Embrace The Chaos, Openings, Jourdain Micro-Itinerary & Speaking To Photographer Joann Pai
Welcome to the June edition of my "What's Up, Paris?" newsletter with the events and openings I'm most looking forward to, musings in a tucked-away neighbourhood I love, and more...
Embrace the chaos - It’s the last stretch before Paris winds down for the summer vacation period, which pretty much begins when school’s out the first week of July. In other words, in June, everyone’s in a scramble to finish bits of work and clear their plates so that when September kicks in, they can start the second part of the year with a fresh slate. However, with the sun out, they’re playing hard too, sipping on rosé or cold beers on a terrace somewhere after work. There’s lots to keep you playing Parisian style all month long in this newsletter. And, in true local fashion, I’ll also be hitting the pause button. So, thank you again for being here, have a really great summer and see you in September! - Rooksana.
If You Do Just 3 Things
Nuit Blanche in summer, a new art hub, and Belleville’s artists are opening the doors to their studios for a few days (and late nights!).
Nuit Blanche In Summer Mode
For the first time ever, Nuit Blanche will be on 3rd June instead of in dark and dank October, and this inaugural summer edition is packed with more than 200 free contemporary art installations and events. Check out the Lao collective’s light and sound installation at the Buttes-Chaumont and Marie Lemoigne’s figurative prints on the 19th arrondissement town hall’s gates. The Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville and the Métallerie Grésillon will also be hosting a number of performances, and don’t miss Sandra Matamoros’ mirror cube at Saint Ambroise church. Other events of note include the huge gold RINGdeLUXE around the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, performer Mathieu Forget’s photography show at Espace Commines, as well as land art by Javier Riera on the Seine at Square du Vert Galant - and lots more!
L’Eclair: A New Art Space Close To Paris
The long-standing arty nightlife collective Soukmachines has been meandering through the city outskirts in various spaces from the 6B to L’Orfèvrerie for more than a decade. It now opens a new chapter at L’Eclair in an old cinema lab in Epernay-sur-Seine on the RER line C, with events on every Friday and Saturday. Opening day is on 10th June at 12.30 pm-2 am and there will be concerts and installations, performances and a BBQ - all great reasons to make it there.
Open Doors at Belleville’s Artist Studios
More than 150 Belleville artists are throwing open their doors for this annual event, entitled “Rebondir” (bouncing back), from Thursday 1st June until Sunday 4th. Get behind the neighbourhood’s unique, free-spirited art scene by having a few drinks with artists of all genres at their ateliers. I’ve put together a small guide to Belleville with places to eat and drink I love, that you should definitely check out when in the area!
Also On Our Radar: 17 Things To Do In June
Looking for inspiration for things to do, places to see and restaurants to try? Click below for the lowdown.
Hot Hoods: Eating Your Way Around Jourdain
Set back off the well trodden tourist track, quiet Jourdain with village-like rue de la Villette nearby holds many untapped secrets from great bistros to independent boutiques you’ll want to have on our radar.
This quiet little corner of the city sandwiched between the beautiful Buttes-Chaumont park and Belleville has a village vibe locals love and because it’s a little out of the way and not overrun with people. There are a few spots not to miss when in the area, like the Jourdain restaurant, which serves up a fresh spin on French fare at less than 30 euros for three courses at lunchtime and a little more at dinner. Don’t miss Soces, where the owners’ raison d’être is to use well-sourced produce mainly from France and serve dishes that evoke Paris’ extravagant historic brasseries like plates of oysters, muscles and buttery sole meunière in a parred-back space of a building that’s said to have been voted the most beautiful in Paris a hundred years ago. Other spots to have on your list are the French-Japanese Cheval d’Or and Super Frais, a fab grocery store for modern-day tastes that’s packed with well-sourced products from all over the world - and their generously filled signature sandwiches.
Joann Pai: Sticking With Paris
Food and travel photographer extraordinaire and mum of the cutest little girl, Joann Pai is always juggling several book projects and newspaper articles with life, and she’s an inspiration.
The chances are that you’ll have seen Joann’s work in several of the well put-together coffee table books that have been published about Paris and France. And if not, you’ve probably seen her gorgeous food and travel photography in the world’s top magazines and papers. Joann is a photographer in demand, always juggling several projects at once, but this Taiwanese-American-Canadian transplant still makes sure to take time out to enjoy Paris, the city she plans to call home for a while yet.
On The Menu
Dispatches from the Paris restaurant track with four fab new spots you have to try!
There’s been an onslaught of new restaurant openings and some of my favourites include Eunoé, Lou and Aube, which are actually all in Paris 11th and Rhodia, the newly reopened Bourdelle Museum’s restaurant in Montparnasse.
