Not Just a Door

In response to one of the questions from the audience of "The Insider's Paris" I'm posting a pic of this door in Montmartre. The address is N 1, Place du Calvaire in the 18th arrondissement (just off the very touristy Place du Tertre). This was the final home of the artist Maurice Neumont (1868-1930), a friend of the renowned art nouveau designer Hector Guimard. I remember standing at this spot a few months back and being surrounded by dazed tourists staring at the Sacre Coeur. When I began taking pictures of this door, they all crowded me and followed suit. The mob photography instinct is a common albeit annoying phenomenon among travelers. I love this door--the peephole is covered with an iron grille spider web and the carving is classic Guimard. As for Maurice Neumont, his artistic fame lies in a single, propagandistic piece from the First World War, entitled On Ne Passe Pas!

Paris, Paris

Thanks to all who sent in their Paris recommendations. I'm gonna give it another week to collect a few more, then I'll compile everything and send it out. Until then, here's the video clip of the 9 minute 43 second Louvre visit from the film Bande à Part by Jean Luc Goddard (1964).

Recommended Churches of Paris

Yesterday was my all-day lecture/seminar on Paris. There was a great audience--all very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic. Alas, in all my preparation I forgot to add my list of recommended churches--some famous, some less. Anyway, le voilà:

• Sainte-Chapelle, 1^st
• Sacré Coeur (inside!), 18^th
• Church of La Madeleine, 8^th
• Notre Dame de La Lorette, 9^th
• Saint-Sulpice, 6^th
• St Eustache, 1^st
• St. Leu St. Gilles, 3^rd
• St. Merri, 4^th
• Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, rue St. Antoine, 4^th
• St. Eugène and Ste. Cécile, 6 Rue St. Cecile, 9^th
• Saint Severin, 6^th

Of all of these, I must confess that the two churches I was most excited to see on this last trip were: St. Leu St. Gilles and Ste. Eugène and Ste. Cécile.

To those of you in attendance, thanks so much for coming and participating!

Paris Talk

Getting ready for next week's upcoming talk, The Insider's Tour of Paris, to be presented at The Smithsonian's Freer Gallery on Saturday, January 26th. I'm having a great time researching and reading all about Paris. Don't know if I qualify as an insider, but am glad for the opportunity to talk all day long about a city that I love. I'll be doing a series of four lectures, each about one hour long. As I'm writing my talks, I've been secretly plotting my next trip. See you there-AE