Debunking The Myth Of Paris Romance

Have you ever heard of Paris Syndrome? It's a Japanese psychological disorder wherein Japanese tourists visiting Paris are shocked and depressed that their idealized image of the city does not live up to their romantic expectations. Symptoms include dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution and anxiety.

Well, I've never experienced those symptoms but I do admit that Paris, while ever-beautiful and dreamy, is not the accordion-laced dreamworld that many people imagine it to be. For example, not everybody falls in love here. Read more about my thoughts on Paris romance here.

Debussy at Musée L'Orangerie

("The Golden Isles", by Henri-Edmond Cross, via Musée d'Orsay)

I haven't read much on the blogs about "Debussy, La Musique et Les Arts," the fantastic exhibit going on now at Musée de l'Orangerie. This stunning show, illuminating the connection between Claude Debussy and the artists of his time who inspired him, has found the perfect home at Musée l'Orangerie, the Impressionist arm of Musée d'Orsay and home to a multitude of Monets, nestled just across the Seine in the Jardin des Tuileries.

Cheap Eats: Muniyandi Vilas

So perfectly located in the La Chapelle neighborhood that it's actually steps away from the La Chapelle Métro station, Muniyandi Vilas is one of those local haunts that you can tell is gonna be good because of its lack of tourists and the smiles on the faces of its customers leaving the place.

Expat Blog Hop (With A Prize For You!)

I'm proud to be participating in this year's Expat Blog Hop, sponsored by Blog In France! For this event we're encouraged to write something about the experience of being an expat. So what's it like? Take a look after the jump, and also enter to win my super-amazing Paris Cheapskate prize!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Sabrina and Barbara (from Austin, TX), who each won a personalized postcard from me (and Paris). If you're one of those ladies please be sure to send your address to parischeapskate - at! - gmail.com so I can send you some Paris love!

Disquaire Day 2012

(photo via The Other Side)

There's nothing quite like the old romance of a record. The physical, soft whisper of dust noise, the ritual of turning over the disc after the needle begins repeating that shh-shh sound signaling the end of Side A. Over the last several years, the third Saturday in April has become one of my favorite days of the year. This is Record Store Day - a celebration of all things vinyl, and a worldwide event for which record stores all over the globe invite musicians and DJs into their stores for free concerts and sell special-edition vinyls just for the occasion. I've been to several in NYC over the years, and I'm super-excited to tell you that Paris, not to be outdone, is participating in full force as well! Here are some of the events I'm most looking forward to checking out:

Happy Hour: Le Fumoir

This weekend I checked out Le Fumoir, a lovely café/brunch spot/martini bar near the Louvre, and discovered a cozy, old-fashioned and non-touristy nook that's perfect for a pause when you've had enough roving of central Paris.

Cheap Eats - Chartier

One day in February, some British friends staying in Paris told me about a cheap but very Parisian restaurant they'd been to: Chartier. They said the food was decent and, above all, incredibly inexpensive. Shortly thereafter, I saw a post on Girls' Guide to Paris about Chartier as well. A few weeks later, when I began this very blog and asked my cheap-o Frenchie friends for suggestions, I got more than one recommend for, whattaya know, Chartier. "Hmm," I thought, "I'd better check this place out."

Brocantes and Vide Greniers

It's officially spring, officially April, and that can only mean one thing: antique/brocante/vide grenier season in Paris! These flea market, swap meet and garage sale-style events are the perfect way to snap up unique souvenirs and gifts for yourself or for loved ones back home. Check out my complete Do's and Don'ts guide to brocantes and vide greniers over at Girls' Guide to Paris.

Voyage Voyage at Maison de L'Amérique Latine

There's a marvelous exhibit going on now at Maison de L'Amérique Latine called "Voyage Voyage" - it's all about the experience of being a traveler, from the perspective of Latin artists around the world, traveling the world.

Mark Seliger

Photographer and music video director Mark Seliger fell in love with the camera when he won a bet with his brother playing baseball. His brother had to give him his Diana camera, and it's all history from there.

Since then, Seliger went on to become a photographer for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Italian Vogue and GQ, and also a familiar video or two from the '90s. From now until April 14th, some of Seliger's stunning black and white work will be on display at A Galerie.

Poet Mark Strand

(photo via Paying Attention To The Sky)

Poet Laureate Mark Strand's short pieces surprise me - they're often not metered nor rhymed, often not confined to the fractional line-by-line style of poetry, and they're often quite dreamy until you reach their sock-you-in-the-stomach ending words. His liberation from structure inspires me (though one structured poem of his that is incredible is Keeping Things Whole). He spends most of his days professing at Columbia University, but tomorrow Paris has her hooks in him and we're not letting him go until he reads from his new book, Almost Invisible. Even better, his translator will be there to submerge into French sentences like this:

"All this in the vague, yellowing light that lowers itself in the hour before dark; none of it of value except for the pleasure it gives, enlarging an instant and finally making it seem as if it were true."
(from Clarities of the Nonexistent)

Humina.

Mark Strand Poetry Reading with French Translation
FREE
Wednesday, April 4th - 6pm
American University of Paris - Grand Salon
6 rue du Colonel Combes, Room C12
Métro: M8 or M13 to Invalides