Fauvist feast

Café scene at the foot of a Montmartre stairway reminiscent of colors of Gauguin.

 

Ribbons of air

Passersby are handed colored ribbons to tie to a large grille of a sidewalk air vent.

Lunch meet

A bistro on a quiet square behind the Palais-Royal Gardens.

Bistrot Valois

1 Place de Valois 75001

Book space

  A librairie beneath Sacré Coeur that's also a café, gallery and museum of the avant-garde.

Halle Saint-Pierre 

2 rue Ronsard 75018

Orsay atrium

The ceiling of this former train station illuminates the many sculptures on display below.

Twirling skull

Rotating, spurting sculptures in the Stravinsky Fountain add color to an overcast day.

Paris unchanged

As more and more Paris cafés modernize many preserve their days-gone-by allure.