Never a Dull Moment in Paris

It’s been an eventful week. But, when is it not in France?

DEMYSTIFYING THE FRENCH ON FRANCE 24

Janet Hulstrand, author of Demystifying the French, made an appearance on France’s national news channel, France 24, with show host, Genie Godula.

“One of the things that tourists in France sometimes complain about while they’re here is the French themselves. Many people feel that the cliché of the grumpy French person isn’t a cliché at all, but in fact reality. Our guest, Janet Hulstrand, is trying to debunk that myth. She spoke to us in Entre Nous.”

It’s less than 6 minutes long, so don’t miss it!

BELTING IT OUT AT LE VIEUX BELLEVILLE

Lisa Anselmo, April Pett and I squeezed into a small, wood-paneled bistro in the heart of Belleville where time has politely stopped sometime around 1950. That’s Le Vieux Belleville on Édith Piaf night—a neighborhood treasure where the tables are close enough for elbows to touch and voices blend as naturally as the wine flows.

Once you’re settled in along with a packed room of diners from all over the world, an accordion player begins, and before you know it, the entire room is singing La Vie en Rose (or any one of Piaf’s famous songs) with unbridled gusto—locals, tourists, young lovers, and even a few teary-eyed nostalgics who remember the real Piaf. I don’t know how they did it, but the servers managed to weave through the crowd with carafes of red wine and plates of food while “une chanteuse” channels the Little Sparrow herself—raw, passionate, heartbreakingly alive.

Lisa is a trained operatic singer herself, so she was right there belting it out with the rest of the crowd. When I motioned to the accordionist that my friend was a singer, he immediately encouraged her to take center stage, which she very happily did…to sing “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”

There’s no pretense here. This is Paris in its purest, most soulful form—slightly chaotic, perfectly imperfect, utterly human. As I sat there, NOT joining in because you never want to hear me sing (!!), I couldn’t help but think, this is exactly why we live in France…for moments like these, when life and art and history dance together in a tiny corner café, and everyone belongs.

Do it…and get to know Belleville a bit while you’re at it.

A NIGHT AT “LE ROI LION” IN PARIS

We send so many new bank customers to CIC that they invited my crew and I to a performance of The Lion King, the next night after singing with Edith Piaf! When you step into the Théâtre Mogador on a crisp Paris evening it feels like entering another world—one where elegance, artistry, and pure magic mingle effortlessly. The Belle Époque chandeliers sparkle overhead, the velvet seats cradle an eager audience, and the hum of anticipation fills the air.

Over cocktails with the CIC bankers with whom we regularly work, we got a chance to get to know them a bit, outside of the working environment. I’ve been a client of the bank since I arrived in 1994 and have managed to have a wonderful working relationship with them ever since. This was a highlight of all the years with them.

From the first thundering “Nants Ingonyama Bagithi Baba,” the majestic Le Roi Lion takes hold. The costumes defy imagination—giraffes glide across the stage, lions command the savanna with poise, and every dancer becomes part of a living, breathing masterpiece. The French lyrics give the familiar score a poetic twist, making even “Hakuna Matata” sound deliciously Parisian. It’s not a translation, it’s a transformation.

Fortunately for us Anglophones, the translations appear on screens visible on both sides of the stage. As I watched the vibrant pageantry unfold, I couldn’t help but feel that this, too, is what Paris offers: the ability to be transported, to live in wonder, to feel something bigger than oneself. The final chorus of “L’Histoire de la Vie” rose like a prayer, echoing off the theater’s golden balconies, and I sat there spellbound, grateful, and utterly in love with Paris—the city that never stops giving.

The audience applauded until their hands hurt. I rushed out to buy souvenirs—a T-shirt for my grandson—who’s middle name is “Lion” and who we call “The King”—and a matching one for me to wear at his birthday party next week in Maui!

THE BRIDGE TO THE CABBAGE PATCH

Friday morning I signed the “Act de Vente” (deed) on a two-bedroom apartment for my daughter on rue du Pont-aux-Choux, steps away from our Saintonge apartment, where Erica grew up. She’s coming home to roost and raise her son in France—where he will get a top-notch education—next year once the apartment is ready for habitation! Martine di Mattéo will be turning it into a jewel over the course of the next several months!)

Before the 17th-century, this part of Paris—known as the Marais Saint-Paul and Temple district—was largely swamp and farmland. Local gardeners cultivated vegetables, especially “choux” (cabbages), in the moist soil beyond the medieval city walls. A small “pont” (bridge) once crossed an open ditch or stream used for irrigation, giving rise to the name “Pont-aux-Choux,” literally “Bridge of the Cabbages.”

The street was officially laid out and named around 1610–1612, during a period when King Henri IV and Louis XIII encouraged new development north of the old walls. By 1624, records show the street was already mostly built up, marking the shift from rural gardens to a solidly urban quarter. It connected the newly established Boulevard Beaumarchais (then the city wall) with the Rue de Turenne, forming part of a planned grid of streets that structured the growing Marais.

Many of the buildings date from the 17th and 18th-centuries, including handsome townhouses once owned by tradesmen and artisans who supplied the nearby aristocratic mansions of the Marais. The facades are characteristic of early Parisian domestic architecture—stone-framed windows, modest height, and wrought-iron balconies. One notable building, No. 8 Rue du Pont-aux-Choux, served for a time as a textile and furniture workshop. The area later attracted craftspeople, upholsterers, and antique dealers.

Rue du Pont-aux-Choux embodies the layered history of Paris itself—a street that literally bridges the city’s agricultural past with its elegant, urban present. Erica and I are thrilled to be a part of that history!

PARIS PHOTO: WHERE PHOTOGRAPHY’S LEGACY MEETS TOMORROW’S VISION

I’m missing Paris Photo again this year, which doesn’t make me happy, but that’s the price I pay for being with my grandson when he turns one year old on November 14th. If you’re an aficionado of fine art photography as I am, then you won’t want to miss this year’s 28th edition of Paris Photo November 13-16 at the Grand Palais “Framing the Future.”

It’s a gathering of 222 exhibitors from 33 countries, including 179 galleries and 43 publishers, with 60 new or returning participants with large-scale gallery presentations, major solo and group shows, books, artist editions, signatures and the celebrated Prix du Livre, plus an emergence and spotlight on new creative voices and rising talents. One of the standout exhibitions this year is “The Last Photo,” presenting selected works from the private collection of Estrellita B. Brodsky—over 60 works spanning 1940s to present—featuring artists such as Diane Arbus, Vik Muniz, Tania Franco Klein and more. This marks the first major European presentation of the Brodsky collection.

Immersing yourself in Paris Photo is more than just art. It’s a passport into one of Paris’s most vibrant cultural weeks—offering a backdrop for networking, socializing and discovery, plus an opportunity to roam the city, pair your gallery visits with dinners, walks and social moments for clients or personal experience. That’s what my cousin, Kim, who now lives in Nice, will be doing in my place while I’m winging off to Hawaii.

CONGRATULATIONS JOAN AGAJANIAN QUINN

Last week, Joan Agajanian Quinn was deeply honored to be recognized by the Alliance Française de Los Angeles as the recipient of the Prix Alliance 2025 at The American French Film Festival held at the Director’s Guild of America. The celebration included a cocktail reception, a screening of Colors of Time by Cédric Klapisch, and a ceremony recognizing Joan’s lifelong contributions to art and culture.

Joan Quinn is a friend from my L.A. days more than 30 years ago. We were both collecting Steven Arnold photographs and participating in his “salons,” held regularly at his pretzel-factory-turned-studio. She was West Coast editor for Interview Magazine, and held other editorial roles on the West Coast. She became an influential art collector, patron, muse and community figure in the Los Angeles art scene, befriending and supporting artists such as David Hockney and Andy Warhol (and Steven Arnold). Quinn served a long tenure (1981-1997) on the California Arts Council, making her one of its longest-sitting appointed members, and contributed to public-art efforts in California. She also created and hosted a television interview series, The Joan Quinn Profiles, which ran for 400+ episodes interviewing figures across art, design, show-business and architecture. Her home in California has been a gathering place for artists and creatives for decades—her collection and network have played a prominent role in LA’s contemporary-art ecosystem. Recognized not just as a collector but as an art-world connector, supporter and figure whose life intersects with multiple major artists and movements.

It’s no wonder that the Alliance Française of L.A. honored her in this way, and I honor her here, as an old friend and co-patron of my dear friend, artist Steven Arnold.

Next week I’ll be writing you from the other side of the planet…Maui, Hawaii, where I’ll be for the rest of November. Stay tuned!

A la prochaine…