An empty red and white cross-hatched bistro chair–if you’re lucky enough to find one on the first sunny weekend by the canal, you’d know how I felt that pristine Saturday in late February. For visitors, this can be an impossible task, however, I live upstairs. In the cave, my gf and I like to joke,Continue reading “What It’s Actually Like to Live on Canal Saint-Martin in Paris”
Author Archives: AlexanderGittleman
The Funky Art of Mixing Drinks: The Gimlet
Your Gimlet should model that badass chick from junior year–never sweet, never dull, never limeade, never soda in that flask. A little edge is key; add the ingredients to a shaker with ice, rattle and strain into a cocktail glass. Gas it with a splash of sparkling water and give it wheels…of lime that is.Continue reading “The Funky Art of Mixing Drinks: The Gimlet”
Caché! The Secret and Wonderful Oddities of Paris: Passage du Pont aux Biches
On a black night, in the misery of a rainy Paris winter, I scamper past Place de La Republique into the upper east corner of Le Marais. Suddenly, I see a burst of color emanating from a narrow set of stairs. This mysterious passage looks run-down, filthy even. On closer inspection one I see thatContinue reading “Caché! The Secret and Wonderful Oddities of Paris: Passage du Pont aux Biches”
Chaque Detail Compte: The Bowtie’s Guide to a Weekend in Palermo
Palermo is a clash–a battleground of sorts where class, lifestyle and cultural identity impose on one another everyday. For me, it’s an enigma. Sicilians are the warmest people you’ll meet, but then again, they have a legacy of tensions with North Africa, of racism and xenophobia. Palermo has a wealth of Baroque architecture, but theirContinue reading “Chaque Detail Compte: The Bowtie’s Guide to a Weekend in Palermo”
Caché! The Secret and Wonderful Oddities of Paris: La Cité de Trévise
It’s a breezy, mid-spring Wednesday in Paris, the ninth Arrondissement. A fluffy white Samoyed pops out of a narrow road closely tailed by his athleisure fitted owner. I stumble upon a moment of peace; a sudden gust of wind flows through the Sycamore trees. They encircle a small, neoclassical fountain. I approach. Pigeons bounce atContinue reading “Caché! The Secret and Wonderful Oddities of Paris: La Cité de Trévise”
2.2 The Blue Notes – Le HasBeen
On top, curved like a capsized canoe, drifts an orange peel.
2.1 The Blue Notes – La Patache
The Parisian landscape is immersive yet alienating. Within reach, I could tap 15 people on the shoulder, but that wouldn’t be polite,
would it?
Chaque Détail Compte: The Bowtie’s Guide to a Weekend in Marseille
Marseille is one of those cities that make you dream—the Vieux Port, the Mediterranean, the lifestyle. It has all the qualities of paradise. A normal afternoon consists of a large terrace, a highball of chalk-yellow Pastis, a good book, salt water, sunshine, and maybe, the occasional rabble of passing tourists. C’est la base. But troubleContinue reading “Chaque Détail Compte: The Bowtie’s Guide to a Weekend in Marseille”
1.5 The Blue Notes–Panic Room
December 16th Panic Room—02h00 You still open? Of course. Doors down lies a packed bar. It’s where I wanted to go. Before we were sidetracked by L’Etincelle. A caricatured overweight, black doorman hassles us. He reels us in after a drawn out moment. Loud music. Loud people. Dirty, dark bar. Leftovers from all the otherContinue reading “1.5 The Blue Notes–Panic Room”
1.4 The Blue Notes – L’Etincelle
‘My umbrella, it’s my prized possession,’ he starts. ‘It gives me a look of sophistication and it protects me from rain.’
African | Bowtie 