Where you a fan of Gilmore Girls? I watched it religiously when I was in college and I can't wait until Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the four-episode revival of the series, comes out on Netflix November 25! To celebrate the 16th gilmoreversary of the series’ original pilot air date (this is making me feel old!!) and of course promote the new season, Netflix had the brilliant idea of bringing a little bit of Stars Hollow to life by turning some 200 coffee shops across the U.S. and Canada into Luke's Diner pop-ups. And to serve free coffee, which we know Rory and Lorelai would have totally be fans of!! There were five coffee shops that got the Luke's Diner treatment in the D.C. ...
My Trip To Paris (And Champagne) By Alison
There's no conversation I love more than when one of friends tells me that they're off to Paris. OK, there is: the conversation we have when they get back full of stories from my hometown and appreciation for it. So I was thrilled when my friend Alison of Bon Vivant DC told me she was stopping in Paris in between visits to Portugal and Champagne. OK, I was jealous too... but thrilled mostly. Alison runs a wine consulting business so I knew she'd have a fabulous trip. Here's an overview of how it went, in Alison's own words. WHAT BROUGHT ME TO PARIS Paris has always been my favorite city, so when I found myself with five days between a vacation in Portugal and a weeklong industry event in ...
Christine & The Queens at the All Things Go Fall Classic Festival
Have you heard of Christine And the Queens? Did you go see her and her band when she played at the 9:30 Club earlier this year? I couldn't make it, so I'm stoked she's coming back! As part of a small North American tour, she'll be performing at the All Things Go Fall Classic Music Festival at Yards Park this Saturday, October 8th. DC's not a big music festival town and I've loved seeing this one grow from its beginning at Dock 5 behind Union Market in 2014. And of course I love that there's a French artist in the line-up!! The headliners this year are Empire of the Sun (the videos from the Australian band are amazing, like this one for Alive, so I bet they put on quite a show!). They'll ...
New Mural at 801 N Street NW
It's been pretty gloomy in Washington, DC lately so I was pretty excited to stumble upon a new pop of colour in Shaw. Kuddos to Jessie and Katey, an artistic duo from Baltimore, for working in the rain to turn a dull wall above a parking lot into a vibrant public mural. The mural is part of the District Wall project sponsored by Blind Whino and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Between September 19th and September 30th, abstract muralists like Jason Woodside (1380 H st NE), Remi Rough (649 Kenyon St NW), Tavar Zawacki (1012 7th St SE) or Waone Interesni Kazki (829 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW) have been painting new pieces of street art around the city. I'm always eager to see ...
Postcard from Paris: 5 Spots Where I Love to Grab a Cup of Coffee
When I left Paris to move to Washington, DC thirteen years ago (**le gasp**) the city didn't even have a single Starbucks yet. Now they're everywhere, and I'm not saying that's a good thing but I do want to point out that the coffee scene has changed in a few years. Of course, Paris has always been known for its street-side cafés, where you can grab a quick noisette at the counter or linger for hours at the terrace people watching and sipping a café crème. Those were never really about the coffee and new cafés, inspired by the artisanal coffee culture in Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. have popped up all over town. In many of those, it's not unusual to hear English spoken fluently behind ...
Premières Visites du Nouveau Musée d’Histoire & Culture Afro-Américaine
Ça y est! Le tout nouveau Musée National de l’Histoire et de la Culture Afro-Américaine (l'acronyme c'est NMAAHC en anglais) a ouvert ses portes au public samedi dernier à Washington. Et il les a ouvertes en grande pompe et circonstance, avec l'ancien président George W. Bush, Barack et Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey et plein d'autres célébrités ainsi que deux jours de fête et de concerts sur le National Mall. L'inauguration du NMAAHC c'est l'événement culturel de l'année ici... les billets d'entrée (qui sont gratuits d'ailleurs, comme ceux pour tous les musées nationaux gérés par l'Institution Smithsonian) se sont arrachés comme des petits pains en ligne. Il faut maintenant quasiment ...
Week-end Highlights: Pho, Poutine & Playing Tourist on the Mall
Happy Monday!! How was your first weekend of fall? Friday and Sunday were absolutely beautiful here in Washington. I really wish I had made some outdoorsy plans... or that I had a car so I could be spontaneous and go play outside of the city. But I still found ways to enjoy the beautiful weather. SUNSET ROSÉ ON THE ROOF I'd had a busy week and I wanted to go swimming Saturday morning (call it the post Olympics effect, but I've been going swimming at Dunbar Aquatic Center three times a week lately) so I took it easy Friday night and just enjoyed some rosé on the roof before watching the series premiere of Designated Survivor with the husband. I found a $8.99 bottle of Coteaux ...
Questions/Réponses avec Elodie & Laëtitia de Français aux USA
Depuis quelques mois je participe à un super groupe de blogueurs/blogueuses francophones sur facebook, organisé par la fabuleuse Estelle Tracy. J’étais un peu en manque d’inspiration pour mon blog et ce groupe m’a complètement re-motivée et aidée à me lancer dans les billets en français. Et en plus je suis maintenant connectée à pleins d’autres expats un peu partout dans le monde dont Laëtitia (et oui, c’est un nom très commun dans mon groupe d’âge… merci Gainsbourg! Quoique moi j'ai pas les trémas... ) et Elodie, deux expats derrière un compte instagram que j'adore: les « Français aux USA». Quand on aime, on partage! Elodie et Laëtitia ont gentiment accepter de répondre un quelques ...
Drink Your Way Through Election Season at Bastille & ENO Wine Bar
It's a time honoured tradition in Washington, DC. We like to drink. We like politics... so every election cycle, whether it's the primaries or the general, local bars come up with politically-themed cocktails. If you're like me and less than thrilled with your options this year (not that I can vote anyway), I'm sure you can use a stiff drink, or five, with a cheesy name poking fun at the candidates. I love it, especially when an awesome French restaurant gets involved. Bastille is one of my favourite French restaurant in the city... well, technically it's not in the city but right outside in Alexandria, VA. It's definitely worth a metro ride to Braddock Road though, and that's saying a lot ...
Weekend Highlights: Garnacha, Hello Kitty, a Pique Nique & a Sneak Peek at NMAAHC
I can't believe it's already Monday! I packed a lot in three short days, and the weekend definitely flew by! Now let's just hope the week goes just as fast too ;-) MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY AT GRAND CATA Have you been to Grand Cata yet? It's one of my favourite wine store in the city... and since it doesn't carry many French bottles, that's saying something about the rest of their selection! My first instinct when picking vino is usually to go straight for what I know, French wines but Julio and Pedro who co-own the Latin-centric shop are always spot with their recommendations. Whether it's a Spanish garnacha, a Portuguese rose or a bottle from South America, they've definitely helped me ...