Breakfast in America. In Paris. Seriously

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I’m not a fan of going to a foreign country and seeking out the same foods you can eat at home. However, for travelers who enjoy a full breakfast (called English or American breakfast), there’s a dearth of options in the City of Light. So, if you’re hankerin’ for anything more substantial than croissants and coffee, head to Breakfast in America, which operates two restaurants—one on the Left and one on the Right bank. The best part? They offer the city’s only bottomless cup o’ Joe. Continue Reading →

Le Petit Prince de Paris: A Latin Quarter Gem

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One of the truly great Parisian restaurants is Le Petit Prince de Paris, a quintessentially French hideaway located in the midst of a warren of tiny cobblestone streets in the city’s Latin Quarter just a stone’s throw from the Pantheon. The only LGBT restaurant on the city’s Left Bank, Le Petit Prince de Paris is housed in a site that has served as a tavern and restaurant since the year 1450. That ancient building provides the restaurant with much of its yesteryear charm, including exposed ceiling beams, pale stone walls, plush draperies, antique furnishings and dozens of candles and chandeliers. Continue Reading →

Happy Birthday! La Tour Eiffel Turns 129 Years Old

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Today, Paris’s Eiffel Tower turns 125 years old. I can’t imagine there’s a monument anywhere in the world that is as recognizable as La Tour Eiffel or as indelibly linked with a nation’s culture as is this wonderful French monument created for the 1889 World’s Fair (and which was supposed to be torn down two decades after the event ended). The tower is beloved by both the French and by visitors from around the world. Check out these 40 little-known facts about the Eiffel Tower as well as some of the hundreds of photos I’ve taken of La Tour over the years. Continue Reading →

Spring Has Sprung at the Jardin des Plantes

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Springtime in Paris is simply glorious. All of the flowers in the city’s parks start to bloom, the trees start to blossom, those bone-chilling breezes off the Seine turn more pleasant than polar, and the Parisians who hunkered down for the winter suddenly seem incapable of staying inside one minute longer. A fantastic way to experience le printemps in the City of Light is by visiting one of Paris’s grand parks. For springtime sights, sounds and smells, I’m partial to the Jardin des Plantes, an enormous botanical garden in the Latin Quarter. Continue Reading →