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The surfing Meetup group that our friend Stefan runs was getting Skudin Surf to give a free surf lesson to newbie surfers at Long Beach, Long Island. I was a little nervous about going by myself but I finally RSVP'ed.
I came across this storefront today, at the intersection of Rue Vivienne and Rue de Petit Champs. As a New Yorker, I immediately got excited it was a remnant of something vintage, with its signage retained but usage abandoned. But space is premium in Paris and there's rarely an empty spot.
I love this music venue--it's small which means you can get really close to the bands, there's always a great lineup of bands from all-over the world, it's perched atop an old railroad track and it's in a hip area of town in the 20th arrondisement, next to Père Lachaise.
Probably the best looking nursing home ever built! The Invalides was originally a hospital and home for wounded or elderly soldiers, and now houses the military museum and the tomb of Napoleon (among others).
Just nearby my old apartment on Rue Mouffetard is the preserved storefront of Au Nègre Joyeux, the name of a chocolate factory that once existed at 14, Rue Mouffetard. It's truly hard to say what is more offensive: the use of the word negro in a company name, the fact that it was a chocolate factory.
At the Maison de Verre, architectural historian Mary Vaughn Johnson gives a fascinating guided visit, bringing to life the original occupants of the home and their influence on the design.
These bikes are real (although upon investigation, many ARE missing). The bikes, painted white and chained to street furniture, serve as a memorial to those that have died in cycling accidents in those locations. In June, the city's Sanitation Department announced a plan to remove bikes deemed "derelict" (with missing parts), and even went as far to call them "eyesores."
How to do the Loire Valley by bike, by hot air balloon, or by staying in a castle!
Although the fictional Black Island of Tin-Tin was located in Scotland, it is commonly believed the inspiration for the island was actually L'ile D'or, a private island off the south of France. I was lucky to get an invitation to spend nearly a week on the island this summer.
The ORIGINAL article about the hidden airplane in Bushwick.