Nice and Nasty, Sold and Extra

I’M A NASTY WOMAN

That’s the sign I will be carrying proudly on Saturday at the Women’s March on Paris — “I’m a Nasty Woman.”

It starts at 2 p.m. — congregating at the Wall of Peace, École Militaire, Place Joffre in the 7th arrondissement. The march will take us to Pont Iena and to the Trocadero, arriving there about 3:30 p.m., and culminating about 4:30 p.m. My daughter is traveling to Washington, DC to be one of the hundreds of thousands to attend the primary and most official demonstration to send the message to the new administration — a cabinet that is mostly white and male: “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”

If there was time, I’d get out those old knitting needles and knit myself a Pussy Hat! Anyone have an outlet for them here in Paris?

You don’t have to be a woman to join in the march, so all of you men who support the cause that concerns all of us, not just women, don’t be left out. Join us!

BE AN EXTRA IN A MOVIE ABOUT LE BAL NEGRE!

Daniel Deleforges, the filmmaker, is making a documentary movie about “Le Bal Negre,” the famed “cabaret d’art à Paris” where Josephine Baker performed along with other great musicians and personalities. He is seeking musicians to be filmed in the show hall during the next  2 to 3 months before the space re-opens. Then, the Hall will be a great venue for musicians for years to come. If you are interested in participating in the movie, contact Daniel Deleforges at +33 (0)6.08.77.82.72 to get a rendez-vous with him. Please tell him Joseph Langley and Adrian Leeds sent you!

SOLD ON SOLDES

This is not the land of free enterprise. “Au contraire.” This is the land of controlled enterprise. Retailers have only two chances all year long to rid themselves of unwanted merchandise. This is how this socialist democracy believes the system is fair — by controlling it — while we capitalists believe fairness exists within the freedom for the retailers to do what they want when they want. And I can assure you, the French retailers are highly regulated as to exactly how they are to go about advertising and administering their mark-downs!

The result is utter chaos, in spite of the control they work so hard to achieve. The bi-annual sales in Paris started this past Wednesday and will last for six weeks until February 21st. The summer sales this year will begin June 28th, lasting through August 8th. The dates change by region or area. All hell breaks loose the moment the doors open to retailers touting their markdowns the morning the sales start. Stores are flooded with shoppers all six weeks using these two short periods every year to score a bargain. Usually I avoid the madness like the plague, unless of course there is something significant to purchase that will save tons of money.

All year long I’ve wanted to purchase a new mattress for my bed. The Ikea one I’ve been sleeping on since 1997 was due for a replacement. (Wouldn’t you think so?) With a 40% mark-down on a quality mattress, it was worth a trip to the BHV to test out mattresses and hopefully come home with a big bargain. The store was swarming with shoppers on a Saturday afternoon…chaotic as is to be expected…even on the 5th floor. They have a couple dozen beds on display, but I chose to test out only those within my price range — the price of an Ikea top of the line mattress (about 600€). With a couple of friends willing to lay down, too, both on our backs, our sides and our fronts, we wandered from bed to bed testing them out. It’s a pretty hilarious thing to do, but also it’s not so easy to determine one from the other…it’s kind of like a wine tasting test…especially if all the wines are Bordeaux and maybe your palate isn’t so delicate!

No doubt, you can spend a small fortune on a mattress if you are so inclined (the Swedish brand Duxiana can have a price tag of around $13,000), but in this case, I scored big! An Epeda brand brand mattress that normally sells for 1,149€ was marked down to 689.40€ including delivery. It arrives Friday…and hopefully, by Saturday morning after my first night’s sleep on the new bed, I’ll know whether fighting the masses was worth the effort!

LET’S MEET IN NICE

Get ready for Carnaval! From February 11th to the 25th, the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Nice is hosting the next Carnival: “King of Energy” — Different forms of energy: electric, fossil, wind, solar, hydraulic, renewable… but also the energy shown by man.

FROM THE OFFICE DE TOURISME OF NICE: “This is a vast subject which will give a free reign to the imagination of Carnival illustrators and craftsmen. For its 133rd edition, the King will invite us to have a look on our society mocked with a humoristic style, even satirical which our society needs so much. The Carnival is made up of two distinct events: the carnival parades, both by day and by night and the flower parades. On the “Place Masséna,” allegorical or burlesque floats parade with various entertainment elements, street performers and different international musical troupes. By night, the play of lights gives the floats a magical aspect. Along the sea-front, the elegance of the flower parades emphasizes the power of flowers by enhancing the floral heritage of the region. The Carnival theme is expressed by the unique costumes worn by the models who throw thousands of flowers to the audience. This second, more poetic, aspect of Carnival is an integral part of the event. The Carnival remains loyal to the spirit of this large popular event, particularly with the increasing number of local (neighborhood) Carnivals, while at the same time remaining a major modern event. Alongside the festivities, the carnival season offers an excellent opportunity to discover Nice in winter: the gentle climate, the brightness of the sky and the French Riviera art of living. Natural sites, a rich cultural and artistic life offer a wide range of emotions. For more information, please watch the teaser and the program of festivities on nicecarnaval.com.”

Those of you interested in experiencing Carnaval à Nice, we have two luxury apartments we offer for to our friends of the Adrian Leeds Group!: 1) 1 bedroom/1 bathroom and 2) 2 bedroom/2 bathroom, both in the very heart of the city steps from the parade routes! For more information, email [email protected].

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Adrian Leeds Group

(testing a good night’s sleep at the BHV)

 Respond to Adrian

P.S. I’ll be in Los Angeles next month and offering personal two-hour consultations between February 20th and 24th. The cost is $330, but the fee applies toward our search services, so not a penny is lost! If you are thinking of making an investment in France, you are sure to find the time with me very valuable. To schedule your meeting with me, email me at [email protected]