From Maui to La La Land to Paris

Last Monday I flew to L.A. on Hawaiian Airlines and while the food service was close to disgusting, the WiFi on board was stupendous! And free! With about 200 emails coming in daily, it’s a blessing to have the uninterrupted time to actually answer them, or file them, or do whatever is necessary to keep the flow going.

I sobbed saying Aloha to my daughter and Little Leeds, who had grown so much in 2.5 weeks that it was astounding to watch the progress on a daily basis. He filled out, became really strong, and his little personality started to shine through. During the entire month in Maui, I saw very little outside of the house, the big box stores and an occasional walk in the neighborhood. But it wasn’t vacation and I wasn’t there to visit Maui. The task was to see my daughter through the birth of her son and get settled into motherhood.

Every grandparent says that it’s THE BEST—having grandkids—and so far, they are dead right, except for the part of being so far away. I made Erica swear to get on FaceTime or WhatsApp or Zoom or whatever every single day at the same time so that I can imagine we’re together, even though we are 7,500 miles apart. I’ve already booked my return for February and she’s already working on her trip to Paris with the baby in the spring or summer. I can’t wait!

Again, thanks to all of you who wrote or commented well wishes, and to all of you who have grandkids, I would say the same thing. It changes your life forever, as it already has mine.

L.A. is always a race against time to visit with friends, see clients in person every morning and actually get to see a bit of L.A., too. Every minute is booked! It’s funny how most of my friends in L.A. are not from the years we lived there, but from the many friends I made in France of people who now live in the area. They almost all have a French connection.

Dear old friend Marcia Mazria and I met up with Craig Carlson and Julien Chameroy (of Breakfast in America and Pancakes in Paris fame. They live just down the street from me in Paris and have a second home in L.A.), with poet Cecilia Woloch (who I met in 1994 in Paris and has a new book out, so new that it’s not on her website yet) at Canter’s Deli on Fairfax. Marcia was my business partner when I was living in L.A. and we are still the closest of friends, thinking of ourselves as “sisters from different mothers.”

Even after living in Los Angeles seven years, it was my first time at Canter’s. It’s an L.A. landmark since 1931—a third-generation, family-owned icon celebrated for its authentic Jewish deli experience. Renowned for its freshly baked breads, house-made pickles, and award-winning pastrami, Canter’s became a destination for locals, tourists, and celebrities alike…such as Marilyn Monroe, Jim Carrey, Queen Latifah, Ryan Gosling, Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder among them.

Going off diet, and embracing the moment, I ordered their “BRONX SPECIAL: Pastrami and Chopped Liver Served Open Face on Rye with choice of Cole Slaw or Potato Salad. $20.95.” We started off with their “latkes”—”POTATO PANCAKES, Choice of Apple Sauce or Sour Cream. (3) $10.50/(6) $13.95.” Everyone said it wasn’t as good as it once was, but the waiter was exceptional —he never wrote down a single thing we ordered, it all arrived before we could take a breath and he seemed to know what we wanted before we asked for it. All in all, it was worth the 1.25 hours it took to get there from Santa Monica.

Meanwhile, news was coming across the wire that the French government collapsed following a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, sparked by controversy over a proposed austerity budget aimed at saving €60 billion through spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the deficit. The crisis escalated earlier in the week when Prime Minister Barnier invoked Article 49.3, a constitutional provision allowing the government to pass legislation without parliamentary approval but enabling MPs to respond with a no-confidence motion. The motion succeeded with the crucial backing of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, as 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government. Le Pen described the budget as “toxic” and stated that her party’s choice was to “protect the French.” This marked France’s first successful no-confidence vote since 1962, when Georges Pompidou’s government was defeated under Charles de Gaulle’s presidency.

The government’s collapse plunges France into political uncertainty, with the risk of ending 2024 without a stable government or an approved 2025 budget unnerving investors. France’s borrowing costs recently surpassed those of Greece, reflecting heightened concerns. While a U.S.-style government shutdown is unlikely due to constitutional provisions allowing emergency budgets, the upheaval coincides with looming public-sector strikes over cost-cutting measures, potentially disrupting schools, air, and rail services. This turbulence comes as France prepares to host global dignitaries, including Donald Trump, for Notre Dame’s reopening.

The New York Times writes that “Notre-Dame Is Restored, but Macron’s Legacy Is in Jeopardy.” “The 860-year-old cathedral has been repaired in a time frame many thought impossible. But rather than basking in success, President Emmanuel Macron is mired in political crisis. If not glory, the reopening of Notre-Dame should at least offer Mr. Macron a brief respite. He has called the moment, like the Olympics before it, ‘a jolt of hope.'”

Even though I am so far away, I am staying in touch by watching France24.com on YouTube.com in English—the French national news channel. You may find this to be the best source of news for such important events taking place in France. It’s how I stay connected and trust that their spin on the news is as unbiased as it can get. The coverage has been constant. I felt very far away when in reality, it was taking place very close to home, and sadly missed.

See what our journalist friend David Andelman has to say about all of it on MSNBC!

Wanting to take advantage of my brief time in Los Angeles, I set out to visit a couple of museums that didn’t exist when living there, the Petersen Automotive Museum being one of them. This is a (not so) hidden gem behind an elaborate facade across the street from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (the other one I wanted to visit) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). All three are worth a visit and easy to do in one day.

The Petersen is a total delight. Even if you never cared about cars, a visit to the Petersen will change your mind. I fell in love with just about every car on display, but the one I could see myself driving home in was a 1954 white Corvette Convertible. The 1966 Ford Thunderbird that Thelma and Louise drove off the edge of the Grand Canyon is on display as is the Batmobile. Take your time—there is much to see and love.

It was a good idea to plan for lunch at Fanny’s—located in the Academy Museum—in between museum visits. Named after the iconic Fanny Brice—renowned movie, vaudeville, theater, and radio star famously portrayed by Barbra Streisand in her Oscar®-winning role in Funny Girl (1968). This stunning two-story, 10,000-square-foot venue was envisioned by the late architect Osvaldo Maiozzi. It boasts of a chef-curated open kitchen, an elegant bar, and a dining room adorned with plush red booths. The restaurant is backed by Wendy Stark Morrissey, Brice’s granddaughter. Our lunch was delicious, copious and a bargain compared to other meals we’ve had in L.A.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in 2021 in the historic May Company Building—renamed the Saban Building after a $50 million donation. Designed by architect Renzo Piano (who I met in Provence years ago at the inauguration of the Château La Coste Art Gallery), the museum features the restored Streamline Moderne exterior, the glass-domed Dolby Family Terrace, and two theaters: the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater. On the top floor is an observation deck from which you can spot the Hollywood sign in the distance. Worth a visit.

Initially criticized for overlooking Jewish film pioneers, the museum has since opened a permanent exhibit honoring them. It’s a fascinating tale of such moguls as Adolph Zuckor, Carl Laemmle, Louis B. Mayer, Harry Warner, and William Fox who were among the founders of Hollywood’s major studios. On display are costumes you will recognize—Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz among them. They sell a replica of them in the museum gift shop for $349.

Special Note: you can park in either the Petersen or LACMA and just walk across the street to each other. (Walk in L.A.? Who does that?!)

When I was living in L.A. 30 years ago, the restaurant Matsuhisa on La Cienega Boulevard was a regular stop for us. Marcia Mazria and I would go for Nobu’s $12.95 lunch special and it was Nobu himself slicing the fish. Over the years, as it became more and more popular, we’d have many celebrity spottings. Then, Nobu took over the TexMex restaurant next door and expanded.

Nobu Matsuhisa became quite a celebrity himself fusing traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. In today’s world, he can boast of over 40 restaurants (including one in Paris), more than 15 hotels, seven books and he’s acted in three major films. This is what feeding an L.A. celebrity crowd will get you.

It wasn’t difficult to get reservations, although I made them about a month in advance. We were routed via the back entrance which wasn’t particularly pleasant, but no one seemed to mind. Seated in the main dining room, I’d always remembered just where we use to sit after waiting about 45 minutes to get a table or seat at the bar 35 years ago. I wanted to order everything on the menu, and ate until we exploded. It would be easy to say it was the best sushi I’d ever eaten…and I eat sushi at every opportunity. It wasn’t horribly expensive considering the cost of everything—about $120 a person with tax and tip and worth every penny.

Yesterday I boarded an Air France flight back to Paris after having been Stateside for five weeks. That ended my U.S. stay for now…until I return to visit with my daughter and grandson in late February (I can’t stand to be away too long!).

In the meantime, the Atlanta Journal Constitution ran two articles about us and our clients this past week (click on the photo to read the articles):

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See you in France for the holidays! Stay tuned for being back on French soil…and looking forward to it!

A la prochaine…