The New Paris Podcast

It’s been nearly a year since the start of the gilets jaunes or yellow vest movement and when I think back on the moments that will forever remain ingrained in my mind, it’s those of intense violence. Violence not only at the hands of the anarchists who latched on to the social demonstrations but violence against protestors at the hands of the police. Police brutality and excessive use of force is...

If anything earns near religious devotion in France it’s bread. And in Paris, the marquee name in artisanal bread making has been Poilâne since 1932. Apollonia Poilâne, my guest today, represents the third generation of her family‘s business, one that revolutionized the role of bread in its beginnings and continues to innovate, remaining a beloved staple of both the French table and those in 40 co...

What defines the Parisian landscape? The mind instantly goes to a city with its tower, with its Haussmannian uniformity and its wide boulevards. But what really makes Paris, it's true lifeblood, is the Seine river, as much a protagonist in the city's story as its streets or landmarks. That's the conceit of a new book by bestselling author and former New York Times Paris bureau chief, Elaine Scioli...

There's the New Paris and ten there's Another Paris, a book that could and perhaps should be paired automatically with mine when it comes to looking at the transforming landscape of Paris and Greater Paris. I met the author Nicolas le Goff several years ago when his incredibly clever and timely book was first released in French. Now, it's been updated and translated into English. Nicolas includes...

Is France progressive? What are some of the hot-button issues in France in recent months? Will we ever stop talking about the headscarf? I'm joined by journalist and research fellow Karina Piser of the Institute for Current World Affairs to talk about these and other topics along with her important reporting from her time in Paris. Mentioned in this episode: Karina Piser (Twitter): https://twitter...

Among the most pervasive stereotypes about Paris is that it is the capital of love. Watch a few movies and you'd assume that romance and passion abound. I never believed those tropes but I was genuinely surprised to have met the man who became my husband only three days after I arrived in the city. That was thirteen years ago, before dating apps. From my single friends, I know that the dating scen...

When you think about camping out on a café terrace with a drink, chances are you don't think of craft beer. This is a wine country after all, right? The history is a bit more complicated than that. According to the Brewers Association of France, beer consumption has grown about 3% annually each of the last four years after declining for 36 consecutive years. In my book, I looked into the craft bee...

This episode is a recording from the June 12th panel discussion at The American Library in Paris about French feminism -- what defines it, what are its challenges, how does it differ from the American movement, and where it's heading. I was joined by journalists Rokhaya Diallo, Alice Pfeiffer, and Lauren Collins, who moderated the talk. Enjoy! Panelists: Lauren Collins, The New Yorker: https://www...

If you’ve been reading the news or simply living as a human on earth, you’re aware of our world’s greatest crisis: the climate. The evidence is undeniable, we’re destroying our planet and not acting fast enough, if In the right ways at all, to slow its demise. Joining me to dig into the climate calamity and talk about how France measures up is Patrick Galey, the Global Science and Environment corr...

For generations, musicians of all stripes have flocked to Paris to pursue their craft and perform for curious and engaged audiences. Today’s guests have been working in music and performing all over the country (and beyond) for over twelve years and together they form Signing Earth Divine, a 100 member gospel-inspired choir. As a part of the group gears up to perform at Carnegie Hall this month an...

What does safety and security mean in the context of the French state? How does it relate to issues of immigration and national identity? Joining me back on the show is Andrew Aguilar (from episode 24), a PhD candidate in political science at Sciences Po and a fellow at the French Migrations Convergence Institute. On this episode, we talk about another aspect of his doctoral research and discuss c...

How easy is it, really, to move to France and find work if you’re a foreigner? What about if English is your dominant language and French is a very distant second (or third, or fourth)? France24 journalist Charli James moved to Paris nearly two years ago and has talked at length about navigating life in Paris on her blog “Am I French Yet?” Today, she joins the show to talk about working and living...

In a time when award-winning chefs are giving up their Michelin stars and more and more diners use their everyday tools like Instagram to plan where to eat, what’s the value of the guidebook? Has Le Fooding’s merger with Michelin impact the direction of lists and rankings? I talk about this with guests Lina Caschetto, formerly the chef at Cantina, and Sabrina Goldin, the co-owner of Cantina, Carbo...

Welcome to season 3! A block from the studio sits the 25Hours Hotel Terminus Nord, a new property that celebrates the real people who shape the day to day life of the wider Gare du Nord neighborhood. It’s also the latest project for today’s guest — Alex Toledano, co-founder of the art consultancy Visto Images. Alex spent the bulk of his graduate and doctoral work studying urban history in Europe i...

The end of season 2 and, perhaps more importantly, the end of 2018, merits a special discussion. Joining me back in the studio for a chat about some of the events that have defined the year in Paris and France is author and staff writer for The New Yorker, Lauren Collins. We talked about France’s World Cup 2018 win, SNCF strikes and, the big-hippo story of the year, the Gilets Jaunes (yellow jacke...

#Metoo, body shaming, fatphobia, feminism, PMA, representation. These are among the words, movements and themes that have gone from niche or seldom addressed to the forefront of conversation across nearly all social stratums. In season 1, I invited Lauren Bastide of the feminist podcast La Poudre to discuss the outcome of #MeToo in France and the rising influence of a new generation of feminists w...

It’s 5:30 pm on a Monday evening and that means, it’s time for a drink and a nibble or two. That drink in France would be part of the beloved tradition of l’aperitif or apero as we so commonly refer to it. It’s a shared moment before dinner, usually among friends and with a few snacks to whet your appetite. But it’s also the name for an entire genre of French spirits, consumer during apero hour. B...

Ah, Gay Paree. It’s an expression firmly anchored into the collective imagination that speaks to the fin-de-siecle period wherein Paris became known as the capital of pleasure. Today, say Gay Paree and it almost certainly refers to and evokes a more modern understanding. Joining me today to talk about gay culture, history and the continuing fight for acceptance is Dr. Bryan Pirolli, a fellow Phila...

Think it’s only French food that dominates the dining scene in Paris? You’d be mistaken. And some of the best food is cooked by foreign chefs who came to the city to train, learn, handle some of the world’s highest quality products and give back. Some bring their cultures to the dining landscape while other offers their interpretations on Gallic classics. Today’s guest is Peter Orr, an Australian...

I met today’s guest 3 years ago at a café. He was conducting research on French Islam, I was writing my book on Paris. That café was a source of comfort for both of us after the Nov 13th attacks which killed and injured hundreds. These attacks, carried out by French or other European nationals affiliated with or inspired by the Islamic State, raised serious questions about France’s security, treat...

Some 23 million travelers from around the world descended on Paris last year. And if they’re like locals, they know there is more than one way to get around the city. But it is by foot that Paris is best experienced. Today’s guest is author and illustrator Jessie Kanelos Weiner, co-creator of the new book ‘Paris in Stride’ which offers clever and beautifully illustrated walking tours of the city,...

For Frenchman David Santori, Paris has largely been a place to visit. For nearly 20 years, he has lived in the United States, returning each year to his hometown only to visit family. What changes in Paris are most obvious to him, I wondered? Is « The New Paris » part of a subtle shift or something bigger? We talk about the changing city, linguistic codes, neighborhoods and his bi-cultural sense o...

The literary and artistic ties to Paris run deep. From Hemingway to Stein, Davis to Coates, the city’s appeal is everlasting. Today’s guest continues that legacy. Cody Delistraty, named a young writer of the year by British Vogue, is a cultural critic who talks to Lindsey today about working in Paris, the state of art, and his next big project.

The latest trend in Paris? Leaving Paris! There’s been an influx of Parisians decamping to the countryside or smaller French cities like Montpellier or Bordeaux. Driven by a desire to return to the land, step away from the frenetic urban pace, lower cost of living or simply explore parts unknown, this exodus is on the rise. Today’s guests are chefs Lise Kvan and Eric Montéleon who left Paris with...

Baron Haussmann, celebrated as one of the greatest urban planners in European history, is credited with having transformed Paris from an overcrowded, dirty and disease-riddled city in the 1840s to a breathable, walkable city with wide, well-lit avenues, cobbled streets, and ashlar buildings with wrought-iron balconies. But there’s more to the Parisian urban landscape than contributions from the 19...