Newsletter
Get Creative with Gifts from Paris
Get Creative With Gifts from Paris By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com Sure, you’ve had a great time in Paris and then the guilt sinks in: What do I bring home as gifts? They’ve got to be small enough to jam into your suitcase, and inexpensive enough so you...
Paris Stays Strong After Nov. 13
Paris Stays Strong After Nov. 13 By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com It’s quiet here at 9 a.m. in Paris, but it’s always quiet on a Sunday morning. A few patrons are inside at the corner cafe sipping coffee at the counter, others read outside, smoking. The...
Paris Street Art: More Than Graffiti
Paris Street Art: More Than Graffiti By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com Street art by Philippe Girard with his signature life saver rings, BellevilleIt’s exciting to live in an era when you can watch an art movement evolve. Watch it as you pass a building...
How to (maybe) beat the lines in Paris
How to (maybe) beat the lines in Paris By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com High-season summer months can doom you to long lines at popular Paris tourist sites—but not necessarily. If you love to plan ahead and don’t mind paying a few extra euros, buy...
“Beautiful, Beautiful, Co-pen-ha-gen”
“Beautiful, Beautiful, Co-pen-ha-gen” By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com The Little Mermaid. Tivoli Gardens. Beer. That’s all that was on my to-do list for a three-day visit to Copenhagen—but the list turned out to be too short. Here’s what I needed to add:...
We Have a Scholarship Winner!
We Have a Scholarship Winner! By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com Janice Canty exploded when she read the letter. “I screamed so loud that I made my dog, Maxi, bark.” Then came the doubts. “My daughter said ‘Is this for real? Are you sure?’ ” But Janice...
Be Careful: There are Two Houses for Opera and Ballet in Paris
Be Careful: There are Two Houses for Opera and Ballet in Paris By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com The nicely dressed American couple stood outside the closed Palais Garnier opera house with panic on their faces. “Oui,” the Garnier parking attendant...
Old-World Stationery Shops Where Touching Is de Rigueur
Old-World Stationery Shops Where Touching Is de Rigueur By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com I needed some fine stationery for thank you notes, not a box of standard blue Crane’s from Macy’s but individual sheets of handcrafted, buttery paper—the kind you...
New Student Scholarship to Paris
New Student Scholarship to Paris By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com Next summer, a special person will write in Paris cafes and explore the historic streets of the Marais—the first Paris Café Writing scholarship winner. The idea started in Chicago, where I...
Ratatouille to Goose Fat: How French Schools Develop Kids’ Tastes
Ratatouille to Goose Fat: How French Schools Develop Kids’ Tastes By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com No doubt about it: taste is developed. The French don’t awaken at age 21 with a penchant for gooey Camembert. They are trained—seriously. The posted menu in...
Stripes! They’re everywhere
Parisians show their true stripes/h1> By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com Stripes! They’re all over Paris this summer. The classic rayures struck us from left and right and everywhere. Then we just started to laugh—and take photos. The 29 photos are a...
Place de la République Gets an Update
Place de la République Gets an Update By Patricia Tennison www.ParisCafeWriting.com The newly renovated Place de la République is alive with outdoor seating, a café, and children splashing in a reflecting pool. I live within easy walking distance to the Haussmann-era...