Remembrances of Fauchon NYC

When your external hard drive breaks on you, you lose a lot of memories. But then when its fixed, they all come back with renewed inspiration. That's how I re-discovered these lost photos of the now long gone New York Fauchon...
Petale de Rose tea, original watercolor, 9' x 11"
I used to buy Fauchon's rose petal tea - Boutons de Rose... Admittedly I never ever brewed it. But it looked so pretty in the bottle - the stuff of Paris dreams...

Of course the macarons were the main attraction at the New York Fauchon and lighting in the case made the colors even brighter than they were...sigh

Framboise...yum

This is my all time favorite photo I think, taken at just that intense moment of anticipation - waiting, waiting...

New York Fauchon was a pink heaven and everything was a delight to paint.

I made weekly pilgrimages to browse and admire, sometimes to buy and taste - my favorite New York Museum...

Fauchon's design is so classy - irresistable.

When they were closing the store I got one of these little "porte-etiquettes" signs saying petit dejeuner - very irresistable!

I never got to taste this gateaux, but I might as well have, I spent that much time admiring it...

They had the loveliest tea salon at the New York Fauchon, where on special occasions I'd go for hot chocolate. And they would always give you a gratis bon bon at the end of your meal...

Please come back to New York Fauchon! I miss you much...

Petit Dej

Can you guess what's inside?Three cheers.

For

CROISSANTS! And Pierre Herme's croissants at that. Only the best for PB readers!

Yellow Bird always insists on the best.

Still PAUL's is nothing to sniff at...

I can smell them baking too...

They do the prettiest ads and they must sell ga-jillions every morning all over France...

But if you're in a Paris train station...

You can get a whiff of these baking....

At....

Brioche Doree...are you game?

BONJOUR CROISSANTS ANYONE?!

Tribute In Light

I was at a gallery in Chelsea last night and when we went out side, the architect I was chatting with, pointed to the sky and said, "Look! The lights are on!" 

It's become a tradition in New York for 2 days to shine these 2 beautiful beams of light to honor those who died on September 11. The "Tribute in Light" is made up of 88 lights and takes a full month to install my friend told me. It was created in 2002 by artists Julian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda, architects John Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi of PROUN Space Studio, architect Richard Nash Gould, and lighting designer Paul Marantz and produced by the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The lights go on at sunset and then will fade away at dawn on September 12.
If you click on the pictures or on this link you can experience a 360 degree view of these lights. It seemed like the best way I could post today was to share this tribute with you.
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Photo by Vibeke Lichten

My architect friend, Vibeke Lichten sent me this photo she took of the Tribute Lights. Truly amazing no?

Carly Simon sang this song at the memorial service on Sept 11 and I love it so...ahem
BONJOUR TRIBUTE

Paris Boutiques

"A Nation of Shopkeepers" ("L'Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers") the disparaging remark made by Napoleon to describe the U.K. I think it applies as well to Paris.  M. asked me to paint her mother's two cats in front of a Paris Boutique (with her mom's name on it!), I started looking again at photos of Parisien shops.... It's my belief give a Parisian a few meters,
(1 Meter = 3.2808399 Feet) and they'll create a wonderful shop you can't pass without looking in, much less resist going inside....Perhaps the tiniest porcelaine shop ever, located in the 6th. What treasures lurk within - the vitrine is full of them to tempt you to return when it's open...

Ballerinas belong in a tiny shop don't they?

Little ice cream shops make you feel less guilty about the calories...

Two tiny shops side by side in the Marais, full of these hole-the-wall wonders...

Cheese shops should be small and intimate to capture all the aromas?

Flower shops spread their wares on the street..

  Florist chain Nom de la Rose are usually closet-sized.

On rue Vavin, a chic mini barber cuts only kids hair and it's un peu cher.

Sometimes the smallest shops have the biggest signs.

There are plenty small fruitiers, you may not have noticed, they are so small.

I love this game shop, Rouge et Noir on rue Vavin (a street full of tiny shops). Everything inside is red, black or both.

Here's a favorite PB petite boutique....ahem

Can you name it? Want to go inside?

 The desserts are not petite!

BONJOUR PARIS BOUTIQUES!

Thinking PInk even if it is Fall!

I know we're all getting out our black, beige and neutrals for Fall, but when I saw this pink Eiffel Tower at The Selby I starting thinking PINK!!!
Do you subscribe to The Selby for a vicarious look inside some divine homes?

These Selby shots are all from Paris designer and top Chanel model, Ines Fressange's FAB pink apartment...swoon

Paris pinks, original art, 9" x 11"

Can you think of another town where pink is so prevalent as Paris?

Here an entire shop in pink. Why were they closed?

ouvert tous les jours, sauf le mardi, jusqu’à 19H30

Pink writing on the wall!
Only in Paris...
Of course there has to be pink perfumes in the town where they say "La vie en rose (pink)" after saying "C'est la vie.."
Jeff Koon's pink hound could not be more at home here...

Shocking pink walls at Musee Nissim Camondo are not so shocking...
Very pale pink framboises macarons at Patisserie Stohrer...

And some very nice pink jambon too....

And just across the rue on Montorgueil, more pink pig at patisserie Maison Collet.

For Xmas, Galerie Lafayette's windows were full of P I N K!

Do take your chaises roses s.v.p....

Note how the guests are looking out the window at the viewers. Ha!

Guess who isn't ready to face the realite of Fall!?
Paris pinks.
~

Bonjour Pink!