Stocking Stuffers

What do you want in your holiday stocking? Nothing wrong with a block of chocolate soap IMHO...
Or an edgy pair of J-P Gautier sunglasses.
So what if these gorge shoes poke a hole in my stocking or make my feet tres miserable...
A nice box of Carette petit fours would do nicely...
A dozen or two of French homemade jam...MIAM!
I'd love my own macaron machine...

A pair of cafe chairs svp.

My very own presse kiosk preferably on bvd St.-Germain...

While I'm dreaming, why not a twirling French stairway...

Leading to a Parisien hallway...

I'll jump into my chocolate mini Smart car (another stocking stuffer)

And go spinning around la place de la Concorde at l'heure bleu

BIG MERCI PBers for sending your pets to Paris this Xmas!

What do you want in your stocking?

xxxCarolg

Il fait beau...

When I came back to Paris I got an email from Vicki, still in London, asking me,

"How's the weather in Paris?"

I always find this a funny question. In one day in Paris you can have brilliant sunlight... Parisiens, like New Yorkers, at the first hint of sunshine shed their clothes... Or not - this Parisien is ready for any possible inclement weather...

The Presidential Dog...

The announcement of the long-anticipated presidential dog caused havoc in my posting today...
Suddenly the presence of dogs in cafes took on an importance I hadn't planned on. Now I need to know if The Presidential Dog will be going to Paris next trip.
A PB reader sent me photos of her dog assisting in the making hot chocolate while visiting Paris...
My Belgian Sheepdog knew French, maybe better than I do.
Va cherche (go get it)
Donne la patte (shake hands)
Vienne vite (come quickly...though now Parisien Anne now tells me I should have said rapidment!)
Will The Presidential Dog be getting French lessons?

Enquiring minds need to know...

This hound is guarding a creperie not a cafe. And unleashed at that.

Is there a special school for cafe dog training?

And do they accept foreign students?

These guys definitely have their P.s and Q.s down pat!

What sort of cafe table you tether your dog to is of great importance. This one is Art Deco...

Course there is nothing wrong with the traditional cast iron cafe table like this one at Le Select. Most hounds don't give a damn anyway...

A cafe cat is another matter altogether...

This is cafe Le Select's resident cat. I doubt he lifts a paw to do much of anything. Forget about guarding the place.He's a cat.

Can you give a Paris cafe-visiting dog a Perrier? Probably plain old Paris tap is the way to go. Especially when you take into account the 5 euro price tag.

I'm still looking for that Parisien-rent-a-dog place.

Wonder if they have any Portuguese waterdogs?
BONJOUR First Pup BO!!

One Step at a Time

L'Arc de Triomphe 75008, original art, 5" x 7"

More on Paris' "incontournables“

Those fabulous not-to-be-missed monuments of Paris!
I'm feeling like Paris "is my oyster" this trip.
Just one step out the door and there will be SO MUCH TO SEE! ! ! It won't be just cakes & cookies on this trip!
Rick's "Walking Man" turns up in the background in his wonderful cafe Le Select drawings...
I've got a new theme song.
It was blasting out of the all night fruit stand last Saturday night...
Have you heard Jordan Sparks ONE STEP AT A TIME?
I'll try to remember some of the lyrics when out and about walking all over Paris NEXT WEEK!!!
Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away...
There's no need to rush
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen and we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time
BONJOUR ONE STEP AT A TIME!

Paris Cafe: The Select Crowd

Before I went off to Paris I wrote about not wanting to go off in a Paris Cafe post. I mentioned a book, Paris Cafe: The Select Crowd.
Rick Tulka, the illustrator, found me through the link and remembered we'd met ages ago when I did illustration for the NYTimes. We arranged to meet the next Friday.Rick brought his book and we compared the real Didier, the waiter. With his illustrationLe Select's patron, Monsieur Francis. A still life at Le Select! The real thing.Rick has been drawing at Le Select 5 days a week since he moved to Paris from Brooklyn 13 years ago. He said he misses the smokers, but they've been replaced by the non-smokers. A cigarette makes an excellent prop for an artist. Le Select's resident cat... Rick counts out his change. You can see more drawings at Rick Tulka's website. I've always loved Le Select's logo, "Martin" an artist running with his portfolio. Le Select is one of the last remaining Paris cafes to stick with the old ways of doing things...more in the video.