Poinçon: Café-Restaurant & Cultural Events in the 14th

The 14th arrondissement isn't particularly known for its cool cafés and interesting nightlife hotspots, but now there's at least one sure bet at the Porte d'Orléans. Opened in July and officially inaugurated today, Poinçon is a café-restaurant and cultural space for artistic, musical and social events run by the same team as Le Bellevilloise in the 20th.

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Lead Contamination: Is Paris Safe?

In case you missed the latest news about the April fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, it seems the risk of lead contamination from the 440 tons of incinerated lead in the roof and spire was not clearly communicated to the public in a timely manner, causing a bit of a panic in locals and visitors, especially those with small children. So is Paris safe to visit? How close can you get to the cathedral without risk? And why hasn't the English-language press  picked up the other major lead contamination site, the Gare d'Austerlitz train station, revealed in the French press two days ago? 

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Would you cross Paris for a €15 cup of coffee?

Earlier this year the multi-starred French chef Alain Ducasse opened La Manufacture de Café, his own coffee roasting workshop fronted by a café and boutique on a tiny street northeast of the Place de la Bastille. I came across it by chance one morning when walking with friends from the Marais to the Marché d’Aligre. We had a peek at the menu in the window and couldn’t help but notice there was a single-origin coffee from France selling for €15. Per cup. Intrigued, but already full of caffeine for the morning, we continued on our way. Since then I’ve been meaning to go back and try it, but despite the click-bait sounding title of this article, I couldn’t escape the question of whether it was really worth the time and expense to cross Paris for a €15 cup of coffee. After all, there are cafés on almost every single corner in Paris. I discussed it for months with my Parisian-born-espresso-addicted partner-in-crime, Fred, and we finally got a chance Saturday morning to check it out.

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A Hidden Metro Entrance…and Vintage Paris Busses

If you’re a fan of vintage public transport, or just want to enjoy a free peek at some of Paris’ WWI-era omnibuses, then hop on the metro to the “Gare de Lyon”.

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Latest Paris Museum Updates

Renovations, closures, reopenings, and other recent Paris museum news, including the question of the season: "How do I get into the Louvre?"

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The New Liberation of Paris Museum

The entrance to the museum on the Place Denfert-Rocherau, 14th.

"We hope to inspire visitors to think about the stakes behind these combats, which have singular resonance today." - SYLVIE ZAIDMAN, MUSEUM DIRECTOR

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