Putterin' around in Paris, Part I

Paris
Various Locations

Despite the strikes going on last October, we managed to make it to Paris ok. We had previously made arrangements to book a 4BR, 3 bath apartment on the second/third floor in the Marais area (3d arr.) via vrbo.com.  We wanted a place that was big enough for 8-9 people, as we were meeting other friends, but still wanted to stay within a budget (hearing as it was so expensive over here).  Of course, there is always that bit of uncertainty when booking a place sight unseen, and there are scams around, but we did our research and found this place.  It came out to a reasonable 1200 euros, which for a week, was very reasonable.  You get a proper kitchen and a washer-dryer.

Location-wise, it was not too close to the gay and lively Marais scene.  It was in an almost up-and-coming neighborhood that during the day, had a bunch of wholesale clothing  stores, around the Jewish Quarter.  But still close to the St. Denis and Republique stops, so very central to the Metro.  There was a Monoprix (grocery store) and some restaurants and galleries in the area. 

I like staying in other people's houses, generally, because you get a glimpse of how they live and there is always plenty of interesting things to look at. You can see the neighbors too, and I liked greeting them a hearty "bonjour" when we pass.  (Who are these people, I am sure they wonder) 

 

Here's a group picture of some of the Paris crew.  The middle couple is DJKung's relation from London, who were able to share a few days with us.

 

Here's C. on left, Torontonian and our travel buddy.  Last time we went on holiday together was in Buenos Aires a few years back.

Here's the living/dining area.   The best thing about this apartment was their eclectic book collection--- they had them stashed in the bedrooms, in the upstairs hallway, on the furniture.  We were drooling at the variety; from war photography, to abstract art, war/history books, to contemporary anime.  The second-best thing was the red clay floor tiles; they dipped and buckled in places from age. 

If you asked DJKung and C., I think they would have said that what they liked  best was that across the street was a record shop, Superfly Records, which had some serious vintage vinyl. 

We've heard a lot about the flea markets here, so Saturday we trotted off to Les Puces de Clingnacourt and Les Puces de Montreuil.  After getting off at Clingancourt, just follow the hordes of people and pass first generic flea market you see (the one with the mass produced tribally stuff).  Go under the bridge and the market should be on the left. 

Sadly, there were no bargains to be had, but it was fun poking around, nevertheless.  There were alleys and side alleys, and there seemed to be some order to it all.  Not everything was marked, and I am sure you can engage in a bit of haggling, but we were still feeling very awkward beyond the initial "bonjour."  DJKung and I were empty-handed in the end; his cousin got some bits of new tapestry; Ozzie Wan got some vintage buttons. 

For fortifications, we stopped off at a Moroccan stall with tables.  DJKung ordered the half chicken with saucisson (sausage)and couscous. I had the veggie soup.  The chicken was so tiny, but very flavorful and satisfying. 

Discussing shopping strategy.  Or the strikes.  Or the fickle weather, since it was sunny but chilly. Who knows... these three look like they are having a serious conversation, no?

DJKung had a serious cold for the whole week in Paris, so our activities were limited.  We ended up watching a lot of tv (Les Simpsons, anyone?), cooking at home and just vegetating.

So finally when DJKung started to feel better, off we went to the Louvre.  Whew.  This place is massive and magnificent.  DJKung felt that the main area, where the entrances of the wings were, was one giant vortex that just sucks out all your energy.  There were just too many people, too many tour groups, too many lines...

To do this museum justice would take weeks.  We tried to tackle one wing, but even that was too extensive to cover in a few hours. We ended up following one of the audio tours, which I think was something like "The Three Great Masterpieces," or something (highly recommend the audio guide).  Too touristy, but there is something ineffable about the big three--- Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa--- that you just have to experience.  The first two are in such gorgeous jewel-box settings.  With the last you have to dodge all the tourists with their cameras in order to get a halfway decent view. 

One of the security guards.  He was really sitting behind the glass case.

 

DJKung's verdict?  You can see the rapture on his face.  He was crabby all around because he still wasn't feeling well.

So back to the apartment we went for more Les Simpsons.  But no, it was not really so bad.  We walked around our neighborhood, checking out the littls shops and gawking at everything.   

Marché couvert des Enfants rouges.  This was one of the neighborhood markets close to us.  The markets are not open everyday, so it is worth checking the market listings. Maybe only about a third of the stalls were open the time we visited (midweek).

Fall flowers for sale.

Pastries on display.  I always kick myself for always looking, but never trying anything.
 

Hm.  Should we have canard or canette for dinner tonight?

Or how about roast chicken instead?  This was about six euros, which we had for more than one hearty dinner along with some rice and veggies picked from the market.   We had also grabbed some staples at our local Monoprix, so were well-stocked with breads, cheese, beer and vino and chocolates daily.  Yum!

Here's S. and C., our Parisian flatmates.  They were checking their coordinates before having their own adventure for the day!

Our best find (no surprise, given our partiality to Asian food) was a Japanese joint serving lunch specials right in L'Infants.  Alongside it was a Moroccan joint and a Carribean joint, but this was the only one doing brisk business that day.  It was a pretty small well-run stall.  I have to admit that we gorged quite a bit.

Bon appetit!  DJKung reviewing the specials.

This fur was the mascot of this joint.  This little dude would patrol all the tables and turn on his puppry-dawg charm, extracting bits and nibbles from the unwary patrons.

Chirashi special (sashimi over rice).

Bento box, with root veggies, rice noodles, white rice and fried chicken.

Superfatty with her grilled mackarel bento box.

Warm up with some hot jazz at the Winter Jazz Fest

NYC Winter Jazz Fest
(January 9-10)

I know, I know.  We've fallen quite behind with our posts.  What can we say. . . we've been cooped up at home since the new year.  One of the rare times we've been out was at the 2010 NYC Winter Jazz Fest, a two-day smorgasboard of upcoming and established jazz musicians playing at five venues in the Village (Le Poisson Rouge, Bitter End, Sullivan Hall, Zinc Bar and Kenny's Castaways).  This was a really great deal; for $30 bucks, you get see a wide variety of bands.  Don't like what you see?  Move on to the next spot. 

On our first night, we did hit a snag with our plan to go venue-hoppin.'  We had quite a late start, I think around 7 or 8pm.   We assumed that having bought our tickets online, it would be a breeze entering the venues.  We found out that we had to "check in," get id'd and have our special wristbands at Le Poisson Rouge, before we could get into any of the places.  

Only Poisson, Kenny's and Zinc were open that Friday.  We weren't feelin the first two joints, and it seemed that everybody just went to Zinc Bar.  Now Zinc Bar was really quite small, and it was reaally cold that night.  We decided to pop by a bar around the corner for some drinks, and wait for the next band coming on at 9pm.

DJKung's really happy to be out!  Kenny's wasn't that crowded, though.  Everybody seemed to be at Zinc Bar.
Afterwards, we trooped back to Zinc and still had to wait a bit in line.  The 9pm act was the Jaleel Shaw Quartet.  They had a mellow and trippy set.

Ya, this was the only shot I could take, the place was so crowded.  How is it that I feel shorter than average everytime I go to any live shows?

That Saturday went so much better, with all the five venues open.  We went to get our entry badges at Le Poisson and were able to check out the first act at 6pm, Carmen Cansoli.  Cansoli hails from Italy and was playing out soulful Sicilian songs.

We then went across the street to Bitter End and saw Baptise Trotington.  Trotington is a French pianist who was accompanied by a drummer and bassist.  The piano was meditative and delicate, it was easy to get lost in it.  The drummer was really skilllful too, super-tight and very inventive.  

Trotington and his drummer had very good chemistry together. 

The Bitter End had a very nice layout out of all the five venues.  You get a very good view of the stage pretty much anywhere you sit.

Afterwards was Amanda Monaco's Deathblow.  This one we did not feel too much. 

ZInc Bar had Ibrahim Maalouf, from Lebanon performing.  It was supposed to be a quintet, I belive, but only the main guy was given visas to travel here.  The crowd was very sympathetic.  Maalouf gamely performed a haunting, layered piece using a samples that he made live with his trumpet.  It sounded a lot like morning prayers that you hear in Istanbul, with a lot of ululating patterns.

I was dead set on making it to Sullivan Hall for the 9pm show, so we made it there extra-early to avoid the last-minute rush as the other venues exhaled their crowds (the shows were staggered roughly on the hour or half-hour).  We saw Sachal Vasandani, a Frank Sinatra-style vocalist.

The 9pm show was Dr. Lonnie Smith.  The vibe was really electric for this one, and he did not disappoint.  Him and his vibes just brought the house down.

See, even though we arrived an hour early, this was the best vantage point that we could get. 

Dr. Lonnie Smith!!!

We are looking forward to the next jazz fest!

South India: Mumbai: Indian Classical Concert in the 'Burbs

Indian Classical Concert


DV Paluskar Hall


Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya


Kala Nagar, Bandra (E)





We saw an advertisement of this program in The Times of India. DJKung was hankering for traditional live music, so this looked like a good bet. We took a cab to Bandra, a suburban enclave about an thirty minutes from Colaba and got dropped off at a school/community center. This was deeeep, and we were amply rewarded.



This program was in three parts. The first part consisted of tabla drum performance with traditional song. It reminded us a lot of Middle Eastern prayer chants, but the notes were more sustained and meditative.



The crowd really liked the latter performance by this trio of young musicians playing fusion music, where they tried to meld musical traditions with electronic music/Western drums.

Musician on sitar.

One of the traditional dances. We did not catch whether the performances were Maharashtran or were shaped by a different regional area.

Rhymin' it, Mumbai-style.

The dancer here is wearing anklets with lots of tiny bells and stamps her feet to the rhythm. It was very nice.

South India: Mumbai: Henry Tham's

Henry Tham's

Kalagodha, Mumbai



On one of our nights in Mumbai, we were able to check out the bar scene. The headliner that evening was Talvin Singh, a DJ/musician who has some reknown as a contributor to the Cafe Del Mar series.



Henry Tham's is a restaurant during the day. Some nights, they are buzzing with loads of pretty young kids. We got in early and watched the bartenders do their thing.

This was the opening DJ that night. He played mostly house.

Talvin Singh finally came on about 11 or 12pm and started rockin' the drum n bass.