Fete de la Chandeleur – French Crepe Day

If you visit Paris you will find street vendors selling crepes all over the city. They are at the eiffel tower, the Marais and there are a bunch on every corner in Montmartre. Two years ago arrived in Paris for my original 3 months stay and was thrilled to find out it was French Crepe Day. If I could love the city any more on a cold February day they celebrate the eating of crepes with a holiday? Sign me up! I celebrated a day early yesterday with my friends Alexis and Bree and their adorable babies. My favorite it banana and nutella. What’s yours?

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Cafe Life in Paris in Black and White

Cafes are a big part of Paris life. Apartments are small and Parisians spend a good amount of their time at local cafes. People watching at cafes can last hours on end as there are always new characters and the wardrobes are pretty fantastic. Paris feels like walking on a never ending movie set. 

 

Red Balloons in Paris – Part 1

The story behind the red balloons. My first trip to Paris this year I had the idea of putting red balloons around the city of Paris and photographing them. I was busy with visitors towards the last month of my visit and never got to do it. As I prepared for my last minute visit this October it was on my list!

Finding red balloons is not easy or inexpensive in Paris. I brought my own balloons from the States but needed to find helium. After a long walk through the 13th arrondisement with my friend Olivier I started to walk home towards the Seine. On my walk I stumbled upon a toy shop with balloons! My thought was now or never… so I purchased a few balloons. I was beaming with my red balloons walking through the city of Paris. Just a few feet out of the shop and one balloon goes POP! Then my decision to ride the metro or bus home was out the window. I was going to walk… all 7 kilometers.

On my way home the sun started to set. I thought first stop would be one of my favorite Paris bridges. Pont des Arts…

I woke up early to meet another photographer friend at the Trocadero at sunrise. Here we began a very full day of running around with red balloons.

While shooting this part we had a few gypsy girls circle us asking for our signature. After asking them to leave they attacked the balloons with their pens and popped one before running off!

As the day went on the balloons popped one by one until there were none. There were a few places around the city that we didn’t get to so we decided to do it again! I will save those images for another post.

Thank you all for following my Paris adventure! I couldn’t have asked for a better month. I still have a lot more Autumn images from Paris to share with you.

Snowy day in Montmartre

I woke up to a little snow that has continued throughout the day. It has been a messy wet and windy snowy day but that didn’t stop me. … Paris in the snow is Magical!

One week to go!

It seems as though I was just talking about my idea to live in France with family and friends not too long ago. I leave in just one week from today. My to do list grows by the day and I am trying to not get to overwhelmed. Ready or not I am getting on the plane and headed off for my next adventure. I plan on doing a lot of walking and exploring the hidden streets and cafes with my camera. I can’t wait for you to come along with me on my journey. Thanks for following!

Paris in Black and White a series

Paris, France in Black and White a series. Recently I did a collection of Black and White photographs for the new French restaurant in Chicago Brasserie by LM. The photographs are displayed all over the large restaurant. You can put this collection anywhere. I chose to put this in a hallway since I love filling empty white walls with photographs.

Mix and Match any black and white photographs to create your own collection

 

LM opens Brasserie at Essex hotel Downtown Chicago

I was honored when the owners of LM asked me to consult with them on the decor of their new restaurant.  Located at 800 S. Michigan inside the Essex hotel. My photographs will hang proudly on their wall in just a few days. Check back for a separate post on the decor. I was treated to a special event tonight for Friends and Family. I invited one friend and one family member to dine with.

For more information about the LM restaurants click here

If you have ever eaten with me you could easily define me as picky and a bit of a food snob. After my many trips to Paris I LOVE French food. I have my favorite restaurant that is my go to in Paris. Living in Chicago I am always in search of my favorite French restaurant to have my fix. I will admit I have not dined with the LM group until this evening. I will tell you that tonight’s dinner was fabulous!!

Here are a few photographs from this evenings dinner:

The photo is a little strange because I took it from above. We ended up getting a Charcuterie plate and a cheese plate and combining them. The cheeses were out of this world and the fig spread on the side was a great compliment.

We each got the Muselin salad with goat cheese. The goat cheese was on the bottom of the plate. My favorite! This is what I order in Paris and it was right on point.

Mussels and Fries

Sausage with mashed potatoes underneath

Hanger Steak with frites. Carmelized onions on the steak. This was my dish and was great!

Chocolate Mouse and Creme Brulee. Yes, we still managed to save room for dessert.

Thank you Stephan and Nicole for an amazing dinner! Brasserie by LM will have seating for 80 outside. You will find me here in the summer working and enjoying some of the delicious food. I would say Bonne Chance … but I don’t think LM needs it!