Monthly Archives: October 2018

Americans Drinking in Paris Part Two: Harry’s New York Bar

by Wendy
Bar Hemingway at the Ritz was brilliant, but it was not our favorite bar of this recent visit to Paris. Harry’s New York Bar has its own illustrious past and list of notable patrons, including Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Gershwin, Rita Hayworth, and even James Bond. Continue reading

Americans Drinking in Paris Part One: Bar Hemingway

by Wendy
The weather is cool as Jack and I walk from our hotel to Place Vendome, a large fashionable square particularly striking as its lights glow against the evening sky. My heels click on the cobblestones and I pull on my trench coat, trying to channel a chic Parisienne. We are going to Bar Hemingway in the legendary Paris Ritz, one of the top luxury hotels in the world.

This well-known bar is on the Paris itinerary of many fans of both Ernest Hemingway’s brilliant writing and the drinks he loved. I know from research that it’s perfectly fine to visit the bar without staying overnight here, but am still impressed by the hotel staff’s cordial welcome as we enter through the revolving door. Continue reading

The Rooftops of Beaune

by Wendy
Beaune is a beautiful walled city in the French region of Burgundy, about 2 1/2 hours from Paris by train. Besides the vineyards, Beaune’s tourist attractions include the Hotel Dieu, or Hospices de Beaune, a charity hospital from the 15th century founded by a wealthy aristocratic couple. Its brightly tiled roof is striking, refurbished in the early 1900s.

As Jack and I checked into our Beaune hotel, it was one of the first things the concierge mentioned. “You’ve noticed our famous roof?” Continue reading