Sister, Sister, He's Just a Play-Thing, We Wanna Make Him Stay Up All Night

Above are lyrics from one of my favorite Talking Heads songs, and here's I love it and it is relevant:

First of all, because it is about babies. I love 'em and I want one. And let me tell you, they do babies well here in Paris. Actually, kids in general. They dress them well and if they need glasses when they are four or five, they don't mess around. Little round red frames. Imagine the American Girl Doll Molly's glasses, but in red. So cute!

Secondly, I miss my family so it is a shout out to my sis, Annie.

Thirdly, because I like to stay up late. Which brings me to last Saturday evening, Nuit Blanche in Paris. It translates literally to "white night," but in French that is the term for an all-nighter, for a sleepless night. Don't know why. *PAUSE* Just did some research and I think it might be in reference to 'white nights' in places of high latitude where the sun is out all night. But anyway, the french Nuit Blanche:

It is a huge arts festival meant for community building here in Paris. Museums stay open until 7am, they have exhibitions all around the city and the young and old of Paris take to the streets for the fête, for the soirée, for the festival, for the party. Right in my neighborhood there was a bunch of stuff, I live right around the corner from a fine arts college. Plus in the park by house they had a 25 foot disco ball (what?!) hanging from a crane above the fountain.

After a little pre-party in my courtyard, my friends and I decided to go to a few bars and make our way to another neighborhood that had stuff going on. We did make it to the bar, then to another, then beautiful Erin and I decided to split off and go with her two french friends while the other 3 went another way. Our time at the next place (a club) lasted about 2 minutes, Erin and I split.

What to do? FRENCH ONION SOUP of course. Erin and I sat down and watched the crowds. This would seem like the end, as everyone was wearing out. Our other friends ended up having Metro troubles and ended up going home, as did Erin. But on my way walking home, I figured, why not just keep going?

My first impromptu stop was the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg with the HUGE disco ball. It was absolutely dazzling and lit up the entire surrounding neighborhood. By the time I got there, about 4am, there was no line to get into the park, but it was still full enough to enjoy the atmosphere and the many people hanging out.

There was also a huge dream carousel, like those things one might put next to a child's bed. I sat in those wonderful moveable chairs in the garden for a while and watched that. But then I went home.

And as I was walking up the stairs, I said to myself WHY NOW? I poured myself some more wine, then went around the corner where I proceeded to watch a woman strategically command 6 record players playing bird calls, changing the timing and record to make the sound into music in the courtyard of the school. She had a rack of clothes on the back of the platform which I thought was a little curious, but for some reason completed her scenic design.

I sat there on the edge of a fountain listening to and watching her for about 45 minutes. Every once in a while she would look at me or another person nearby after making sure a record was playing right at the moment she wanted. Her face said 'that is the right spot, no argument.' She was a stern and focused woman of 50, and had her character for the performance down.

After that 45 minutes she grabbed a dress of the rack, having never acknowledged them until that point. Absolutely thrilling. She reset two more records and left the stage. There was no way I could leave now. Would she come back having changed from her cream colored Chanel-esque suit into the long black silk dress with the large flower on her breast?

I could only wait, which I did. For twenty minutes. I gave her five more minutes to return. After that five, I granted her five more. Then I did it again. After 35 minutes she returned to her work, no differently than before, except for the black dress. I loved it.

I had an amazing Saturday night both with my friends, then roaming alone until 7am. But of course that lead to a very short Sunday for Evan.

My Dream Job is Gone

Condé Nast has decided to cease to publish Gourmet Magazine, the favorite of all my bathroom reading material and the publication that was going to start my very secret career plan. The last issue will be November.

This post is dedicated to Alexis Touchet (touché!). I do not know her personally, but she is the wife of an amazing teacher I had freshman year and was Senior Food Editor for the magazine. Every month when I picked up my copy, I would first turn to the contributors page to view that amazing name of hers and then I would proceed to read the recipes and travel the gastronomical world with them. I promise to follow Alexis and Ruth Reichl wherever they go.

I joined the group on Twitter to save the magazine (you could too, for me), but I am coming to terms with it.

This cover from June 2009 has been the background to my American cell phone since I recieved it in the mail. It makes me so hungry whenever I call anyone!

At least we got the recipe for the peach and champagne popsicles before it all ended, Mom.

This Proves My Terrible Memory

I don't know how this happened, but I forgot my password to this blog for the last week. I changed it somehow, but I still have no idea what it might have been. Thank god for security questions (though I am surprised I remembered the answers for those).

The event that I have been most excited about since my time in France was this last Friday. It was a free trip through NYU (only cost me 3 1/2 years of tuition to finally get something free) to Vaux-le-Vicomte. This is the palace that Versailles was based on. We took buses in the morning, enjoyed the château, had a free 3 course meal, then enjoyed the gardens for a while before being shipped back to Paris.

I had heard one of my wonderful professors, Christina Von Koehler, who knows everything about everything history, was going to give a tour. So as we walked in, I asked her. She said "No, but I will be around if you have any questions." She then proceded to walk with me and tell me all about every room until it became an unofficial NYU tour. When we got to the bell tower, she admitted her fear of heights and could not continue. But lo and behold, when I descended 10 minutes later, she was there waiting, and we recommenced the tour.

At our 10 person table at lunch there was an extra seat next to me, which she eventually occupied. We drank wine and talked. She is one of the best story tellers I have ever encountered, and funny. And she knows her dates.

The château itself was built by Nicholas Fouquet, who was a minister of finance. He got these great designers and artists and gardeners and built himself this amazing place. It is funny too because in some old french dialect his last name meant squirrel, so they put them all over the house. When it was just about finished he had party to show it off, which turned out to be a mistake.

Louis XIV was young and new at the king thing and of course dint wanna git dun like dat. So 3 weeks later they arrested Fouquet and didn't allow him council or a pen the entire time before his trial, so he pretty much had to represent himself and all his financial dealings for France by himself from memory. He died in jail 19 years later. Meanwhile Louis XIV took all his builders, gardeners and artists and pretty much said 'same thing but bigger and better and closer to Paris.' Thus, Versailles was born.

My other favorite part was a little tidbit of info about the landscape designer André Le Nôtre eventually went from a gardener to a noble because of his work. So when your family is marked as nobility, you must have a crest. He chose his crest to be a head of a cabbage and 3 snails. He was funny for a gardener.

In the garden I snuck into an overgrown garden with broken greenhouses and an old well, which was cool, but I had to walk for a bit. When I finally reached another gate I saw some friends on the other side, realized I was trapped because it was locked and had to walk all the way back...

I really liked the place, and though I have not been inside the Palace of Versailles, I would say this is a great alternative. We were practically the only people there (never the case at Versailles) and the story of the building is interesting and it was designed by the same people. Plus the staff is relaxed and wouldn't mind if I had set down a picnic just about anywhere. I also like the fact that some of it remains unfinished, it gave me a better sense of the immense amount of work it takes.

Oh also, Tony Parker and Eva Longoria got married there. Cassandra and I thought about it, but decided to just take this picture instead.