My three favorite -secret- corners in Paris

While in Paris I was lucky enough to discover my three favorite corners and more than willing to share with you. The tourist does not stop here first and some never even heard of these areas unless passing through on a lovely walk.

Place Dauphine: which was named after the Kings son. Dauphine means Prince. It is a triangle shaped hide away just west of Notre Dame on Île de la Cité and directly east of Pont Neuf. Midnight in Paris was filmed here along with a Gucci Photo shoot with Coco Rochas which I was lucky to watch while sipping vin rouge and listening to an amazing guitarist.

I chose this picture for the angle. This is preferred to show you the following fact: When The Place Dauphine was first built, all the buildings were the same height and today the only two that remain that height are the two front building on your right and left as you enter the triangular parc. (As you can see, the buildings behind  begin to grow..)

The cross at Quai de l'hotel de Ville and Rue de Pont Louis-Philippe (Gossip Girl was filmed on this corner), right bank-across from and looking at the Seine. Two wonderful restaurants are on this corner, tasty but also.. for lack of better words.. just, so pretty. Chez Julien and Cafe Louis Philippe. Chez Julien especially surprised me inside, filled with black, white and purple walls, very modern and romantic. Magnifique ;)

Café Saint-Régis: corner of Rue Jean du Bellayon and Rue Saint Louis en I'Île on Île Saint-Louis(the "second" small island in the Seine, east of Île de la Cité). This Île is the oldest area in Paris and also my favorite area, as it is so quiet. Midnight in Paris was also filmed here and the original location of the famous(and must have) Berthillon ice cream is here. With gorgeous small streets and buildings, coming along to this 3 way intersection, it really is one of the most beautiful and secretive areas in Paris. Also filled with many cute cafe's, once you are done here you can take the tiny -walking only-bridge(which isn't even on a map)over to Île de la Cité and see Notre Dame. This cafe being one of my favorite, simply for the decorations and vibe, I felt like I was a true expat living in Paris during the 1920's... ahh day dreaming again.. 

*The cafe use to look like this...

Well, that's it. Enjoy!

Pictures from:Dreamer on earth, Deliciously noted, Wikipedia, Bestparisrentals, Sugarednspiced, Petiteparisbedbreakfast

What does a parish have in common with Christina Aguilera??

Well.. you are in luck that I can fill this curiosity for you... :)

It started out as a now landmark(in 1966) Gothic Revival church built in 1844 then known as "one of the most influential buildings of the 19th century", later after some financial issues it was sold and transformed into Limelight(1983) then Avalon (2003) both dance clubs where the likes of Christina and Britney performed, changing in a super cute pop up boutique, Limelight Marketplace, to also sharing space with a fabulous historic looking wine bar...?!

This is all correct my friend, and is it called "Church of the Holy Communion". Only in NYC ;)

I was lucky enough to visit the shops, which I do recommend. They are set up normally, however the architecture has a lot of visual appeal. I also recommend, Château Cherbuliez, not only because I am an obvious lover of France but also for the decor, vibe, fabulous vin and it houses the largest outside garden in NYC seating up to 100 people. The most fun part I found out in my research... it also holds "a 'secret' private dining room"! I cannot wait to get in there now.. new mission...

Last fun fact, news to me, in the late 1800's this area becoming very fashionable it was nicknamed the "'Ladies' Mile' shopping district".

I think I have given you reason enough to at least stop by... haven't I ;) Enjoy mon amie!

Info and pictures from askmen.com, ChateauNYC and Wikipedia

25 fun facts on NYC

Fascinating... Thank you for sharing with us Scene by Laurie!

 

1. New York City has 4,000 street food vendors.
2. The average temperature of New York City’s pavement on a hot summer day is 150 degrees.
3. 100 million Chinese food cartons are used annually in New York City.
4. Gennaro Lombardi opened the first US pizzeria in NYC in 1895.
5. Manhattan’s Chinatown is the largest Chinese enclave in the Western Hemisphere.
6. New York City was was briefly the US capital from 1789 to 1790 and was the site of the inauguration of George Washington as President on April 30, 1789.
7. The state fruit is the apple.
8. New Yorkers travel an average of 40 minutes to work each day.
9. More than 47 percent of New York City’s residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home.
10. The Federal Reserve Bank on New York’s Wall Street contains vaults that are located 80 feet beneath the bank and hold about 25 percent of the world’s gold bullion.
11. More than 250 feature films are shot on location in New York City each year.
12. An average of 4.9 million people ride the New York City subway each weekday.
13. The New York subway system is the largest mass transit system in the world with 468 stations and 842 miles (1355 km) of track.
14. Unlike most major subways systems around the world, the New York Subway runs 24 hours a day.
15. The musicians who perform in the NYC Subway system go through a competitive audition process. Some of the subway musicians have also played at Carnegie Hall.
16. Manhattan doesn’t have a Main Street. Each of the other boroughs and Roosevelt Island have Main Streets.
17. There are 6,374.6 miles of streets in New York City.
18. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum was the world’s first museum for kids.
19. The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the only museum in America dedicated exclusively to medieval art.
20. 200 ticker-tape parades have taken place in Lower-Broadway’s ‘Canyon of Heroes. The first ticker-tape parade celebrated the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886.
21. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge to be lit using electricity.
22. Hong Kong is the only city in the world with more completed skyscrapers than New York City.
23. 36% of the current population of New York City was born outside the United States.
24. Since 2005, New York City has the lowest crime rate of the 25 largest US cities.
25. Brooklyn was an independent city rivaling NY until 1898

 

Photo from Chadd

Do you prefer your whiskey in a bottle or a ...building?

Haha yes I said building. Fun fact: Seagrams Whiskey hired Mies van der Rohe to design a building(where Seagrams was once based) to resemble their own whiskey bottle creation. He did just this, having the building made out of bronze and dark glass in the shape of the Seagram whiskey bottle while still having it exude "elegance and the principles of modernism". Located directly in Midtown on Park Avenue "Mies’ solution set a standard for the modern skyscraper".

Check it out for yourself. Can you see it? I can now, and it is very interesting.

Photo and info from archdaily, designitecture and lostina supermarket

The REAL 666 Park avenue

Would you believe me if I told you NYC once housed live stock on its roof and a lobby holding seals??? It is true, how could you not believe me? Its New York :)

It is still up in the air whether ghosts live in the building or not like the show has us believing. However it did have “The farm on the roof,” Weddie Stokes wrote, “included about 500 chickens, many ducks, about six goats and a small bear... Every day, a bellhop delivered free fresh eggs to all the tenants...the Ansonia had Turkish baths and a lobby fountain with live seals". Also, the Ansonia is located on the Upper West Side @West 74th and Broadway, no where near Park Ave...

I thought I had experienced some of the best amenities a NYC building could offer, however, how wrong I was :)

As the first air conditioned hotel in NYC and also having several memorable stories with the Major League Baseball... "According to New York Magazine, the plot to throw the 1919 World Series was sealed here in the apartment of the Chicago White Sox first baseman Arnold “Chick” Gandil." A few other famed past residents include Babe Ruth and Igor Stravinksy(composer as well as once boyfriend of thee Coco Chanel).

After a short debate in the 1960s, a proposal to demolish the building was fought off by its many musical and artistic residents. It was then added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The Ansonia has been the filming location for Single White Female and Uptown Girls with Brittany Murphy.

Picture from Sketchingtheworld, oscarmontani and info from Wikipedia, ibtimes and cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

Great Quote by a Great Man

My father is his biggest fan with reason... 

" Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts "

-Winston Churchill, also a close friend of Ms. Chanel

(throwing in a little fact haha)

When the Color Hue's match perfect!

Necklace from Jessie James

For those who has studied fashion, I am about to cover the basics...

And for the rest, do not worry, you are about to be caught up :)

Very simply put, there are primary and secondary color hues. What is a hue? Hue defines pure color. All colors are mixed from the basic pure, primary, three colors: red, yellow and blue. Their secondary "match" if you will, are: red=green, yellow=purple, blue=orange. 

Now, you ask, what is the point in knowing this? 

Well, other than knowledge for a color related job.. it is solely for fun to know when you are mixing your wardrobe! For example, my stunning cousin had no idea about the Color Wheel, however she is still always dressed to stylish perfection and she nails it anyway! Instinctively, above, she matched yellow with purple, and look how nicely they compliment each other. Job well done Michele!! xx

Image via Montessoriforeveryone