The Paris Traveler

Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
One of the most famous museums in the world is the Louvre, or more correctly the Musée du Louvre, and it was one of the items that was high on my Paris must-see list. It is located on the Right Bank (of the Seine) in the 1st arrondissement.
Originally a palace, the museum is now home to some of the most world-famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Aphrodite/Venus de Milo. It opened to the public in 1793, …read more

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This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe
 
As is often the case when travelers get to talking, the discussion soon turns to places we’ve been, places we’re going, and places we want to go.
One of my favorite recent trips was to Paris.

The photo was taken on a visit to the Louvre.  The statuary was in a garden atrium area of the museum, and is just one of hundreds of pieces on display.
I recently had the opportunity to watch some sculptors at work, and that has given me a …read more

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I’ve mentioned before, I am a bigger fan of Paris when the sun goes down and the city is bathed in a beautiful golden hue from all the creative lighting they use.  Certainly not eco-friendly and plans are in the works to dim some of that glow.  I suggest you get here sooner than later to see some of it.  If that isn’t possible right now, I am about to send you to a site that will bring Paris up close and personal, literally, while it astonishes at what can be exposed through a camera lens.  
Jean-François Rauzier, a renowned …read more

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Le Petit Palais, sibling of Le Grand Palais located right across the street, is the proverbial story of flamboyant, older sister getting all the attention and right behind, getting lost in all the elder’s drama, is the tiny flower of a girl whose beauty is total and complete and goes unappreciated until one uncovers it.  That is what happens when one discovers the Petit Palais.   
Built for the 1900 l’Exposition universelle like its neighbor across the street, it is a gem that quietly goes about its business of being beautiful and housing a wide collection of art ranging from antiquity …read more

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In my quest to come up with the unusual that will entertain and bring all of us together in weird and wacky ways to Paris, I have found this very interesting connection between what has become an icon in contemporary culture, two architects and a museum in Paris.
Tinker Hatfield (I could not love that name more), a trained architect turned shoe designer, has been working for Nike since the mid-80’s. Originally hired to design arenas and showrooms for the company, he intuitively knew that for him shoe design was where it was at and switched gears.  He can be credited …read more

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 I am a lover of art in all its forms.  When I step inside the Louvre, I stand in the central court and struggle with which wing to enter first.  I know, no one out there is boo-hooing over my dilemma.  Living in Paris allows one the luxury of taking in ancient Egypt one day and Asian art the next.  One rainy afternoon, I focused my visit on sculpture.  Nothing else.  I didn’t allow for other works to distract me and walked away with such an appreciation for how “soft” and sensual…… 
 
or full of motion……
 
marble can become in the right …read more

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 Well, finding Paris in New York is much easier than I thought–especially if you take your search to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Today, I took an incredibly long cab ride from my hotel in SoHo to the museum–clearly I was being ripped off as the ride home took a mere 10 minutes.  The rest of the day made up for all that.  
Looking at the photo above, you would guess I might be at, oh, I don’t know, perhaps Versailles.  I say that because every room there looks very similar to this one.  One whole section of the Met’s  European …read more

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 Le Bon Marché, considered the world’s first department store, offering “the good market” or “the good deal” was founded in 1838 by Aristide Boucicaut.  It is touted as the first “space” dedicated specifically to shopping and was the first to incorporate iron work (thanks to Gustave Eiffel) to create an open space while using less masonry.   Today, it offers few “good deals” as it is filled with beautiful haute couture clothing lines and accessories that will make your credit card statement wince in pain when you get back from your trip.  But it is four floors of pure indulgence …read more

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My daughter, Taylor,  introduced this video to me months ago and I “Stumbled-Upon” it today and was reminded of how magnificent it is. Since we are honoring Mom tomorrow (hint, hint) I thought I would post this as a tribute to beautiful women, moms and otherwise, throughout history.

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I am fairly up on art, sculpture, design–artsy fartsy kinds of things you might say.  But I cannot tell a lie, I have never heard of Richard Serra.  Or if I have it just isn’t registering with me right now and I will have to ask my resident art expert, my daughter, Taylor.
Richard Serra–he is an American minimalist sculpture and video artist known for his work in large scale assemblies of sheet metal.  His installations span the globe and the reason I bring him to your attention today is because he is celebrating his opening of “Promenade” here in Paris. 
His work …read more

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