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Faire pipi

One of the things that affect everybody, whether youโ€™re a local, or a visitor, is that ya gotta go. Or as the French say, โ€œFaire pipi.โ€ Although people readily discuss bodily functions in France, going to the can is something where a little more discretion is called for. Itโ€™s not something everyone wants to talk about, but letโ€™s face it, everyoneโ€™s gotta do it โ€“โ€ฆ

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Echo Deli in Paris

I donโ€™t get out for lunch as much as I used to, or want to, but a dizzying amount of cafรฉs, restaurants, and pastry shops have opened while I was holed up writing books. One that was getting an inordinate amount of good word-of-mouth, from friends and other restaurant owners, was Echo Deli. Entering the restaurant late morning, I was startled by the amount ofโ€ฆ

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Benoit Castel Pastry Shop

Thereโ€™s an exciting wave of pastry places opening in Paris. The last time that happened to such an extent was whenย Pierre Hermรฉย kicked off a new wave of excitement about la pรขtisserie nearly two decades ago.ย What new is that many of the pastry shops are outside of traditional areas. Visitors often say they want to go to places โ€œoff the beaten path,โ€ and the combination ofโ€ฆ

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Philadelphia & Pittsburgh Lโ€™appart Book Events

On January 10, Iโ€™ll be in conversation with Beth Kracklauerย of the Wall Street Journal discussing Lโ€™appart and signing books at White Whale Booksย in Pittsburgh, PA. The event starts at 7pm and is free. And on January 12, Iโ€™ll be talking with Paul Bennett of Context Travel, and signing books at Barnes & Nobleย in Philadelphia atย 7pm. [Next month Iโ€™ll be at WHSmith in Paris on Februaryโ€ฆ

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Lโ€™appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

Life throws you a lot of curveballs. I used to say (and still do), โ€œIf you want to be comfortable, stay home.โ€ And thatโ€™s where I wanted to be when I decided to buy an apartment in Paris. Long-time readers will probably remember the posts about the process, as I searched like a madman for a vintage factory lamp for my kitchen, as we droveโ€ฆ

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Ibrik Cafe

When I walked into Ibrik cafรฉ the other day and sat down in the upstairs dining room, I saw this scenario next to me. After spending the morning rummaging through an unruly restaurant supply salvage yard out in the suburbs (I didnโ€™t buy anything, but they gave me three cake pans as a gift), it was nice to sit somewhere that wasย clean, organized, and dryโ€ฆ.

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Rotisserie dโ€™Argent

A stalwart of the โ€œold guardโ€ of classic Paris bistros has been revived. The reliable Rรดtisserie du Beaujolais, across the street from the Seine, had been remodeled and refreshed as Rรดtisserie dโ€™Argent, the new name giving a nod to its famous cousin just across the street, the Tour dโ€™Argent. [UPDATE: I posted this write-up in 2017, over six years ago (and pre-pandemic) and since then,โ€ฆ

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Maison Landemaine Bakery in Paris

Itโ€™s a great day when a new bakery opens up in your neighborhood. I donโ€™t mean to brag, but there are six bakeries in my neighborhood. One of those โ€œgreat daysโ€ was when a particularly lame bakery closed, and a really good one opened up in its place. And although I donโ€™t like seeing people go out of business, another bakery that was, for lackโ€ฆ

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