Free Art: Portes Ouvertes

If you love art, love discovering new artists, and dig the "gallery walk" experience, step it up a notch and take advantage of Paris' periodic "portes ouvertes," where you can wander a neighborhood checking out artists' ateliers and newest wares. Read all about it over at Girls' Guide to Paris.

PS - the artist squat 59 Rivoli have their portes ouvertes Tuesday through Sunday all year!

Fête de la Musique

(illustration via A Nous Magazine)

June 21st, the Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year, when the sun stays out longer than we thought possible back in January. Paris makes great use of this "midsummer night" by celebrating music all day and all night with their annual Fête de la Musique, with free performances all over the city. It's dizzying to think of all the great acts that will be playing, but I'm sure we can find something for everyone. For example:

Extremely Short Story Contest WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who submitted funny and touching mini-stories into the contest! It was a tough decision, but the winner is... Tonja C. from California! Her story:

"My beloved husband and children were delayed, leaving me alone in that big house on Mother's Day. I will admit, quietly, that it was not a nightmare."

Congratulations, Tonja, and thanks to EVERYONE who entered.

Cheap Art - Rafael Alterio & Henriette H. Jansen

 

("Rio" by Rafael Alterio)

Artist Rafael Alterio spent the afternoons of his boyhood running around the atelier of his friend's mother, ceramic artist Henriette H. Jansen. Now, a decade or two later, they've joined forces to create an art exhibition of ceramic sculpture, paintings, and engravings which echo each other. I got the chance to preview some of the work before its opening this week, and was delighted to find that Alterio and Jansen have managed to create a collection of stunning quality while evading an aspect that turns me away from many modern artists: pretension.

Extremely Short Story Contest - WITH A PRIZE

Hello Cheapskaters! Here's a fun challenge for you: write a 2-sentence story. In fact, I'll give you the last line:

"I will admit, quietly, that it was not a nightmare."

What do you think should go before that? It could be devastating, hilarious, poignant, tragic, silly. It doesn't have to be Paris-related. It doesn't even have to be SFW. The above photo is what inspired me, but you could take this in any direction your imagination takes you.

The winner will receive a postcard from Paris for each week of July from yours truly. If you live in Paris, I will take you out for a drink to the next bar I feature for the Paris Cheapskate Happy Hour. Email your stories to parischeapskate (at) gmail (dot) com by Friday at midnight. Winner announced Saturday. Good luck!

Happy Hour: Le Hideout

Le Hideout has a few locations around Paris - near Bastille, rue Mouffetard, and Châtelet, but I visited the one just down the street from Gare du Nord. An Irish pub that features rugby and tennis on the telly and a bustling terrasse, Le Hideout is a fab place to chill outside, watch the people go by and have a cheap cocktail.

Pro Tip: How To Survive A Free Museum Sunday

 (1/25th of the line at Musée d'Orsay)

Paris' Free First Sundays at some of its biggest museums is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have to deal with shoulder-pushing crowds of people and lines so long they eventually become hilarious. On the other hand, dude, it's free. This weekend boasts one of those Sundays. Here's how to survive the former in order to enjoy the latter.

Hexagon Accessories

 (Straw/rattan clutch, $35, via Etsy)

Fiesty and energetic Laurie Pike of The Paris Blog has done what thousands dream of doing: she quit her career after 25 years to follow her passion in making handmade accessories. With a background in fashion and a pied-à-terre in Montmartre, she travels to Paris to scour the flea markets, pick up vintage pieces and integrate them into her beautiful, wearable collages.

Best Paris Stories

(Ernest Hemingway at his writing desk, via Melawend)

How to write about Paris? After hundreds of years, what is there left to say about the City of Lights? As it turns out, a whole lot (just look at the blogosphere). That's why Laurel Zuckerman has created and edited Best Paris Stories, a collection of short stories about the city which celebrates its launch tomorrow at the American Library of Paris.

Pro Tip: The Seine as 5th Avenue

(Paris map via Plan de Paris)

When I lived in New York, I took much comfort in the grid system, a concept Paris streets laugh heartily at. Also in New York, I knew that 5th Avenue was as close to a Main Street as we got, since all parallel addresses increased in number the further away from 5th that you went. Luckily, I've learned a little tip about Paris that is equally useful:

Consider the Seine to be your Fifth Avenue. All addresses leading away from the Seine increase in number. (So, right bank: increase northward, left bank: increase southward). Also, addresses running from east/west increase with the flow of the Seine (westward). So if you ever get disoriented or are unsure which direction you're walking when you come out of the Métro, take note of the surrounding addresses and it will (hopefully) help you feel a bit more centered in the City of Lights.