Paris Plage

Parisians either embrace the heat with whimsey or they leave... a lot like New Orleanians. I can relate. If my friends aren't here (and most of them aren't) at least there is the plage to play on.

The first time I witnessed this was in 90 or so when I was here with Vickie Sedman. We saw the sandy beach from one of the bateaux boats... I remember retro beach chairs and very cool sun glasses along the Seine. Now the Plage is a big deal with a theme that changes from summer to summer... this one celebrating French Polynesia with staged music and dance, sand, landscaping, misty bamboo forests... all along the Seine and the frontage interstate that separates the Seine from the right bank. If I were staying at the Cite des Arts I'd be able to watch it every night from the window.

I was able to visit Christine briefly at the Cite before I looked up the Washington writer Fran Maclean who will also be working at the Moulin a Nef. We met at the Plage, checked out each stage and had dinner at Chez Marianne before I headed back to the 14th ar. It looks like we'll be able to share a cab to Gare Montparnasse which will solve a lot of problems regarding transporting our luggage between Olivier's fifth floor walk up and whatever platform we'll be departing from towards Toulouse.

In the meantime, I've got connections to make tomorrow and with luck I'll see some good art and as well as visit a few of my favorite galleries in the Marais.