired the world’s greatest artists and creative minds.”

The sentence didn’t tell me much, so I had no idea what to expect when I drug our house guests, The Beast Cadets beyond the enormous carriage doors yesterday. We walked into the large, industrial looking courtyard, pass the building-sized red arrow, up three flights of stairs to the first salle of a lofty building just weeks away from demolition.

“Oh, it’s Henry Darger.” pronounced Mme TBC. That is one of the many things I love about Mme TBC, the lady is an encyclopedia with legs. She went on to explain that the above museum quote is a fancy way of saying Outsider Art, which like patisseries and haute couture, is a fine concept brought to you by the French, who named it Art Brut in the 70’s.

Outsider Art it fun, and weird and the very definition of quirky. I LOVED it. Without even looking at my notes I can tell you about the decoupage covered forms by a Cuban cigar roller, the larger than life illustrations by a Chinese qi gong practitioner, and my personal favorite, the delicately intricate sculptures made from random typewriter and radio bits by the French artist AMC.

To accompany the art, there are essays on the work by artistes like David Byrne, Ron Arad and Ann Messanger, talking about their inspiration. And at the end of the show there is a worthwhile giftshop and très Anglo-saxon café.

Sponsored by trend-setters like Derrière restaurant and the Merci store, this is THE place to be this season (which was a turn off, but I was wrong) and for 5€ and entry it is a great bargain, to boot. Just like Santa, the Museum wears Red and White, and also like the Jolly Old Soul, it is only in town for a brief time and will be leaving with Christmas. So hop on your sled (or take the RATP) and visit the show!!!!

The Museum of Everything / 14 boul Raspail / Wednesday to Sunday
11am to 7pm / 11am to 8pm on Friday + Saturday / Until Feb 24

Tis the

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As a child I would spend my Thanksgivings around the dinner table at my Grandmother’s house with the rest of my family, all 30 of us. My Grandmother would insist on using her finest china, sterling silver and crystal glasses. She didn’t worry about the clean up, counting on her 3 daughter’s in law to leave the kitchen spic and span. The next day, full of energy and raring to go, she’d throw me, my brother and our cousins into her station wagon with her vicious toy poodle Bucky and we’d head to The City for the Christmas window displays.

San Francisco’s Union Square is a great place for leche vitrine-ing with Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus at each corner of the square. But my favorite windows were the windows at the local, extremely exclusive GUMPs where they’d install elaborate Victorian rooms with silk brocades and golden baubles and in each room would be a litter of orphaned kittens or puppys read for adoption through the SPCA, who had a table in front of each window to make it all easy.

As a kid I loved these windows and the frolicking pups. And as an adult in today’s world I appreciate them even more because they were about doing something for someone (or something) else and not blatant mass commercialism.

I am not a Grinch and I still love visiting the animated holiday windows in Paris, but this year I was a bit put off by all the branding. The city’s department stores alternate animated children’s windows with windows featuring fantastical products of what can be found by stepping beyond the glass. Fair enough. But it seems to me that just this once, at Christmas time, they could give a commercial-free moment to the kids and leave the animated windows to pure fantasy. Louis Vuitton chose to do otherwise this year, creating scenes of LV bag toting dancing polar bears and rockette-style dancers on LV trunks. yes, they were beautiful, and yes the the kids loved them, but I found it all over the top.

Princesses on a merry go round

The windows at Printemps showed considerable more class. Decorated by DIOR, with a discretely placed logo decorating the animated windows which were product free. The theme is Paris, with windows that feature skating on the Eiffel Tower, the Opera and ball with costumed princesses dancing in the arms their princes charming. They are gorgeous and elegant and made me want to be 7 years old all over again.

Not that the Bon Marché cares what I think, but I’d like to congratulate them for getting back on the right track, because the last few years their windows have been tragically adult-oriented, forgetting the kids and destroying the festive spirit. This year they almost make up for it with particularly fun ramps that lead the kids to the decorations behind cut outs of the roof tops of Paris. The black and gold clad windows were designed to celebrate the department store’s 160th birthday and what better way to celebrate that by featuring the monuments of the Rive Gauche? they do it this year with joy and style, making it a merrier Christmas for everyone.

St Malo

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photo from the restaurant's webpage

Two weekends ago we went to Cancale, and I raved about our trip, and it was fantastic, but then life happened and I start writing about more timely stuff, like the Paris Photo Festival, which I really encourage you to go see, which means I got side tracked and didn’t fully finish talking about our trip, which is fine, because, well, do you really care about every little thing we saw and tasted and experienced? I hope not, for your sake! On the other hand, I do like food an awful lot and we had some great meals on this trip that I really want to remember so I can book places for our next trip, so today, I am indulging myself and making a list of my St Malo favorite foods. First, the fish that got away.

On our first trip to St Malo, Mr French gave the a list of three restaurants he’d heard were absolutely stupendous and he told me to pick one and book it. I did, and the meal is still one of the best meals we have ever shared (more on that in 30 seconds). Number 3 on the list no longer exist, but number 2 is Le Chalut, a very traditional looking fish restaurant with a chef who once worked at Ledoyen and the Ritz. Michelin, Pudlowski and Mr French’s locally based colleague all rave about this place, so this weekend Mr French was determined to go. Unfortunately he did not share this ambition with me and he is not exactly the ‘plan in advance’ kind of traveler, so we arrived for lunch 20 minutes after the kitchen had closed. which means we absolutely MUST return to St Malo.

Another reason we have to go back is the dinner we had at St Placide, a truly exceptional address well off the beaten path and outside the city’s ramparts. This is the memorable meal I mentioned above. We didn’t make it there this trip. We ate there 3 years ago and we still remember much of the menu in detail. The sea bass with Tonka beans and the lobster with vanilla and ginger are now our benchmarks for inventive cuisine without too much fuss. And the dessert was full of surprises with pop rocks causing flavorful explosions in our mouths, leaving us giggling like school girls. Seeing a 50-something, French, ex-Rugby man giggle like a school girl, well, Mastercard could use the moment in their ad campaigns.

Not every meal can be an orgy of gastronomy. En fin, not for a size 10 body that will be returning to Paris to be surrounded by size 2 friends. A bit of restraint was in order. A simple meal in Brittany means one of two things; fresh oysters by the sea, or crêpes. Cancale has the oyster beds so crêpes were in order. There may be 200 crêperies intra-murs in St Malo. How does one choose? At 15h in the afternoon, you just go to the first place with an open kitchen, so we fell into An Delenn. Having lived in Montréal for 5 years, I was terribly amused by the Québec flag bunting the owner had chosen for his decor. The menu feature maple syrup, blueberries from Lac St Jean, and I suspect they’re working on adding poutine at some point in the near future. In the meantime, the crêpes were truly artisanal and we watched in amazement as he peeled apples for new orders, beat the eggs, galette by galette and flipped some of the best crêpes we’ve ever had.

On the way home that afternoon, Mr French was driving peacefully along when the woman next to him, arms flinging, screeched insanely, “Beurre Bordier, OH MY GOD, this is where beurre Bordier is from.” I had just seen the Cheese Shop run by perhaps the most famous butter churner in all of France. And it must be love, because instead of turning on me and laying into me for my insanity, Mr French calmly found a parking spot and I got to visit butter mecca. I strolled through the place bouncing on the balls of my feet and clapping my hands with joy, even though I couldn’t buy the butter because it would never have survived the trip to Paris and I can get it at my local cheese shop 6 days a week, anyway. A butter geek. Who knew? Yes, we suspected, but nobody really knew for sure until now.

At Bordier they had a flier for L’Ecole du Goût de St Malo. The cooking school that very well be our next excuse for visiting St Malo and the inspiration for another post like this one!
Le Chalut / 8 r. de la Corne-de-Cerf  / 02 99 56 71 58

Le St Placide /6 Place du Poncel / 02 99 81 70 73

An Delenn / 4 rue de la Harpe / 02 99 40 16 53

 

 

The Photo Festival

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Mr French and I were strolling aimlessly around the ‘hood one Saturday when this photo caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks. I can’t really say why, but somehow, it transported me, chasing away the grey skies and warming me to the tips of my toes. Being a curious girl, I stepped inside the Galerie 54 to learn more.

Mr French was thrilled because he’s looking for new chairs and he has a soft spot for the mid-century pieces that he detected sitting just beyond the photos in the gallery’s window. So as he started looking around and heading down into the vaulted ceiling basement, I started asking questions.

The lovely Juliette, the gallery’s owner heard me chattering away and came down to see what all the enthusiasm was about. I told her how much I loved the photo in the window and she explained that it was for the Photo Festival. I went from enthusiastic to ebullient.

Not to be out done by Paris Photo with its stable of international galleries, the local art galleries in the St Germain des Prés neighborhood have joined forces to present the Photo Festival. Now in its second year, the festival runs throughout the month of November, featuring artists from across the globe. Unlike Paris Photo, walking into the galleries is free, and the show lasts long enough for everyone in Paris to have a chance to stroll on by.

Juliette explained that this year’s theme is Voyages and Dreams, which explains why the photo in the window inspired a ‘take me away’ moment for my winter weary self. For this year’s event the galleriest has selected Xavier Roy’s photos from Brasil, featuring black and white photos shot on film, a genuine rarity today and the perfect medium for capturing the grit and grain of South America.

Curious about the Festival, Mr French and I headed out to explore the other galleries, like some of the shows, finding that others just looked like a collection of someone’s vacation shots. We were fascinated with the vintage prints from the 1870’s at the Librairie ALain Brieux, amused by the work of Elliot Erwin at Frederic Got and totally entranced by the photos at Librairie St Benoit-des-Pres. Like Arnie would say, “I’ll be back.”

The Photo Festival runs until Nov 30.

You’re on (not so) Candid Camera!

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I have this weird obsession with Fotomatons. Weird because the photos that come out of those booths tend to add a decade and rather large jowls to one’s photo. Hardly flattering. The photo booth photos are where I notice my neck wrinkles and the fact that my nose is six shades redder than the rest of my face. You go in the booth, throw away some money into the machine as your palms get all sweaty, your heart starts pounding and your mind goes in to a panic about which pose to strike. Unflattering, wasteful and stressful. Where’s the joy? Not really really sure but I think its nostalgia for dreampt of childhood moments I never really had.

When I say geeky, here is an example of just how far its gone…. last month I could be found at the Fotomaton in the Bon Marché department store, having my photo taken with a Marjane Satrapi illustration of Catherine Deneuve for the department store’s 160th birthday celebrations. A few days later I was fighting through crowds of fashionistas to get into the Fotomaton at the Roger Vivier cocktail, just a few shoulders away from Inès de la Fressange and finally I was selecting between images of snow leopards or penguins for a sheet of four photos with M and my 7 year old niece at the San Francisco Zoo.

This week I got particularly excited when I passed by the windows of the Bonton boutique on the rue de Varenne in the 7th because they’ve got ginormous star shaped sunglasses and 1970’s afro wigs to wear in their Fotomaton.

Below is a list of the vintage Fotomatons in Paris. But, keeping true to my inner geek, I’ve created a Google MAP, as well. Smile for the birdie!!!

Boutique Citadium
50-56 rue Caumartin 75009,
Métro Havre-Caumartin
Ouvert du lundi au samedi de 10h à 20h

Boutique Bonton
5 Bd des Filles du Calvaire 75003
Métro Filles du Calvaire -OR-
82 rue de Grenelle 75007
Métro rue du Bac
Ouvert du lundi au samedi de 10h à 19h

La Maison Rouge
10 Boulevard de la Bastille, 75012 Paris
Métro Bastille et Quai de la Rapée
Ouvert du mercredi au dimanche de 11h à 19h, nocturne le jeudi jusqu’à 21 h

Le Forum des Images
Forum des Halles Métro Les Halles
De 12h30 à 23h30 du mardi au vendredi et de 14h00 à 23h30 le week-end

Boutique Prairies de Paris
23 rue Debelleyme 75003 Paris
Métro Filles du Calvaire
Ouvert du mardi au samedi de 11h à 19h

Le 104 (art space)
104 rue d’Aubervilliers et 5 rue Curial, 75019
Métro Riquet, Stalingrad, Crimée
Ouvert tous les jours de 11h à 20h

Le Palais de Tokyo
13 avenue du Président Wilson 75016,
Métro: Iéna
Ouvert de midi à minuit tous les jours sauf le lundi


 A larger version of Fotomatons in Paris map

 

Friday@Flore

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Another grey, rainy day in Paris and I’m feeling particularly washed out after last night’s tryptophan rush from all that turkey. Almost didn’t make it to the Flore, but like a true pilgrim, I pulled up my boot straps and headed out the door despite the gloom all around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And boy, was I glad I did! And no, not because of the cute boys above, but because I discovered I’m not the only one with the November blues. Parisiennes seem to be suffering too, and they are fighting back with fashion. Rumour has it black is eternally “in” and its still just about everywhere you look, but this season, I’m seeing something new.

 

 

 

 

 

Color. And lots of it on men, women; young and old. Which color is irrelevant. I saw red coats, orange umbrellas and fushia handbags. There were green trenchcoats and bright blue scarves. Some went for the total look, while others were happy with just a splash of sunshine.

Everyone from the most elegant, sophisticated madames to hipster wanna-bes is having a go at the color wheel these days and it is refreshingly fun and light hearted, inspiring me to head home, take of my boring black sweater and replace it with a plum purple turtle neck. Things are looking brighter already!

 

Ready made!

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Woot, woot! It’s Thanksgiving, MY holiday. I LOVE this feast because it includes everyone; Muslims, Jews, Hindi, and my personal favorite None of the Aboves, this is a festival for anyone who is thankful for all that they have in their lives, a great habit to start, because when faced with the most dire situations, gratitude can save us. And yes, I admit, I love this celebration because I’m a glutton.

I’ve lived out of the US for most of my adult life, and no matter where my wanderings take me, I always set aside this day to give a feast for family and friends, sharing the idea of thankfulness with the world. For the last ten years, I’ve been sharing from Paris.

This year was nearly a disaster. I was convinced that Thanksgiving was the last Thursday of the month, which is the 29th. Friends from Montréal will be in town and I was trying to get them all worked up for the big day when I got an email.

“We were just in Champlain, NY this weekend and all the posters mention Thanksgiving on the 22nd. Sorry, but it looks like your kitchen slaves will still be in Canada, ay?”

I went into utter panic. Not only would I be less two slaves, but I had to notify our guests that the date had changed and order the bird!!!!

The bird. The thing about Thanksgiving, is that it requires a turkey. Paris kitchens tend to be tiny, with tiny ovens. Not exactly the ideal conditions for cooking a big bird. My first year here I was desperate for a solution when I passed the Rotisserie stall at the Richard Lenoir Thursday market. A few dozen light bulbs went off in my head, making me dizzy, but also giving me an idea. Perhaps Mr Roti could roast my bird. A quick conversation later and I learned that not only would he be happy to do it, but he was already doing it for several other yankees. I ordered the bird, put down my deposit and I was set. He didn’t even ask for a birth certificate or a proof of domicile. It was so easy, it was almost like not being in Paris. I was thankful already!!!

This year M Fontaine, my butcher on the rue de Sevres had agreed to spin my bird on his rotisserie, throwing in a delicious wild mushroom stuffing and roasted chestnuts to the bargain. I called in a desperate panic. His wife answered and assured me it was not too late to change the date. “What is your name again, Madame?” “Madame French,” I could hear him yelling at her in the background. I am not the only American who gets her bird from M Fontaine, but apparently I am the only one who would mis-order and call hysterically on a Sunday afternoon.

What else will be eating tonight? Mashed potatoes with about a litre of cream, Bordier butter and wild mushroom gravy, Green Giant canned corn, corn bread, my special cranberry sauce, green beans with pine nuts, and pumpkin pie with home made whipped cream. Bon Ap’ everyone. And remember to be thankful!!!

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