Polly Vous Francais?

Break out the bubbly! Wow.  Here I am, six whole years old, and ready to down the champagne.I'm not picky, really, but it must be French. Veuve Clicquot will do quite nicely, though I won't turn down a Taittinger, Moet, or Nicolas Perrier. (Am I missing someone important')Yup, six years ago today Polly-Vous Francais' was born. It happened by accident, really.  I had been living in Paris for two months on place de la Madeleine, invading and soaking up the cultural and political life of...

Paris is a constant kaleidoscope. Of course there is the magnificence of  the 'capital-a' Art, grand architecture, and masterful sculpture; but there is also the adrenaline rush of people-watching, le lèche-vitrines (window shopping), patterns, and 'small-a' art everywhere.In homage to small-a Parisian art, here are more Paris Patterns. This time more linear, angular.Lattice-weave mosaics on a doorway of a residence near Vavin in the 6e arrondissement.Screws and nails on display at...

There are SOO many guide books to Paris.  We've seen 'em all.  N'est-ce pas'So when I picked up Markets of Paris, in my jaded I-already-know-Paris frame of mind, I didn't have great expectations. Boy, was I wrong!  Capital-W wrong.This is a gem of a guide to Paris. First of all, it is organized in the way that any guide to Paris should be, which is by arrondissement.  Second, it is more than just a guide to the open air food markets in Paris, but rather includes all shopping...

Famous French tire-and restaurant-guide company Michelin is packing its bags and moving out of Paris.Not far, but to nearby lovely Boulogne, according to the spokesperson for Michelin.  The company's HQ is still in Clemont-Ferrand; but, since its inception in 1889 it's always had a Paris office. First avenue Pereire, then in 1967 the company purchased the building at 46 avenue de Breteuil in the 7e arrondissement. No more!   Michelin has just sold the building to an insurance company...

The moment I happened upon the book Les Zizis de Paris, several years ago, I was smitten.  Not because of the subject per se (though what's not to love'!), but because I delighted in imagining a similar book in an Anglo-Saxon museum bookshop.  Maybe there is one and I just don't know about it, but I'm not holding my breath.  As a culture, I think, we Americans in general are just more disposed to be prudish/woo-hoo about such matters, as opposed to dealing with the subject matter...

Like many Americans who move to France, I have always been surprised to observe the differences in behavior between French and American kids. Seeing a 9-year-old confidently take the RATP bus alone to her music lesson. A 4 year old patiently guarding her baby brother in the stroller at the front of the store while their mom dashed for once forgotten item at the back of the Monoprix. Kids sitting at dinner tables, engaging in conversation. So you can imagine my delight when I saw that...

This weekend I was with my dear friend Nina at a charming little grocery store on Long Island. As usual, when I was paying, I fumbled in my wallet, dumping the coin-purse part upside down into my cupped hand in order to rid myself of all the dreaded change which weighs down my pocketbook. "I just hate loose change, don't you'" I remarked to Nina."Well. Yes....but I guess I'm always afraid of being the jerk at the front of the line whom everyone hates because she's taking up time while she...

...is Iceland'Um, no offense, Iceland. But, really?I have to look at this ad every day on my way to work. Irk!I love aurora borealis as much as the next person. But the best part of a trip to Paris is Paris.The Polly-Vous Francais challenge: besides Paris in general, what do you think is the best part of a trip to Paris'p.s. Yes that's me taking the photo. Sorry for the glare.

Bonne année to all! One of the best trends of this new year (and I'm SO glad French tradition permits wishing Happy New Year for the whole month of January) is this phrase: deux mille douce. Of course, in French, 2012 is deux mille douze. Deux mille douce. Two-thousand and sweetness; two-thousand and softness.I like it.Wishing you all a deux mille douce.

Le slip. No, it's not a slip, which in English could be a lady's silky undergarment under a dress, or an embarrassing fall on a banana peel, or a place to moor your yacht, or a verbal faux-pas. Le slip. I've always loved the word in French, one of those great faux-amis. And it has (almost) nothing to do with sleep, though it's pronounced that way: le sleep.Le slip is... Tighty-whities. Briefs. U-Trou. Or, in some cases, a Speedo.So for some reason this recent ad for le slip Made in...