Photo of the Week
Another view of the Centre Pompidou. Photo © Darren Palmer of Paris by Photo.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update What's New in Paris
RESTAURANT/CLUB/CAFE
Wanderlust: Finally, part of Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et Design will open to the public on June 6. Brunch on the terrace, take a yoga class, take in a concert or dance all night. 34, quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris.
SHOPS
Stella Cadente: The designer of very feminine clothing and accessories has a new Paris store that's like a gold-lined tunnel. 102 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris.
Ecolo-Chic: Pop-up store in the Marais selling ethically resourced products, from toys and design to organic wine. 90, rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
SMOKING
A new organization, L'Union pour les Droits des Fumeurs Adultes, has been formed to lobby for the rights of French smokers
JUSTIN ON THE ROOFTOPS
Keep your eyes peeled: Justin Bieber will be filming for the Web TV program live@home in an undisclosed location on the rooftops of Paris on the evening of May 31. Click here to win a pass to the taping.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update Flash News
CAKE THE WAY WE LIKE IT
Goodies on display at Merce and the Muse.
Nowadays, American expatriates in Paris can easily satisfy almost all their nostalgic food cravings, from hamburgers to Reese’s peanut-butter cups or Oreo cookies. Until Merce and the Muse opened in the Upper Marais, however, it wasn’t easy to find good homemade, American-style cakes. The desserts at this homey, flea-market-furnished café are not just good, they are scrumptious and original, made from owner Merce Muse’s own recipes. The other day I shared a slice of chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing and another of pistachio cake with rose icing with a friend, but in truth I wanted to eat all of both of them. 1 bis, rue Dupuis, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 09 53 14 53 04. Open Tues.-Sun. for breakfast, lunch and coffee; brunch on Sunday. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
 Art Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Left Bank gallery walk. Collective opening, May 31, 6pm. May 31-June 3.
Carré Rive Gauche
>Another Left Bank gallery walk, with 120 participating galleries. June 1-June 3.
Champs-Elysées Film Festival
>A new Franco-American film festival, presided over by Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen. Various locations, Paris, June 6-12.
Chartre en Lumières
> The town of Chartres illuminates its monuments and the cathedral with colorful light installations. Through Sept. 15.
Designer's Days
>Design shops, galleries, schools and more participate in a city-wide design event. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 4.
Festival de l'Imaginaire
> Performances by troupes from around the world, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, through June 17.
Festival de Saint Denis
> Music festival featuring both stars like Sir Colin Davis and young talents; ends with a dawn performance by horse whisperer Bartabas and oud player Mehdi Haddab, Cathedral and Legion of Honor, Saint Denis, through June 30.
Festival Extensions
> Concerts, dance, films and more, various locations, Paris and Val de Marne, through May 31.
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
>"Gardens of delights, gardens of delirium" is the theme of this year's garden festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire, through Oct. 21.
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Jazz acts ranging from amateur to big names like Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef (together). Various locations, Paris, Through June 3.
Le Court en Dit Long
>Festival of short films. Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, June 4-9.
Nomades
>Cultural festival in the third arrondissement; art, poetry, concerts and more. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 3.
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
>The features and short subjects entered in this category at the Cannes Film Festival shown in Paris, Forum des Images, Paris, May 31-June 10
Salon du Vin de La Revue du Vin de France
>Annual wine fair. Palais Brongniart, Paris, June 2-3
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Created on Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:00
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Published on Tuesday, 03 July 2007 23:00
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Written by Heidi Ellison
What Once Was Lost Now Is Found
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| An employee stores some of the 500 objects turned in every day. |
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All is not lost for those whose pockets are picked in the Métro or who lose an antique earring in the street. Paris’s Objets Trouvés (Lost and Found) department is a clearinghouse for all the miscellaneous objects found in the public transport system, taxis, museums or stores, or turned in to the police by good citizens.
This year, the department is celebrating its 200th anniversary – two centuries of collecting, classifying, storing and finally disposing of the forgotten or stolen detritus of everyday life. Cell phones are a dime a dozen here – 30 or 40 are turned in per day, and the department has six or seven thousand of them on its shelves. Altogether, some 500 objects arrive daily. When it rains, umbrellas pour in. In the winter, the department receives an avalanche of gloves and scarves. Wallets – sans cash, of course – are common.
Only 25 percent of the objects turned in are returned to their owners. The rest are sold at public auctions or returned to the finder after a certain period of time (valuable objects are kept longer).
Some unusual items have been turned in over the years, including an artificial leg, a glass eye, three skulls, a funerary urn complete with ashes, a brand-new wedding gown, false teeth, a gold bar (returned to its happy owner), a chain saw, sabers and a Red Army hat. For their own amusement. the department’s 43 employees have put together a little private museum containing some of these items.
Tourists will be relieved to know that the department’s employees speak English. If you lose something, be prepared to provide precise information – the date, time and place of the loss and a detailed description of the object – to improve your chances of retrieving it.
Service des Objets Trouvés: 36, rue des Morillons, 75015 Paris. Tel.: 08 21 00 25 25. Open Mon.-Thurs, 8:30 a.m.-5p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. www.prefecture-police-
paris.interieur.gouv.fr/demarches/
objets_trouves/premieres_
demarches.htm
Heidi Ellison
© 2005 Paris Update
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