Author Archives: AlexanderGittleman

1.3 The Blue Notes – Moonshiner

December 15th Moonshiner—h2130 A rainy night.  Near Place Des Vosges, on the outskirts of the Marais, the backstreets are slick and empty. The three of us scamper across the wide Boulevard Beaumarchais. Rain picks up. It’s near freezing. Street lights reflect in a violent orange hue. My feet are damp, but my mouth tastes ofContinue reading “1.3 The Blue Notes – Moonshiner”

1.2 The Blue Notes – Le Cinquante

December 15th Le Cinquante—h0030 Down Rue de Lancry we walk. A car passes. People hover outside of a bar. People always hover outside of this bar. We enter. Foggy. Cramped. Everyone’s dressed in black. Bunch of late to the party beatniks, Hip boys and girls, probably design majors, who now work at bars and coffeeContinue reading “1.2 The Blue Notes – Le Cinquante”

1.1 The Blue Notes – La Patache

December 14thLa Patache—h2200 Across Canal Saint Martin we traverse. A bar by the water. La Patache. My friend, I see him through the front windows. “A table for three.”“Seat yourselves.” I look around, disoriented from the cold. Great vibes. Bubbling. My girlfriend spots a table in the back. We sit. 2 Camden IPAs and aContinue reading “1.1 The Blue Notes – La Patache”

The Bowtie’s Big Ass Guide to Every Neighbourhood of Paris: Belleville

December 2018 There’s a reason that Parisians stay hush-hush about the panorama at the top of Belleville Parc. ‘Go to Montmartre,’ they’ll say. Setting. Red, neon words ‘Le President’ hang over the riffraff like a heavyweight championship belt. Beneath, Chinese Hanji are spangled in gold. Enter the chaotic intersection of Belleville station. It’s a littleContinue reading “The Bowtie’s Big Ass Guide to Every Neighbourhood of Paris: Belleville”

Landscape Mode: Subversive Tiki Cocktails and the Unknown Territory of Solera

While planted in a residential wasteland, this bar has defined its own terrain. Normally, cocktails lie in the 3rd, 10th, 11th, or 18th, and only in the 6th on this side of the river. With its location and its glassware, Solera is subverting expectations on two separate occasions.

Where to Find Peanut Butter and 14 Other American Condiments in Paris

After a difficult day, you need comfort. After a day where you’ve confused Rue Montmartre with Boulevard Montmartre, received the wrong order for lunch because of a mispronounced vowel, and had that typical grey af Parisian day, the only cure, I think, is like Dorothy once said, home. Home is true comfort. I’ve written beforeContinue reading “Where to Find Peanut Butter and 14 Other American Condiments in Paris”

The Bowtie’s Big Ass Guide to Every Neighbourhood in Paris: Jacques Bonsergent

Scene. Limpid water runs through, halving the quarter, with cafe’s, art galleries and bars on both banks. Bridges loop over Canal Saint Martin. Dangling limbs of deciduous trees and street art span down the length of the promenades. Narrow roads zigzag. Jagged corners cut from old stone buildings, and in between, long shadows, hidden passagesContinue reading “The Bowtie’s Big Ass Guide to Every Neighbourhood in Paris: Jacques Bonsergent”