Renting Velibs Sans European Charge Card
Since July 2007, when the City of Paris inaugurated a wildly successful system of low-cost bike rentals called Velib’ (vel-leeb), it’s really hard to resist the temptation to do so. Quite simply it’s...
View ArticleSports Bars: They Exist
Many travelers over the years have asked me the best place in Paris to catch a televised sports match of their team “back home”. There are quite a few “sports bars” in Paris, but usually you have to...
View ArticleChic Bike Helmets
I’ll admit I never wear my helmet when riding around Paris on Vélib’. Not because it looks stupid, but because it’s inconvenient to carry, and I don’t always know when I’ll be hopping on a bike. But I...
View ArticleRare Patriotism
Dancing in the street at PLace Clichy after France’s defeat of Switzerland in the World Cup last night. “This is the only time when French people get patriotic,” said my friend Pierre, as two guys on a...
View ArticleVelib for Velittle Ones
The famous city bike-sharing system Vélib’ is now available for kids. P’tit Vélib’ exists in four sizes (and always with helmets) through special rental centers in the Bois de Boulogne, Bois de...
View ArticleSouth Beach? No–Paris!
The Molitor Pool was originally opened in 1929 in the 16th arr. near Roland Garros tennis stadium and Bois de Boulogne, an Art Deco gem that was the pool of its day and continued to be one of the most...
View ArticleLes Hoops
The world’s oldest surviving basketball court can be found in the basement of a building in the city’s 9th arrondissement. But how did Paris come to be one of the earliest homes of a sport invented in...
View ArticleHipsters Take to Petanque
Whether you call it pétanque or boules, the traditional French game with the shiny silvery balls has made a comeback. It used to be the only people you’d see playing in were old men in berets sipping...
View ArticleOpen-Air Swimming on the Seine
Along the quai in the 13th arrondissement (across from the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand), you will see the entrance to the Piscine Joséphine Baker, a 25 x 10-meter swimming pool perched on the...
View ArticleRugby At Stade Jean-Bouin
Paris is home to a number of fine sporting venues, but with major rugby events approaching in the coming years, it may be time to look at Stade Jean-Bouin as the place to be. Most notably, as the Paris...
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