A Locals Guide to The Secret Passages of Paris

Mosaic floors, mirrors, and long hallways where you can see the sky; every now and then I see a flock of tourists, heavy coats, scarfs and hats, shuffle down with awe, but for the most part, the pedestrians are local. We know the passages for good spots to eat, for galleries and book stores. ThereContinue reading “A Locals Guide to The Secret Passages of Paris”

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.

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”

A History of Mojitos and Paris: The Life, Love, and Death of a Recipe

On a severely cold night in W14, under a typical red and white striped awning in St. Germain Des-Pres, we’d sat for drinks. Parisians with cigarettes fill straw chairs. Smoke, laughter, and light rain spills into the dark, cobblestone streets.

The Bowtie’s Big Ass Guide to Every Neighbourhood in Paris: Denfert Rochereau

Lines seem to be a theme in Denfert Rochereau. You ascend the staircase, and just across the street is a line for the Catacombs. On the West side is a line for the ORLY Bus. To the Southwest, I’ve seen Cafe Oz have lines that intersect the line for the ORLY Bus. It’s almost aContinue reading “The Bowtie’s Big Ass Guide to Every Neighbourhood in Paris: Denfert Rochereau”

Letter from the Editor: Mental Health

October 2nd, 2018 Today, I had this thought. It’s overcast, a glum, fall day in Paris, only the first like this, and I’d been pinned to my mattress by the weather and the suffocating sensation of depression. I fell into a 2-hour waking dream where I confessed to an old, random acquaintance of mine thatContinue reading “Letter from the Editor: Mental Health”

Where to Eat and Drink in Palermo, Sicily

This is a tale of two cities, one in the light and one at dark. The Capital of Sicily strikes as a larger, more complex metropolis than what it embodies, an ancient city that has seen the perils and progress of society. Graffiti plastered over walls like propaganda. Twisting, trash-filled backstreets that open onto crowdedContinue reading “Where to Eat and Drink in Palermo, Sicily”