Vegas

Last week I was in Vegas for the NHL awards with The Fourth Period Magazine. It was a blast to hang with the TFP crew, and meeting a slew of NHL all-stars certainly didn't hurt either. I've got to keep the images under wraps for now since the latest issue of TFP hasn't come out yet, but here are a few images from the town.

 

 

 

Day Six

Our days in Paris are, more often than not, a means towards a single end--great food. We began day six on a mission to try Bertillon, purportedly the best ice cream we would ever try.

 

On the way, we passed by Sainte-Chapelle, a structure circa 1200 with knock-your-socks-off stained glass. 

Bertillon was good. Really good. But the best in the world? Probably not. Even in LA, we've got something nearly as delectable--Bulgarini, in Altadena, offers comparably delicious bites, and doesn't require a plane ticket. Oh well. 

After eating ice-cream, we realized it was time for real food. Frenchie, one of the many spots on our "to visit" list recently featured in Bon Appetit, seemed like the perfect choice--a small, charming eaterie with a reputation as the place foodies go to really get their food on. We got there at 6:30 for a 7PM open, and a group of six was already waiting ahead of us. A member of the wait staff explained that we had no chance in hell at making it in the main restaurant because they were closing for a week long vacation after tonight and took too many reservations. By 7:01pm, they were, in his words, "already in the shit over there."

The wine bar, however, was first come first serve, so we braved the rain and waited another thirty minutes, deigning to dine on small plates for the night. Six hours after walking through the doors, we departed, full of foie gras with a reduced consume jelly so full of flavor each bite felt like a meal unto itself, a chopped squid with vinagrette and tapanade, head of pork slow cooked over night, the list goes on. We finished with a pot de creme au chocolat which made all other creamy saucers of chocolate seem sufficiently insufficient as to make me wonder why I've ever ordered a pot de creme before, and whether or not I'll ever be able to do so without disappointment again.

Standing Room Only

Day Five

No (first) trip to Paris would be complete without a trip to the Eiffel Tower--it seems wrong to spend time in the Ile-de-France without a making a quick stop.

 

While seeing the tower was all well and good, the people on hand were made for an even more entertaining viewing experience. The man below seemed concerned with the structure

 

This couple also seemed unsure of all that was looming before them. You'd think the guide books would've explained it thoroughly enough, yet they still seemed perplexed--oh well!

After finishing up at the tower, we headed to the Cartier-Bresson Museum, ready to bask in the glory of his prints--or so we thought. As it turns out, Henri was a man without much ego, and he wanted his foundation to exhibit the works of others. The exhibit displaying work by Japenese photographer Tashi-e was OK, but the gift shop books of Cartier-Bresson's work outshone the gallery prints on the walls.

Cartier-Bresson Museum

With a few hours to kill before dinner, we strolled through the streets towards Canal St. Martin. Seeing all the Vespas and Puegots on the streets of Paris makes you wonder how they get things around; this Mini Cooper helped make things clear.

We finally ended the night with a four-hour dinner just off the Canal St. Martin, sharing great food with great friends--it doesn't get much better than that. 

Buskers, Man with Portfolio, Musee d'Orsay

 

 

Sacre Coeur

The Pantheon

Just because the Pantheon in Paris is 300 years old doesn't mean it isn't a perfectly acceptable place for a bit of soccer.

Or some lounging around with an Eiffel Tower view.

 

Nice columns too, eh? 

 

Paris Day One

Hi all! Blog content is going to look a bit different for the next month--yesterday marked my first day of many as a non-French speaker in the city of Paris. 

For the camera feinds out there, I abandoned the Nikon dSLR that usually accompanies me on long trips for something a bit more Cartier-Bresson; all the images below were shot with a Leica M9 and 35mm Summicron. One camera, one memory card, one (awful--Leica could stand to improve here--battery), one lens. Many stories to follow!