Pro Tip: MyTable Online Restaurant Reservations

(Still from one of my favorite Seinfeld scenes)

So, I have been in Paris for well over a year now and though my language skills have vastly improved, there's one occasion on which I always, always panic: making reservations at a restaurant. All my French seems to fly right out the window as I'm hunched forward, eyes squeezed shut, trying very hard to listen and understand the host or hostess on the other end asking me simple questions, like, say, my name. 

Garden at the Hôtel de Ville

(Photo by Audrey via Flickr)

The longer I live in Paris, the more I love the Hôtel de Ville. More specifically, the plaza of the Hôtel de Ville. It's a chameleon space, a blank canvas open to the whims and creativity of its organizers. In winter it's an ice-skating rink, in July it'll be a beach, last year there there were giant pillows in front of a screen playing the Olympics, and just last week they played the French Open alongside an actual tennis court.

Well, between the tennis and the upcoming beach, they will squeeze in a good month or so of "jardin éphémère," or temporary garden. Yes, this massive field of concrete facing the majestic city hall will be transformed into a green space, full of grass, flowers and other oxygen-making stuff of God. Looks like it will be beautiful!

Jardin Éphémère
FREE
Saturday, 15 June - Friday, 12 July
Hôtel de Ville
Métro: M1, M11 to Hôtel de Ville

Play Me, I'm Yours Returns To Paris

After the success of last year's effort to install random pianos around the city, the part-community service, part-art installation, all-awesome project Play Me, I'm Yours returns for a second summer in Paris. As the brainchild of British artist Luke Jerram, forty beautifully, uniquely decorated pianos will be set up in public spaces all around Paris for three weeks starting this Friday. Anybody, from classically trained musicians to amateurs can sit down and tickle the ivories.

Paris Jazz Festival at Parc Floral

(Photo via Sortir à Paris)

The finest way to enjoy a jazz concert is en plein air. Beginning this weekend, the fifth annual Paris Jazz Festival gives you the wonderful, warm opportunity to do just that, with 31 concerts over 8 weekends at the enchanting Parc Floral on the east edge of Paris. From soul and blues to funk and Latin jazz, the two-month jazz-stravaganza will offer plenty of chances to discover and toe-tap your way across the jazz spectrum for just the price of a ticket into the park. Make a day of it, bring a picnic and enjoy the park before and after the shows. Hot picks: check out the Bastille Day "interactive ball" with New Orleans artist Trombone Shorty on 14 July, and be sure to see legend Hugh Masekela do his thang on 21 July. His "Grazing in the Grass" is the perfect summer anthem:

Cheap Art: Fred Eerdekens' Shadow Words

(by Fred Eerdekens)

I'm a huge fan of art that incorporates text. I guess that's not so surprising for a writer, but from mail art to Mel Bochner, I can't get enough of wordy art. That's why I was so excited to see Fred Eerdekens' simple and stunning exhibit "Remanences" at Magda Danysz Gallery in the 11e arrondissement.

Paris Lit Up Open Mic Nights

Paris has a long tradition of attracting expat writers to its cobblestone streets and intimate drinking spaces. Even today, there's a booming community of writers wandering the streets of the city. The organization Paris Lit Up seeks to connect these writers and keep visitors and expats informed of the many various goings-on in the Paris literary community. They've even created a weekly open mic night at the fab (and very cheap) Belleville bar Culture Rapide.

Cheap Art: Portes Ouvertes Belleville

(Lovely Rebecca Brown at last year's Portes Ouvertes of Belleville)

I love going to Portes Ouvertes, or weekends where artists in a selected neighborhood open their ateliers for visitors to come and check out their working spaces (often also their homes) and view their work. It can also be a great opportunity to buy art directly from the artist, often at a lower price than you'd find at a gallery or elsewhere. In addition to full-sized works, oftentimes for these events the artists will have small paintings or prints available for less than 30€.

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.

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 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