October 2017 ~ Invisible Paris

The Morrison Hotel Mystery

The death of Jim Morrison is not the only mystery in the Rue Beautreillis. On this street where the leader of The Doors spent the last few months of his life and where he (probably) died, another door stands curiously alone. But what is it?

The last bastion standing

Today only one significant element of the city’s 19th century fortifications remains standing. Where is the Bastion n°1 and what purpose does it serve today?

The World's Oldest Surviving Basketball Court

How did a game invented by the YMCA in America cross the Atlantic in the late 19th century, and why has this Paris court survived so long?

The Longest Street in Paris

An attempt to find the soul of the city's longest thoroughfare.

Belgium by the Seine

A trip to Elisabethville on the trace of old postcard locations leads me to abandoned beach resorts and experimental 1950s architecture.

Thursday, 12 October 2017

Walking Paris from A to Z

Not so long ago I stumbled on an official list of all the streets in Paris. Looking through the list of over 6,000 roads in the city, I noticed that the first on the list - Chemin de l'Abbaye - and the last - Boulevard de la Zone - are at the outer limits of Paris, and at opposite sides of the city. Would it be possible then to walk through the alphabet, from one side of the city to the other?