Paris, a Mecca of Culture

GET YOUR VISA THE RIGHT WAY

Our favorite immigration attorney, Daniel Tostado, is so busy that we were worried he wouldn’t be able to take on new clients. Fortunately, he’s hired a slew of new people in order to keep up with the demand generated by who he jokingly calls “Mango Mussolini!”

Daniel is a Member of the Barreau de Paris and the New York Bar Association. There are other immigration experts who would like you to believe they are as qualified, but aren’t. If they don’t have the same credentials, then they are only “hand-holders.” Be wary of their advice on visas. There are a couple here in Paris I wouldn’t trust “as far as I can throw them.”

I asked him about special visas as a result of French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent announcement that the “EU announces €500 million package to woo scientists away from Trump’s America:”

“French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen held a conference in Paris Monday aimed at attracting US researchers. In her remarks, von der Leyen announced a two-year €500 million package to encourage American experts to relocate to Europe. Macron then doubled up on the European message saying: “If you love freedom, come and do research here.”

Daniel responded: “For professors and doctoral students, the visa category for them is the Talent Passport Researcher (Chercheur). It requires that they have a welcoming agreement from a host university. Surprisingly, we haven’t had anyone ask us for this yet, but we’ve seen a lot of folks who are transgender, Black Lives Matter, etc.”

We are not surprised given Donald Trump’s “history of speech and actions that have been viewed by scholars and the public as racist or sympathetic to white supremacy. Journalists, friends, family, and former employees have accused him of fueling racism in the United States. Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism.” (Source)

We’re seeing a lot more younger people opting to take the risk and move to France, even if employment is iffy. A young couple I spoke with last week were both Federal employees whose jobs were on the line. The risk of moving to France was less than staying in the U.S.

Daniel has also made a video about the changes in French naturalization policies, if you’re interested, but don’t come to France thinking you can get citizenship quickly or easily. I’ve been here 30 years and still don’t have it (although it’s in the works).

APRIL IN PARIS

The month of April may have come and gone, but April in Paris’ April Pett has gone off to Bordeaux for some special tours of the winey city. April in Paris Tours is taking the stress out of your Bordeaux planning so you can simply “sip back and relax” with her new 3-day “Grape Escape” Bordeaux itinerary! You can learn all about April’s newest exciting tour experience here.

SALADE NICOISE

The Nice Office de Tourism puts out a newsletter for the press touting some of the fun things going on in Nice and environs. The latest issue, “Explore Nice Côte d’Azur in May” starts out with one my favorite things…La Salade Niçoise! I love to eat them and I love to make them!

They call it the “recipe of the month”—the authentic Niçoise salad. And please remember to ask for “Une Salade Niçoise” (ewn sa-lahd nee-swaz).

“A culinary symbol of the city of Nice, “La Salade Niçoise” embodies the essence of Mediterranean cuisine: simple, colorful and tasty. Made exclusively from fresh, seasonal produce, it reflects local traditions and respect for the land. But beware of false notes! To stay true to tradition, avoid adding rice, potatoes, green beans or corn at all costs… Did you know that Niçoise salad can also be made into a sandwich, called a Pan Bagnat?”

Here’s the Real Thing.

Enjoy!

LA GRAND EPICERIE

While my daughter and grandson are here for the summer, we’re trying to take in as much of Paris culture as possible. That’s easy. Just open any website about what’s on in the City of Light and you’ll find more to do than you ever imagined. Paris is truly a Mecca of culture. I’ll put any city up against it…except London, which boast of 200 museums. Paris has 130 by comparison and New York “only” 100.

Erica is a photographer and I’m a collector of photography, so we tend to opt for photo exhibitions first. On at the moment is “Robert Doisneau Instants Donnés” at the Musée Maillol, a must-see for aficionados such as ourselves. I quickly bought tickets for Saturday afternoon.

Erica had the bright idea of lunching at La Table at Le Bon Marché Grande Epicerie before walking just a few blocks from there to the museum. She wanted to show a friend of hers visiting us in Paris who had never seen the amazing gourmet food emporium. It has evolved into a premier destination for food enthusiasts, offering an extensive selection of fine foods from around the world. The market was established in 1923, so more than 100 years as the “Comptoir de l’Alimentation,” spanning over 2,900 square meters, offering approximately 30,000 products, including exclusive items and in-house creations. The store features 17 departments, encompassing a bakery, pastry shop, butcher, cheesemonger, fishmonger, and a renowned wine cellar with over 3,000 selections. Not bad.

It was tough to run through the store directly to the elevators without stopping to ogle the products in order to get to our table in time, but we managed it. The dining spot in the center on the first floor is as pleasant an atmosphere as one can imagine, surrounded by the departments of beautiful objects on sale in extraordinary displays. The quality of the food at their restaurant is excellent and the service impeccable. It’s a little pricier than an average café, but well worth it.

Then we ventured down to take a tour of ground level where the expanse of product is overwhelming. The fresh produce is so picture perfect that it looks more like a movie set than a grocery store. The selection of foreign products is impressive, to say the least. Because it’s such testament to the French culinary experience, more people are taking photos than making purchases…it seems…although we did head home with Asian takeout that was irresistible.

If you have not put this on your to-do list in Paris, do that now and don’t miss it: La Grande Épicerie de Paris.

ROBERT DOISNEAU, DOES HE KNOW?

The Musée Maillol isn’t a large museum, but it can hold a lot of work, when placed as tightly as it is, some of the photos interspersed with Maillol’s own paintings, drawings and sculptures. There have been many truly wonderful exhibitions there, particularly of photographers whose work I admire: The World of Steve McCurry, Elliott Erwitt – A Retrospective and Andres Serrano – Portraits of America.

We were given bad advice by the museum guards at the entry of the exhibit, who told us to start at the top and work our way down. That was a mistake. Don’t listen to them. Start at ground zero and work your way up; that way you will not be disappointed, nor will you have to stand in line again to re-enter with your ticket on the ground level. Whoever designed the entry system shouldn’t have been given that task.

After visiting floors 2 and 1, I felt underwhelmed by the photographer’s works, after having seen the other exhibitions there where every single photo stood on its own as a work of art. Not in this case. I was feeling as if this didn’t pass the “so-what?” test.

Then we re-entered the ground level. I recognized so many images I’d seen before, and that’s when the exhibition took on a new perspective for me. Doisneau (who died the year I arrived in France,1994) was one of France’s most celebrated photographers known for “his poetic and humanistic approach to street photography.” He chronicled everyday life on the streets of Paris in photos that have been burned into our brains, such as “Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville (The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville)—1950—of a young couple kissing amidst the bustling streets of Paris in front of the Hôtel de Ville). It’s supposedly featured at the exhibit, as it should be, but I didn’t see it there! How on earth I missed it, I don’t know! Maybe because we started at the top?

This is his most famous photo, and it became the symbol of romantic Paris for everyone. Believed to be candid, it was actually staged with two actors. The press says that it was perhaps the most reproduced and internationally recognized French photo of the 20th century. I wouldn’t doubt it.

Go see Doisneau, and start at the beginning, on the ground level.

MOTHER’S DAY AT THE POMPIDOU

U.S. Mother’s Day was Sunday, and while it’s not celebrated here until May 25th, I wouldn’t want it to go unnoticed, especially since my daughter is a new mother. Place des Vosges was the perfect luncheon spot. The linden trees are their fullest and brightest this time of year, making the place simply the most heavenly spot to just hang out if that’s what you feel like doing.

Instead, we wandered over to the Centre Pompidou to see the Paris Noir exhibition, “Artistic circulations and anti-colonial resistance, 1950–2000,” on until June 30th.

“From the creation of the Présence Africaine review to that of Revue noire, ‘Black Paris’ retraces the presence and influence of Black artists in France from the 1950s to 2000. The exhibition celebrates 150 artists coming from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, whose works have often never been displayed in France before.”

The exhibition is vast and filled with fabulous works by Black artists, most of which we may have never seen before, but wish we had. This is your chance to immerse yourself in a genre of art that could be new to you, but not to the African community. It may be the last exhibition we’ll see at the Pompidou for a while, as it’s scheduled to close completely at the end of September for a comprehensive five-year renovation, with a planned reopening in 2030.

The renovation aims to remove asbestos, improve access for individuals with disabilities, upgrade safety systems, improve energy efficiency and ultimately to rejuvenate the Centre’s original vision as a dynamic cultural hub, incorporating new public spaces and facilities. The renovation is projected to cost 358 million€. Plans include creating new exhibition spaces, a restaurant on the south side, and a panoramic public viewing platform on the roof.

To maintain its cultural presence, the Centre Pompidou will launch the “Constellation” initiative, distributing exhibitions across partner venues in France and internationally. Additionally, a new space dedicated to creation and conservation, the Centre Pompidou Francilien—Fabrique de l’Art—will open in Massy, Essonne, in fall 2026.

Paris…you’re still the Mecca of culture, in my book.

A la prochaine…