The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Travel with Janice Archives - Page 11 of 17

Paris: Where We Ate

March 26, 2014

It doesn't surprise you, I'm sure, to hear that Paris is a pretty excellent place to dine. I can't honestly remember ever having a truly bad meal there; most of the time I feel pretty confident walking into any restaurant or cafe that's at all busy, knowing that I'll eat pretty well, and occasionally have an astonishingly fun experience.   So in alphabetical order, these are the places that I can remember dining last week:  

Benoit, 20 rue Saint Martin, 75004

This is where we went for our anniversary dinner, and it was a great choice. The service was that perfect balance of warmth and respect that marks the very nicest places to dine. This Alain Ducasse charmer is rather tiny, and is the ... View the Post

Paris: What I Wore, What I Bought, What They Wore

March 25, 2014   Every time I travel, I realize that I could pack less.  We realistically could have been able to get through most days with jeans, a sweater, and something to dress up a bit for dinner.  The items that were out of my bag continually look like this:  

  Our weather was changeable - most days we started with jackets and ended up carrying them my late afternoon.  I found that I really enjoyed my fingerless gloves - they're sort of whimsical compromise that proved to be just warm enough.  And my ballet flats were great - they have enough support to be comfortable and excellent for walking.  Despite all of the stereotypes, you could wear jeans every day in Paris and blend in ... View the Post

Paris: Politics and Pollution

The first thing we noticed when we got to Paris last Saturday was that there was an election soon!  The Paris government very wisely puts up temporary "walls" upon which the political posters are affixed - a brilliant solution that minimizes the amount of paper glued to walls, and gives all candidates equal opportunity to expose their ideas to the public, without having to be concerned about raising huge amounts of money.

The single most amazing thing to me when I saw these posters was that more than half of the candidates that I saw on posters were women.  I know, I know, we're supposed to be used to this sort of thing by now, but after watching the interchangeable contesting the Republican gubernatorial ... View the Post

What’s on The Vivienne Files Bookshelf?

March 12, 2014

  #1.  The Triumph of Individual Style by Carla Mason Mathis and Helen Villa Connor  

 

 

Yes, the book used to be blindingly expensive (it's come down a lot in price in the last 10 years!), but if you've never felt like you are beautiful or that your particular "type" is lovely, this book might change your mind forever. The authors site a wide variety of fine art from throughout history in order to demonstrate that everyone is beautiful. Period.   I'm not completely convinced by every one of the exercises in the book; I've never been sold on the "your best red is the color of the blood drawn from your right kneecap at midnight under a full moon while chanting the ... View the Post

How I Slow Myself Down…

I try to remember my primary goals in life - mostly travel - but sometimes I lose sight of that and am inclined to buy something that won't get me closer to my goals.  So I built myself this little collage, printed it out in a small size, and wrapped it around the credit cards in my wallet.  So it's not that I can't shop, but if I DO shop, I have to look at these images before I can use my credit or debit card...  

  Your choice of photographs will unquestionably be different, but having to look an eclair in the eyes is a useful focusing technique for me! ... View the Post

Still Dreaming about Paris, and Packing…

February 4, 2014   Really, we're not leaving until mid-March! But I always do this - start planning weeks ahead of time. I rationalize it that (1) anticipation is a substantial part of the fun, and (2) if I plan carefully, I won't have to pack so much, and I can catch garments that need mended, or shoes that need tended, before it's too late to make the necessary fixes.   When I left off planning, it was Tuesday morning - and I'm sure we're going to go to the Musee Guimet. It's Asian art, it's beautiful, and it's usually quite empty. We go there almost every time we go to Paris, and we're never disappointed. Our plan for this day might include taking the train out to La Defense, the business development in the west of Paris. ... View the Post

Many Small Thoughts – Collected

I often notice things that I want to remember to tell you all, but much of the time, no single thing is worth a full blog post.  So today, you get a whole bunch of relatively random factoids in one place.  ( can you believe that Spell-check did NOT reject the word factoid?)First up, the weather in Chicago has been uniformly dreadful - bitterly cold.  But my feet has NOT been cold when I was out, and that's because I wear Bogs boots.  I  wear them with nothing but tights on my feet, and my feet don't get cold.  Ever.  It's amazing.

They're not sleek,and they're not elegant, but when you're dressed in 14 layers of clothing and you look like a walking boudin noir, warmth is all you care about, ... View the Post

More Random Travel Observations and Appreciations

Well, my mother is securely and warmly ensconced in her new home, and I have logged quite a few miles - air and ground - in making that dream a reality.  As with all things in life, I think I learned a thing or two on my travels.  At a minimum, I have a newly warm appreciation for a couple of my wiser packing choices, and a refreshed dislike of Midway Airport.   Just to get this out of the way first - if you have a choice between the 2 Chicago airports, choose O'Hare.  Yes, it is bigger than some European countries, and you can walk yourself into a marathon getting around there, but at least it has clear signs giving you a clue about where to go.  And moreover, it has SEATS.  In a place where people have to ... View the Post