A Long Nouvellettre® for the Longest Day of the Year

This is a long one. I’m sorry. There’s simply lots to talk about! I came back to Paris Friday so as not to miss Fête de la Musique in the City of Light on the longest day of the year—June 21st, summer Solstice. And what a Fête it was!

Sit back, grab a glass of wine and have a read…

LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

There’s no such thing as a lazy summer chez moi. I was able to take both weekend afternoons to sit on the beach in Nice, but that’s as lazy as I was able to get. Sitting on an aluminum folding chair, with good water shoes greased up with lot of suntan lotion, with a book to read, or a phone for doing just about anything, or friends with whom to chit-chat, is one of life’s greatest pleasures…at least it is for me.

I took out into the mineral-rich water on a noodle with a sling to float. The water was both warm and cool as streams of both tried to make up its mind. By August the Mediterranean will be like bath water. Now that I’m in Paris to spend time with my daughter and her son, I’m already dreaming about when I can get back to the beach in about a month’s time.

FINANCIAL FORUMS INFO-FULL

The North American Expats in France Quarterly Financial Forum—2nd quarter 2025—Wednesday evening was an hour-long information-packed session with Niçois Notaire Carole Vangioni. She explained the role of the Notaire and the general process of purchasing a property in France. Most of the questions didn’t get answered…but we’ll attempt to answer them later this week, so stay tuned.

To watch the event, it’s on YouTube on our channel.

DINING OUT IN NICE IS AS NICE AS IT GETS

Dining out in Nice is one of life’s greatest pleasures. First off, it’s a Mecca for fresh-caught seafood and beautiful tasty regional produce. Then, there is the opportunity to dine al fresco, particularly at this time of year when the beachside restaurants are open and serving both lunch and dinner under bright skies, next to the azure blue sea. When I’m in Nice, there is such a limited time to visit with friends, colleagues and clients, that every meal is booked at a combination of old favorites and new must-tries.

Old Favorites…

Chez Ritho (12 rue Halévy) remains high on my list of perfect standbys and has for about 15 years of ordering up grilled fish and pasta (when I go off my diet). It’s an Italian restaurant run by Italians in a touristy part of town (my hood) that never disappoints. I have my daughter to thank for nosing it out long before living in Nice when one doesn’t know which of the touristy spots are actually worth patronizing. Tell Thomas, Ricardo or Béatrice that “Adriana” sent you.

Peixes (4 rue Jacques Médecin) is one of several restaurants owned by Portuguese Chef Armand Crespo that is easy to pop into because they don’t take reservations. Get there at noon or 7 p.m. to ensure you get a good table. Situated just behind Apollo’s lovely derriere (La Fontaine du Soleil at Place Masséna), for seafood specialties, it’s one of the best.

All of Crespo’s restaurants are worth a visit. Another one high on my list is Le Comptoir du Marché (8 rue du Marché). A reservation is a must and call as far in advance as you can. This is the bistrot of all bistrots. In fact, that’s how I feel about all of his restaurants…he’s the master of creative and delicious bistrot cuisine at reasonable prices so they never break the bank. I umm through every bite. And don’t miss the first one of his group, Bistrot d’Antoine (27 rue de la Préfecture). None of them will disappoint.

The two Boccas got my bucks this time around: Bocca Nissa (3 rue Saint-François de Paule) and Bocca Mar (15 Promenade des Anglais). The rooftop at Bocca Nissa is delightful, as is their seaside sister, Bocca Mar. The dishes are designed to be shared. Of all the seaside cafés and restaurants along the Promenade des Anglais, this one is the best. Don’t be surprised by all the young women and men dressed to the nines, as at 9 p.m. when they kick you out, it becomes a swinging disco!

Le Safari (1 Cours Saleya) is where you can find me every Sunday that I’m in Nice. Mixed with locals and tourists, this Niçois restaurant is consistently good and power-packed with local specialties plus, plus. The terrace is my favorite spot, but when it’s hot, you can opt for the indoor air-conditioned rooms. Note that some of the dishes can be ordered in half portions so you can taste it all. My favorite combo is a demi-portion of Petits Farcis and Salade Niçoise.

New, but won’t be for long…

Patty Sadauskas has raved about Le Barachois (12 rue Amiral de Grasse) for a long time, but getting to that neighborhood was always a bit of a challenge. This time I made a point of it, walking 20 minutes from home on a beautiful evening. Without this recommendation you would never have found it. It was a fluke for Patty who stumbled into it by chance. The cuisine is “Reunionese” (Reunion Island) and largely Creole, reminiscent of cooking from my home town, New Orleans. The Boudin Noir was spicy and the best I’ve ever eaten. (Boudin is sausage filled with blood of pigs, sheep, lamb, cow, chicken, or goose that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!)

I’d heard about it, but hadn’t had an opportunity until friends suggested it and reserved at Lavomatique (11 rue du Pont Vieux). The Worlds 50 Best touts it as “The victory of man over machine!” Once a laundromat, now a tapas joint in Old Town, brothers Hugo and Grégoire Loubert are knocking out yummy dishes one after another in this young and hip spot. Stools at high tables are the clue that it’s designed to attract a young crowd, but one can opt for the low tables if dangling your feet isn’t your idea of fun. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to return.

The 10 days I had in Nice dining out and loving every minute, topped off with a birthday celebration of a close friend turning the big 7-0 on the rooftop terrace of the Hôtel Anantara, they call “Seen by Olivier.” The food is exceptional, the views are drop dead stunning and the prices not too silly. Dinner was double what any of the others were, but that included a coupe de champagne and the luxury of the location. All well worth the splurge.

MUSIC IN THE AIR AND EVERYWHERE

I love this day of the year, when it’s light until 10 p.m. (9:58. p.m. to be exact) and music is in the air…everywhere…during La Fête de la Musique (Music Day). It’s an annual music festival that has been celebrated in France since 1982 on June 21st, coinciding with the summer solstice. The French Ministry of Culture created it to promote live music and encourage both amateur and professional musicians to perform freely in public spaces…and on this day, the streets, parks, squares, and venues across France come alive with a wide variety of music—from classical and jazz to rock, hip-hop, and electronic.

In Paris, the festival has taken on a big life of its own. Everyone came out, especially because the weather was so perfect…hot, sunny, and dry, reaching a height of 91 °F (32.8 °C). I loved every minute of the summery atmosphere.

The Men’s Ready-to-Wear (Spring/Summer 2026) fashion week is about to start in Paris, so that means the fashionistas are out…who I lovingly call “The Aliens.” The costuming is over the top, particularly in our neighborhood where there are so my pop-up showrooms. Saturday night, the people-watching was at an all time high with an over abundance of women in shorts that were too short, tops that were too revealing, sheer fabrics showing off more than you might like to see and a variety of other “looks” which include shorts or short skirt and big heavy (hot) boots. I chuckled at my daughter’s French friends with us who were characteristically critical of those who didn’t respect the City of Paris by dressing so inappropriately! It’s true—Parisians believe they should dress to fit the sophistication of the City of Light.

We set out early for the festival, but even by 6 p.m., getting out of our door on rue Commines was challenging. The crowd gathered to hear a DJ 2VIM positioned literally on the other side of the street was already so jam packed, that we had to worm our way out and down the sidewalk very slowly. The crowd was about 95% African, but the music wasn’t necessarily that. It was deafening, even vibrating through the entire apartment.

With Little Leeds in a baby carrier on Erica’s chest, we had to take great caution in protecting him. Once out of danger, our fears of getting back into the building were realized when we returned home at 10 p.m. to find the crowd had virtually doubled or tripled in size. Maneuvering to re-enter our own home was like charging into battle in a war zone and bordered on frightening. When we arrived a few steps from the door, I got a charge to bulldoze through and did, holding out my arms to pave a path. We were thankful to arrive home in one piece!

Our circuitous route was by first down rue de Turenne to the Place des Vosges, then westward across Le Marais along rue des Francs Bourgeois, and finally up rue Beaubourg to rue Réaumur, turning back to rue de Bretagne. We didn’t pass as many live musicians as we were hoping for, but it was satisfying enough to hear a band of old guys who weren’t very good, but adorable (nonetheless); watch a young kid bang the hell out of a set of drums; hear a woman crooning French songs as sweet as Edith Piaf; and finally to come upon an orchestra on the Parvis in front of the Mairie de Paris Centre.

From our windows at home, we were blasted by DJ 2 VIM until all hours of the night. Even with our windows closed, there was no possibility to run the AC (needs to be piped out open windows!) so out came the fans and a warm summer night.

HOCKNEY ENCORE

I insisted my daughter see the David Hockney 25 exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton before she leaves and it closes (August 31, 2025). Getting to the museum in the Bois de Boulogne was pretty fast and easy in a Taxi G7, but the ride home became a nightmare.

Erica didn’t enjoy the exhibition as much as I did, but we did have a nice lunch at Restaurant Frank and a long and happy stroll through the Jardin d’Acclimatation, trying to get Little Leeds to fall asleep. As we were strolling him along, Erica and I noticed how different the small city amusement park is from the American kind. We didn’t know the history of the park at the time, but it’s free of commercialism, is wooded and beautiful, and filled with average Parisians of every class…but with lots and lots of kids. It’s perfect for tykes of three years old and up…and for adults of every age.

The Jardin d’Acclimatation has been a special spot in Paris since it opened back in 1860. It covers 19 hectares of hilly land that used to be marshes, tucked into a curve of the Seine right next to the Bois de Boulogne, on land owned by the City of Paris. The garden was part of Napoleon III’s big plan to modernize Paris—he got the idea from the parks he’d seen in London during a visit with Empress Eugénie, invited by Queen Victoria. In the days of the Second Empire, the Jardin d’Acclimatation was a lively center of science and Parisian society. After the war of 1870-71, it bounced back by adding more attractions (including, unfortunately, the human exhibitions that were a thing back then). Things slowed down after World War I, and it eventually became more of a simple amusement park. Since the 1980s, thanks to LVMH taking over the management, the garden has really come back to life. We might have walked every inch of it Sunday trying to get Little Leeds to fall asleep.

He never did. I swear the child has FOMO, and never wants to miss a thing. So, instead of putting us all in an taxi to head home, we decided to bus it—two buses and 66 minutes later…except that we kept running into snags and ended up on three buses, waiting tons of time in the heat and then walking a long way home. Two hours later we arrived, our feet having turned to mush, with the trash from last night still in the street. (Normally the street cleaners are Johnny-on-the-Spot, but not this year!)

GIVING THANKS

Our bi-monthly coffee gathering in Nice falls on Thanksgiving Day, giving us the perfect opportunity to celebrate the American holiday together…once again!

Invite all your friends and join us for a community gathering we can all enjoy!

November 28, 2024
Time: 3:00 pm-5:00 pm CET
Cost: 40€
Venue: Le Carré d’Or, 1 Place Magenta, Nice, 06000 France

A special menu includes:

• Turkey, stuffing and gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Green beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Tarte aux pommes
• 1/4 wine or 50 cl sparkling water
• Coffee or tea

Price: 40€ all inclusive, with gratuity, etc. (charged in the equivalent US dollar value based on the current rate of exchange)

Any special drink orders will be billed separately and paid directly to Le Carré d’Or.

Reservations and payment by credit card (in US Dollar value based on the current rate of exchange) must be made in advance, no later than November 21st. Seating is limited, so be sure to reserve and pay early. Reservations are non-refundable, but are transferable to whomever you’d like to have with you!

Note: Please arrive between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. to get your seat.

Visit our website for more information and to register. Or to reserve your place, please email us directly.

A la prochaine…