Cheap Eats: Heures Heureuses 2013

Hooray, Heures Heureuses is back for another year of budget gourmet bites! Here's how it works: stop by the Mairie de Paris at the Hôtel de Ville and snag a cute little "passport" that shows you all the different restos that are participating (with maps!). Then, at each place, have your passport "stamped" and get a delicious little bite for just 2€ apiece. Make a flânerie out of it and bounce from place to place, trying out cheapo bites at each stop and discovering restaurants you might not otherwise have known about.

For example, you could have a taste of California maki with salmon, then a piece of pepperoni pizza, then raspberry cheesecake in the 4e arrondissement, or a mini-burger, then a taste of (divine) Saint-Marcellin cheese on baguette, then foie gras à l'orange just south of Pigalle in the 9e arrondissement. Considering there are about 180 spots participating, the possibilities are just about endless for a diverse meal of bites for less than 10€.

It's a fun way to try out a bunch of new foods without breaking the bank, which happens to be this Paris Cheapskate's preferred way to pass the day.

Heures Heureuses
2€ per bite
Wednesday, 22 May - Friday, 24 May
Passports available at Hôtel de Ville
Métro: M1, M11 to Hôtel de Ville

(All images via Heures Heureuses)

Pissarro's Places

(Pissarro's "Boulevard Montmartre, Matin d'Hiver" via Le Monde des Arts)

I was bummed when I found out that Camille Pissarro was a man, not a woman. I'm not sure why. But his gender takes nothing away from the fact that this "dean of Impressionism" was a prolific painter of lovely country landscapes, street scenes and quotidian life. He mentored Gaugin, Van Gogh and Cezanne, who said of Pissarro, "He was a father for me. A man to consult and a little like the good Lord." He moved around between Paris, the French countryside, London, and even Venezuela, painting a wide spectrum of visual delights, and it's this variety that has captured the fascination of author Ann Saul, who has visited every single place Pissarro painted (with the exception of Venezuela) and will be at the American Library of Paris this Wednesday to discuss her book, appropriately named "Pissarro's Places."

Ann Saul: Pissarro's Places
FREE
Wednesday, 22 May, 7:30pm

The American Library of Paris

10 Rue du Général Camou  75007 

Paris Métro: M8 to École Militaire

Free Concert: Mika at the Bastille

(Photo via Le Blog TV News)

Dapper, gorgeous and dazzling singer Mika was born in Lebanon and raised in Paris and London, composing his first song at age 7. Since then he's become a symbol of flamboyantly free, colorful and incredibly catchy pop songs with albums from "Life in Cartoon Motion" (2006) through "The Origin of Love" (2011). I went to a show of his in 2008 and it was one of the most exuberantly fun shows I've ever been to. Catch him tossin' out tunes when he plays at a FREE concert celebrating the passing of France's recent law allowing gay marriage and adoption.

Mika
Concert Pour Tous: Vive l'Égalité!
FREE
Tuesday, 21 May, 7pm-midnight
Place de la Bastille
Métro: M1, M5, M8 to Bastille

Free Art: European Museum Night 2013

(Photo of the Louvre via Konrad Kasior)

Once a year, museums all over Europe keep their doors open late, and for free. This is La Nuit Européenne des Musées, European Museum Night, and if you're in Paris this weekend you'd be a fool not to take advantage of this up-all-night culturefest (most museums are open until midnight, but some stay open 'til 2am). You can see the Venus de Milo at the Louvre, Marcel Proust's bedroom at Musée Carnavalet, the "Angels of the Odd" exhibit at Musée d'Orsay and many, many more exhibits and permanent collections all over Paris, for free. Here's a full list of the 166 events happening just in Paris.

La Nuit Européenne des Musées
FREE
Saturday, 18 May, 'til late
Various locations

Cheap Art: Madame Moustache

("Memories are like old mustard: if it doesn't sting anymore, it's obsolete." By Madame Moustache)

Madame Moustache is a Parisienne street artist whose work has popped up on walls all over the city, mostly in the hip neighborhoods of the 11th, 18th and 20th arrondissements. Madame Moustache creates her detailed and busy collages from objects, images and words culled from magazines from the '60s and '70s and whips them into cool, interesting and (most of all) funny works of art that give a wink to our notions of gender, power and relationships. 

(Pasting up the above collage. Photo via Madame Moustache)

("And if I turn into a chicken, will you deign to be my cock?" via Le BonBon)

The petite, hand-crafted original collages of what would later be enlarged and pasted onto the walls of Paris buildings are on display now at Rue de Beauce, an unusual art space that's actually the apartment of the "gallery" owner. It's a unique opportunity to see the collages in their original, colorful state and to see every intricate detail, and in an intimate space. The expo's up through the end of the month, but only available for viewing by rendez-vous agreed by sending Angela or Michele an email at ruedebeauce (at) gmail (dot) com.

(I really love this collage. By Madame Moustache)

(By Madame Moustache)

Madame Moustache
FREE
Through Friday, 31 May by appointment only
Galerie Rue De Beauce
3 Rue de Beauce, 75003 Paris
Métro: M3 to Temple, M8 to Filles du Calvaire

Free Concerts: Festival Jazz Saint-Germain-Des-Prés 2013

(Photo of Bob Wilber (l) and Sidney Bechet (r) via Jazz Masters)

May is a great time in Paris, as it kicks off the free music season. It all begins with the annual Festival Jazz Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a 2.5-weeklong fiesta of all forms of the art from swing to gypsy to modern ("cool") jazz in an assortment of concerts all over Paris (many of which are free). This year the festival celebrates its 13th edition with concerts at the Luxembourg gardens, at the Center for Irish Culture (a swing ball!), at the Oceanic Institute, at Starbucks, even at Orly airport. I will definitely dig the tributes to Sidney Bechet (Woody Allen's favorite jazz artist) and Django Reinhardt. To see the festival's entire lineup, head to the website and plan your jazz appreciation!

Festival Jazz Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Prices vary, many concerts FREE
Thursday, 16 May - Monday, 3 June
Various Locations

Free Concert - La Femme

(Photo via Paulette Magazine)

Yesterday I was listening to this awesome song by the fast-rising French band La Femme (below) and thinking, "Damn I wish they would come in concert - but for free." I know they have a show scheduled for November 14th (what?!) but it's a bit pricey for me, and also, that's about a hundred years away. So imagine my utter delight when I stopped by the Mairie de Paris XVIIIe mere hours later and spotted a flyer for a free concert (part of the Jeunes Talents celebration) - and who is headlining the show but LA FEMME. You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there to see them perform their catchy brand of surf/spy pop alongside three other great acts. If you go too, be sure to RSVP for your free ticket at comjeuness (at) paris (dot) fr.

Free Concert: Young Talents of Europe

(Image via Que Faire à Paris?)

In honor of Journée de l'Europe, the organization Jeunes Talents has put together an early evening of free concerts featuring up-and-coming classical musicians from around Europe. With talents hailing from Lithuania to Italy to Bulgaria to Ireland, this special occasion takes a moment to appreciate and honor the beauty of youth, of music, and of the collection of diverse countries that we call Europe. Also, most of them look pretty attractive, so let's celebrate that too.

Concert of Young Talents for La Journée de l’Europe
FREE
Thursday, 9 May, every half hour from 5-7pm
Hôtel de Soubise, Archives Nationales
60 Rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75003 Paris
Métro: M11 to Rambuteau, M1/M11 to Hôtel de Ville

Treasure Dig at Journées des Collectionneurs

(Image via ACE15)

Are you a collector of the treasures of old pop culture? Do you get all hot and bothered at the sight of a box of dusty records, breathe heavily upon finding a trove of vintage postcards, or squeal in delight at the first sign of original movie posters of old? If you do, I feel ya. And if you're in Paris this week, you and I both will get a chance to indulge in our retro fetishes at the ACE15's annual Journée des Collectionneurs. This Thursday you'll find all manner of the above-listed gems from pop culture's days of yore. Happy hunting!

Journée des Collectionneurs
Free entry
Thursday, 9 May, 9am-6pm
Petite Halle Aux Chevaux, Parc Georges Brassens
104, rue Brancion  Paris 75015
Métro: M13 to Porte de Vanves

Quiet Paris (With Special Reader Discount!)

(Image via Paris Imperfect)

With over 2 million residents and a whopping 42 million visitors each year, Paris tucks a lot of humanity into its 20 arrondissements. From the crowded Métro at 6pm to endless lines of people filing in and out of its landmarks, it's easy to feel overwhelmed in this city. (To note: I went to City Pharma one Tuesday afternoon and nearly had a panic attack from the masses of discount beauty-seeking women).

But Siobhan Wall sees beyond all that. The writer/photographer has the enviable job of traveling the globe in search of nooks and crannies of quiet and calm in the world's most famous cities. After gaining recognition for her books Quiet London and Quiet Amsterdam, Wall has taken on the City of Light with her third in the series, Quiet Paris.