Sitting pretty

 

Two discarded bistrot chairs living their best life.

 

Streets of Paris

 Montmartre.

 

Thursday threesome

 

Deep in discussion outside a small coffee shop in the 2nd arrondissement.

 

Tight Tuesday

A Citroën 2CV makes its way through a Montmartre alley with room to spare.

 

Walking Wednesday

 A beautiful walk through atmospheric back streets of the Left Bank.

 

Montmartre Monday

 A portrait artist perched above a bustling café scene below.

 

Thoroughfare Thursday

 

 

Once noisy with cars, this Marais street has been transformed into a pedestrian haven. 

  

Table Tuesday

 

 

A table for two on a street on Île de la Cité.

 

Misty Monday

 

 

Morning magic in the Latin Quarter.

 

Street scene

Strolling through the beating heart of Paris' energetic Latin Quarter. 

 

Fresh start Friday

 

 

 

It's almost La Rentrée, a time for renewal.

 

 *** 

August in Paris, a period of tranquility, is coming to an end. It's an ideal time to set goals, tie up lingering projects, brush up on personal style and embrace new routines. Beyond La Rentrée, September in Paris combines cultural renewal, seasonal shifts, and a vibrant event calendar. Anyone inspired by fashion, art, nature, or cuisine will be in the right place, as the city offers countless ways to reset and recharge.

September, that transition to fall, not the New Year, has always been my personal preferred "fresh start” time of year. This is when Paris’s parks and tree-lined streets begin to display burnt violets, reds, oranges, and golds. Shadows are longer, the air is crisp and it’s the perfect time for creative inspiration. Iconic parks like Jardin du Luxembourg or Tuileries with their early autumn colors enhance the city’s charm. Students, too, return to new teachers, backpacks brimming with fresh notebooks, ambitions, and dreams. Opportunities and surprises seem to pop out like corks at a Left Bank wine bar. Everyone has returned, some with already fading tans, others with dog-eared paperbacks or crisp croissant crumbs still clinging to their beards.

This might be the perfect time for a personal overhaul, whether through perfecting old skills, learning something new, or simply by enjoying life.

 ***

Fashion Week fresh start

 Paris Fashion Week 2025 (September 29 - October 7) is a global highlight, setting trends for the upcoming seasons and infusing the city with creative energy. It’s a chance to become immersed in cutting-edge style and the excitement of new collections. Even if the exclusive runway shows are off limits, the city hosts public fashion-related events, pop-up boutiques and exhibitions. Off-the-radar designers' creations compete in showrooms, many in the Marais district. Trendy concept stores like Centre Commercial, MERCI, or A.P.C. will stock the latest Paris street fashion.

 Cultural fresh start

 September is when Paris’ cultural scene roars back to life and the choices can seem overwhelming. New museum exhibitions, festivals, and events provide intellectual and artistic stimulation. The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Centre Pompidou often launch fresh post-summer programs. Neighborhood galleries open their doors while jazz clubs, classical venues, theaters and grand opera houses like the Opéra Garnier and Opéra Bastille open their seasons with dazzling new productions, drawing culture enthusiasts to the city’s historic venues.

 

Culinary fresh start

 

September also marks the start of the oyster season and grape harvest, alongside an abundance of seasonal produce, making it a perfect time to refresh palates at some of the city's many tempting eateries. Markets like Marché Bastille and Marché d’Aligre will display seasonal delights such as cèpes, truffles, chestnuts, artichokes, grapes, and figs. Cheeses have seasons too, so watch for Tête de Moine (monk's head), Rocamadour, Camembert and Brie, more. You won't even have to know what seasonal ingredients are in season as they will be woven into menus. Find a wine barrel table at Le Baron Rouge and lift a glass in appreciation. - BPJ

 

Meander Monday

 

The Latin Quarter, a favorite quartier to just wander.

***

 I've seen it more than once. A starry-eyed tourist steps into Paris’s Quartier Latin, imagining there will be rumba in the streets. She’s packed a bright sundress and practiced a few merengue moves, hoping she'll come across a vibrant fiesta or at least a few Havana-style clubs. But instead of sambas and paso dobles she finds quiet cobblestone alleys filled with bookshops and cafés with students arguing about the latest PSG match over overpriced espresso.

In Paris, the Latin Quarter refers to that historic district on the left bank of the Seine, centered around the Sorbonne University in the 5th and 6th arrondissements. Its name, far from implying a Latino culture, originates from the Middle Ages when Latin was the lingua franca of academia.

In the 12th century Paris became a major intellectual hub with the founding of the University of Paris, later the Sorbonne. Students and scholars, drawn from across Europe, communicated in Latin, the universal language of learning. The area around the university filled with schools, monasteries, and student lodgings and became known as the "Quartier Latin”: Latin was spoken in lectures, debates, and daily life. By the 13th century, the district was hosting figures like Thomas Aquinas and over time, the Latin Quarter retained its academic and bohemian character.

By the 19th and 20th centuries, it evolved into a hub for artists, writers, and intellectuals, with cafés and bookshops like Shakespeare and Company drawing luminaries such as Hemingway and Sartre. Its narrow, medieval streets like Rue de la Huchette and landmarks like the Panthéon, Sorbonne University and great domed l'Institut de France cemented its reputation as a cultural and intellectual heart of Paris. - BPJ

Tree-lined Tuesday

 

Street scene late afternoon, Montmartre.

 

Sit-down Saturday

Enjoying the view and a cool drink from a Montmartre street.

 

Monday motivation

 

The lure of a charming back street on a quiet afternoon.

 

Medieval Monday

 

 

An after-dinner promenade through the Marais district.

 

 Above: Rue des Rosiers, gateway to the old Jewish "Pletzl," at night

 

 

Sunday squeeze

 

 

The Rue du Chat-Qui-Pêche - Street of The Fishing Cat - is the narrowest street in Paris.

Until a narrower one comes along.

 

 

 

 

Street of roses

 

Old Rue des Rosiers, once lined with roses, dates from the days before street signs when streets were named for a landmark or function.

 

Floral Friday

 Bouquets of roses fill the streets of Paris.

It's the Feast of Saint-Valentin.

💘

 

 

Window Wednesday

Looking down onto rue du Nil on a rainy afternoon.