Postcard from Paris

In Paris for a few days, my favorite city.

Paris seems melancholy, perhaps even a bit scared. The economic crisis has knocked the wind out of the city that depends so heavily on tourism. Cafés, restaurants, boutiques — the lifeblood of Paris — the chief contributor to its incredible ambiance, sit empty.

Here are some pictures … Place des Vosges … a Basque perfume shop … a florist … restaurants in the Marais, two-thirds empty.

Last night, we took a stroll by the Seine. After Jussieu, near the Institut du Monde Arabe, young men and women were eating, drinking, dancing.

Joy.

Joy of the kind that America has not yet discovered. Joy. Art. Design. Culture. All that makes Paris so special, so different, so wonderful.

Despite the distress.

That’s why I keep coming back.

Over and again.

To Paris, in all moods — melancholia or euphoria.

p.s. I’ve added more pictures to the Belgium set here.