edithroad

2011-11-13T17:29:00.000+01:00

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JR in LA

2011-09-12T01:51:00.000+02:00

LA street art

2011-09-10T01:53:00.000+02:00

JR @ MOCA LA

2011-09-08T01:54:00.000+02:00

Paris Overhead

2011-09-01T01:31:00.000+02:00

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waterloo station

2009-11-11T00:46:00.002+01:00

Berlin, 2008

2009-11-06T19:16:00.002+01:00

Notting Hill Gate

2009-11-03T06:37:00.002+01:00

2009-11-03T06:29:00.002+01:00

I lived in West Kensington for two years and my tube stop was either Barron's Court or West Kensington depending on where I was headed. Before that my friends Jamie and Justin lived in Notting Hill and I stayed with them many times over the years. Their stop was Notting Hill Gate (pictured above) and it has a certain nostalgia for me now that J&J have moved to Maida Vale.

Pool Series

2009-10-31T06:39:00.002+01:00

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another paris shot

2009-10-28T17:22:00.002+01:00

Concorde Metro

2009-10-27T06:26:00.003+01:00

Louvre Stairs

2009-10-27T06:14:00.003+01:00

2009-10-27T06:10:00.002+01:00

The last month or so in Paris I was really getting into motion blur. I took a lot of pictures like the one of the stairs at the Louvre and down in the metro with an long exposure in black and white. I love the kind of "ghosting" you get when you let the lens stay open a long time and people pass in front of the lens. Then too there is the accidental quality of not quite knowing what will happen with each shot and letting an element of randomness enter into the work.

Pere Lachaise, 2009

2009-10-22T18:14:00.002+02:00

2009-10-22T17:17:00.000+02:00

I've always been drawn to cemeteries and Pere Lachaise in Paris is probably the most amazing in the world. It's like a huge open air museum. Where else can you hang out with Oscar Wilde, Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Chopin, Jim Morrison and and Marcel Proust?

photography: pool series

2009-10-21T18:27:00.002+02:00

Next Year in Los Angeles!

2009-04-11T02:40:00.002+02:00

We went to Passover seder the other night in Woodland Hills and had a lovely time.

Passover is my favorite holiday. As a writer, I admire a holiday that is built around a story. Going around the table and reading that story aloud and singing always makes me feel connected to something bigger than myself. I have been lucky in my life to have great Jewish friends and mentors and feeling connected to their traditions makes me feel closer to them as well.

I was raised in the L.A. suburbs by a lapsed-Catholic father and a lapsed-Mormon mother. We were left to our own devices when it came to figuring out god, religion, the afterlife and etc. Not that we were raised as complete heathens -- they had very strict senses of right and wrong and believed in common-sense family values, they just didn't force us to accept any single religious view of the world.

It was great in a way to have that freedom, but I always envied my friends who were Catholic or Jewish; I envied the idea of growing up with a sense of certainty about the way the world works. Even if only to have something solid and imposing to rebel against, as most of them did later on. I have dabbled with Buddhism, studied at the Kabballah Center, even found some parts of Catholicism attractive...but I have never found a faith to call home. Maybe I'll always be a bit of a heathen at heart...or maybe it's enough to believe that treating people (and the planet) with compassion and respect is enough.

That's my deep thought of the day.

La Fougasse -- pattisserie extraordinaire!

2009-03-24T19:49:00.005+01:00

We are lucky to have one of the best patisseries in Paris on our block here in the 3rd -- La Fougasse on rue de Bretagne. Good lord! Not only do they have some of the best bread and croissants around, also they have killer desserts in about a two dozen varieties. Tarts in chocolate, lemon, apple, pear, strawberry. Cakes in white, milk or dark chocolate. Macaroons. Eclairs. Chocolate and almond croissants. Too many to name! Our favorite has been the trapezienne which is a sort of custard/banana cream pie with a delicious graham cracker crust. La Fougasse is the reason I have gained ten pounds in the past three months!

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Chez Janou

2009-03-19T15:58:00.004+01:00

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2009-03-19T15:55:00.000+01:00

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Current fave Chez Janou is about 15 mins away. We drop in when we are on the way to the movies near Bastille. The atmosphere is very homey and inviting, warm buttery lighting and a casual low-key vibe. Food is excellent, of course. As the French would say, it's a "good, honest bistro." Had dinner there last week with my good friend Fleur and her Parisian friend Emilie (who also loves Janou). Amazing ratatouille, duck, spinach salad with goat cheese, braised lamb, grilled tuna, a nice house red and the best chocolate mousse ever. Damn, I'm getting hungry.

My "brick"

2009-03-18T16:10:00.000+01:00

2009-03-18T16:09:00.000+01:00

In the mornings, I have been swimming at the Cour des Lions pool and then riding a Velib bike up Canal St. Martin. On the weekends I ride along the Seine since they close the highway down to cars. Trying to get back in shape for the Malibu Tri in Sept.

A Night at the Opera

2009-03-17T17:27:00.000+01:00

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Arts & Metiers

2009-03-14T17:15:00.001+01:00

2009-03-14T17:14:00.000+01:00

2009-03-14T17:06:00.004+01:00

I've been trying to get out to see as many museums in Paris as I can. One of the oddest is the Musee des Arts & Metiers. It is billed as a "depot of new and useful inventions" and it houses all sorts of random, forgotten and downright weird artifacts. 19th century flying machines. Early cameras. Zoetropes. Magic lanterns. Focault's pendulum. Cotton gins. Steam engines.

It's like the attic of France. If you are a fan of steampunk you'll love it. If not, you still might be carried away by the space, since part of the museum is set in the old priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. They've taken this old church and added a very cool modern superstructure to house exhibits. It's like a movie set. I think this is the only place in the world you can see a bi-plane flying through a cathedral.

Fashion week

2009-03-13T16:37:00.002+01:00

2009-03-13T12:42:00.001+01:00

It's fashion week here in Paris and everywhere I go I see fashionistas in their black on black outfits running between designer studios and shows here in the Marais. American and Japanese buyers have taken over Cafe Charlot. This is a very creative neighborhood of art galleries and designer ateliers. In our building Jack Henry, a young american designer, has a studio and buyers and photographers have been making the trek back to his space. A friend of a friend went to Stella McCartney's show the other night, which was held a couple of blocks away.

It's weird that the recession (the French call it, mildly, la crise -- they make it sound as if the global economy is just having a bad hair day) doesn't seem as intense in Paris as it seems in the States. Restaurants and stores and the streets; people are out spending money. The only sign I have seen that acknowledges the problem is a piece of poster/graffiti art that has popped up on walls around the Rue Vielle Temple -- "Protest Rescession, please dress up."

Weekend in Rome

2009-03-09T18:42:00.002+01:00

The best thing about being based over here is being able to get on a plane and be anywhere in Europe in two hours. You can fly off to Prague or Istanbul or Barcelona for about $100. Spent a great weekend in Rome eating pasta, pizza and gelato, taking in the Sistine Chapel, the Colessium and the ruins of Ostia Antiqa, Rome's ancient seaport. Got lucky with the weather too: mid-sixties and sunny. Real springtime weather.

2009-03-09T18:39:00.000+01:00

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I

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it's all about gelato!

2009-03-09T18:35:00.000+01:00

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Chez Jenny -- onion soup

2009-03-06T09:30:00.004+01:00

2009-03-06T09:20:00.000+01:00

Chez Jenny is a culinary institution on the Place Republique. A classic brasserie that's been around since the 1920s. We pass by all the time since Republique is our nearest metro stop. Finally had dinner there the other night and were treated to the best onion soup I've ever had. It's mostly about melted cheese! Chez Jenny is a real meat lover's place -- sausage and sour kraut are the mainstays.

Velib -- Free Bike Rental System

2009-03-05T16:25:00.000+01:00

2009-03-05T15:31:00.002+01:00

One of the coolest things in Paris is the Velib bike rental system. There 1,450 bike kiosks in town. And each kiosk lets you check out a bike and return it to any other location. The first 30 minutes are free, each 1/2 hour afterwards only costs 1 Euro.

What a cool idea to get people out of their cars, which decreases both traffic and carbon emissions. And it's a cheap, pleasant way of getting around town. It's genius!

Les Enfants Rouge Market

2009-03-03T23:52:00.001+01:00

2009-03-03T22:44:00.000+01:00

One of the best things about where we live in Paris is that we are right next door to the Marche des Enfants Rouges. It's the oldest covered food market in Paris (since 1615). Not only can you pick up the catch of the day at the fish stand, wine from the wine stand, organic produce at the vegetable stall or a bouquet from the florist...you can also sit down for a meal or get take out from a dozen stands serving pizza, pasta, sushi, couscous or classic french bistro food. The atmosphere is very lively and friendly and it is the centre of the neighborhood. By the way, the market gets its name from an orphanage (which closed about 300 years ago!) in which the kids were dressed in red.

the perfect meal

2009-03-02T19:09:00.001+01:00

2009-03-02T18:14:00.002+01:00

My all-time favorite meal is roast chicken, a salad, french bread and red wine. There are a couple of good rotisserie chicken places down the block from us and a couple times a week we buy a bird for lunch or dinner. The chicken just melts in your mouth. Perfect!

2009-03-01T15:45:00.000+01:00

theatre du chatelet

2009-03-01T14:46:00.001+01:00

This is actually from last Sunday, when I went to a morning concert at the Theatre du Chatelet. I love old European theatres and opera houses with their dusty red velvet drapery and gold filigree. Heard some Bach, Beethoven and Liszt.

Friday night at the Louvre

2009-02-28T18:36:00.002+01:00

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One of the best things about living in Paris for a few months is being able to go back to museums like the Louvre and the D'Orsay and really spend some time there. Usually, when I am travelling, I make a mad dash through the museums and then on it's to the next place.

The Louvre is open until 9:30 pm on Friday nights and since D was working late, I took advantage and spent a couple of hours enjoying it. It is so vast! I don't know if it is possible to see the entire museum even in multiple visits. Plus, I usually end up people watching as much as anything.

Pita!

2009-02-27T14:23:00.004+01:00

2009-02-27T13:12:00.000+01:00

We have found the best Pita Sandwich in the world! It comes from L'As du Falafel on the Rue des Rossiers in the heart of Jewish Paris, the 4th. It's pretty simple: hummus, cabbage, eggplant & grilled chicken in a pita pocket. Not sure if it's the fresh ingredients or the special sauce they add that makes it so damn good. On Sundays you will find a long queue down the block as people line up for their falafels and pita sandwiches (which are a super-cheap 5 to 7 Euros!). Lenny Kravitz endorses it as his favorite restaurant. How can you go wrong?

It's funny that in the world's highest temple of gastronomy, this humble and inexpensive pita has become our favorite meal!

Jhumpa & Mavis

2009-02-19T18:54:00.000+01:00

2009-02-19T16:56:00.001+01:00

Went to a reading at Village Voice books in the 6th by Jhumpa Lahiri and Mavis Gallant. Jhumpa is one of my favorite contemporary writers. Her short stories are brilliant old-fashioned tales about family, love, loss and longing. She counts Mavis Gallant as one of her inspirations. Gallant has lived and worked in Paris for fifty years and she is one of those "writer's writers" whose influence is greater than their sales figures.

The place was packed to the rafters and full of wealthy, articulate, sophisticated characters who all seemed to know each other. It felt like we had wandered into a Woody Allen movie! The reading was wonderful and 87 year-old Mavis in particular had the crowd in stitches with a very funny (and racy) piece she wrote a few years ago. Jhumpa was very gracious, intelligent, down to earth and self-deprecating and we came away liking her even more.

jeu de palme

2009-02-16T17:12:00.001+01:00

grey slush

2009-02-02T10:28:00.000+01:00

We got a big snowstorm last night and I went out this morning expecting another winter wonderland. Alas, it had turned into ugly grey slush by 10 am. Very New York. Somehow, I never pictured Paris covered in grey slush.

2009-02-02T10:15:00.000+01:00

raise the red lantern

2009-01-26T14:26:00.002+01:00

Red lanterns have been popping up along the streets of the quartier. We are getting ready for Chinese New Year. I love that there is a mini-chinatown along Rue du Marie two blocks away, with take-out noodle joints, an asian grocery store and Pho restaurants. Plus, Paris's Belleville Chinatown is only two stops away via metro. Like London and my hometown, Los Angeles, Paris is a great multicultural stew.

2009-01-26T02:21:00.001+01:00

history

2009-01-20T13:27:00.000+01:00

chilly scenes of winter

2009-01-02T14:17:00.001+01:00

2009-01-02T14:13:00.001+01:00

Paris was blanketed in snow the first week of '09. Took a long walk through the Tuilleries Gardens this morning. The trees are dead, the fountains shut down and the ponds are frozen over...but the city still manages to look lovely.

a million miles an hour

2008-12-28T16:16:00.001+01:00

I have wrapped on the movie I was working on and I'm having a little trouble letting go of it all.

For two years my life in London revolved around the ups and downs of the show. Now it's packed up and left for Toronto, like a circus packing up the big top and moving on to the next town.

I am so happy I'm heading to Paris to live with D until April, but it's weird going from moving a million miles an hour to a full-stop in a single day.

I'm a bit dazed and out of it. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?

the xmas torte!!!

2008-12-25T16:53:00.000+01:00

cheer up!

2008-11-27T22:45:00.002+01:00

As I was getting on the 27 bus on Hammersmith Road, heading in to work this morning, the busdriver said to me "cheer up, guv, it ain't that bad, is it?"

I had no idea I was looking so grim. I was lost in thought as I swiped my Oyster card, glowering about whatever was on my mind (bloody gnomes!) The stress must really be getting to me this week. Ugh.

I laughed and immediately felt better and lighter, more myself. It's good to laugh at yourself and remember not to take things too seriously.

30-40-50

2008-11-20T22:10:00.000+01:00

This year D turns 30, E turns 40 and A turns 50...

2008 is a year of big transitions for my closest friends!

back to London

2008-11-08T22:24:00.000+01:00

Going home after a weekend in Paris. From the Marais to Gare du Nord, on to a Eurostar train, through the chunnel to St. Pancras. Picadilly line to Hammersmith and home to Edith Road in West Kensington. Never imagined this would be my bi-weekly commute.

"special ed"

2008-11-01T22:10:00.001+01:00

Every now and then, D decides I am in need of a science lesson.

It's true that my knowledge of science is rudimentary, but I have managed to get along fine so far without knowing the difference between DNA and RNA and a mitochondria and a mai tai. However, someone around here sees that as inadequate. Holding a PhD in microbiology is all well and good, but it shouldn't inconvenience your partner. Right?

Last weekend, D announced that it was "time for some science." We were lying in bed reading at the time. Out of nowhere the little professor had produced a notebook and a pen and he launched into genetics 101 -- DNA, RNA, bi-layered membranes, mitochondria & etc.

While some people think I'm fairly sharp, D holds no such illusions. He lectured me slowly and patiently, making cute little drawings of cells in his notebook. This is how it must have felt in "special ed," which was what we used to call classes for retarded students.

We are different in so many ways, D & I. And one is this: while D is trying fathom the secrets of the human genome (and possibly cure cancer to boot!), I am working with a bunch of crazy animators on a cartoon about talking gnomes!

Madame Charlot

2008-10-29T21:07:00.004+01:00

There is a good cafe at the top of the Rue Charlot and we like having our omelettes, hot chocolate and croissants there late on a Sunday morning, sitting by the window and watching the world go by.

Last Sunday, there was a fascinating old woman who came and sat out on the terrace. She was wearing a fur-lined dress and feathery hat right out of the 1920s. She had a little dog, a scruffy grey terrier, that sat on the chair opposite her. She began to have an intense conversation with the dog.

On the table she placed a pack of cigarettes and a packet of small cigars. She had two lighters: one with a zebra-striped pattern, the other with leopard spots. She had a ritual, only the zebra lighter could be used for the cigar. She smoked her cigarettes (light by the leopard lighter) through a long black lacquer cigarette holder.

Everything she did, every gesture, every motion was theatrical. She seemed like she was on stage, in costume, giving a performance. We couldn't take our eyes off her.

We named her Madame Charlot and spent the rest of breakfast wondering who the hell she was and what kind of life she had lead. We wondered which of us would claim her as a character for a story or novel, but then we backed off. Who would ever believe such a person was real?

weekend in L.A.

2008-10-26T08:29:00.001+01:00

Made a lightning trip to L.A. this weekend. Flew out of Heathrow on Friday afternoon and back from LAX on Sun evening. I don't think I was on the ground more than 36 hours.

But I had to be there for the wedding of two good friends, partners for 20 years who were finally tying the knot. It was a lovely event and I enjoyed catching up with old friends and colleagues from my last movie. Wouldn't have missed it.

It was sunny and warm in L.A. 80 degrees! Sitting out on the terrace of Mexicali in Studio City drinking margaritas in the sunshine felt great! Coming from London where it is already winter, it felt even better.

It's funny, I grew up in L.A. but I have never loved the city. I always dreamed of moving away. Living in London, I haven't missed it. My friends, yes. But L.A., no. This time back was different. I actually felt a little nostalgic for the weather and the light, for sushi at Oomassa in little Tokyo and chicken tacos at Poquito Mas.

Maybe I will finally come to appreciate my hometown at last!

Jeff Koons/Versailles

2008-10-22T22:25:00.000+02:00

Saturday morning, we took the train to Versailles. There is a Jeff Koons exhibit we want to check out. I have been reading about the controversy of exhibiting Koons's work in the Palace at Versailles, one of the most treasured sites in all of France. But, when you see it in person, it all kind of makes sense.

Jeff Koons is exactly the kind of artist Louis XIV would collect if he were around today! The amount of shiny, expensive kitsch that the sun king amassed is quite impressive. Koons work takes that concept to the next level. Some of the placements of pieces was inspired. The huge blue chrome balloon in the hall of mirrors, for example. Or the giant pink balloon animal in the stately greeting hall. So much of Koons's work is about reflectivity and looking at the setting bouncing off the polished surfaces.

The audacity of it all was almost breathtaking. Who else could get away with creating a ten-toot tall porcelain statue of Michael Jackson and his pet chimp Bubbles?

2008-10-22T16:52:00.000+02:00

planes, trains and automobiles...

2008-10-21T20:39:00.003+02:00

Fridays are always murder on the show and I am usually fried by 6:00 pm.

Last Friday I was ready for a relaxing journey to Paris, all set for the fast train out of St. Pancras. Unfortunately, I wasn't traveling on Eurostar. I had found a deal on Easyjet, a cheap flight to Paris from London Luton.

Luton turns out to be fairly remote (I think it is somewhere in Wales) so I left well ahead of my 7:00 pm flight time. I got on the Picadilly line out of Hammersmith at 4:30. Made pretty good time to Kings Cross where I switched onto a Midlands train after a 20 minute wait, and made my way out to Luton.

This was a very slow commuter train and I started to get worried. The train finally pulled into Luton Airport Parkway at 6:15 and I found the shuttle bus to the airport. Of course, the bus broke down. We switched to another bus which trudged uphill to the airport.

Now it was 6:30 and I still had to clear security. The woman checking passports took pity on me and let me jump the queue, scolding me for being so late. After I got through the metal detectors, I sprinted to the gate...it was just closing. 6:40. I was the last one on the plane.

The flight was a quick 50 mins. But I still had 30 mins on the RER train to Gare Du Nord, 3 metro stops to Republique and a 10 min walk to Rue Charlot. It took just about everything I had to make it up the five flights of rickety wooden stairs to our flat!

Ugh! Never again. It's Eurostar only from now on.

D was looking cute in his sweatpants and wife beater...and he even had on his sexy black jockstrap underneath. He made me forgot about the planes, trains and automobiles pretty quick.

backstory

2008-10-14T22:12:00.001+02:00

About two years ago I met a guy and fell in love with him. At the same time, I was offered a job on a movie in London. You have to understand...I have been trying for 15 years to find a way to live and work in Paris or London. Here was my chance at last!

This guy was perfect -- smart, sexy, down to earth -- but he was just coming out of a five-year relationship and in the final push on his PhD. We clicked immediately and I fell for him fast. But at the time, I didn't know where I stood. I was afraid I was a just his rebound guy.

I took the job and I expected us to break up. But it turned out he was as into me as I was into him. He applied for a fellowship in Paris. We decided to try to and make a long-distance relationship work between L.A. and London. We got through the first year, still in love, still together, but we were both miserable at being apart.

Then, he got the fellowship in Paris and moved the first of October. Now we are commuting between London and Paris. That's how it all happened...

2008-07-01T14:23:00.000+02:00

PARIS ADDRESS BOOK

2008-01-01T15:26:00.008+01:00

L'AS DU FALAFEL -- 34 rue des Rossiers, 4th.

Home of the best pita sandwich in the world. My favorite is the grilled chicken which comes with crisp cabbage, eggplant, sesame hummus and their own special sauce (7 Euros). Others love the falafel (5 Euros!). There is always a wait for both the take away window and the restaurant, especially on Sunday when Parisians love to stroll and shop through the Marais. But it is well worth the wait!

Closed on Sat.

LA FOUGASSE -- 25 rue de Bretagne, 3rd

Bakery/Pastery shop. The best!

BREAKFAST IN AMERICA -- 4 rue Malher, 4th & 17 rue des Ecoles, 5th

Sometimes you just want an old fashioned American breakfast with pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. This is a classic American diner with red naugahyde booths, greasy burgers and a bottomless cup of joe. Gets crowded with homesick yanks on weekend mornings.

PHO DONG HUONG -- 14 rue Louis Bonnet, 11th

Great Vietnamese place in the small Belleville Chinatown. [There is another, larger Chinatown in the 13th.] D is hooked on the Pho, I love their grilled pork with pickled garlic and mint. The food is fresh and light and cheap. Don't pay too much attention to the restaurant's decor tacky, nondescript decor, this is one of the best bargains in Paris!

Closed on Tues.

CHEZ JANOU -- 2 rue Roger-Verlomme (at rue des Tournelles), 3rd

A favorite in the 3rd, close to the movie theaters at Bastille. D is hooked on their ratatouille. I like the lamb and the tuna provencal. This is from a review from Frommers which sums the place up well: "On one of the 17th-century streets behind place des Vosges, a pair of cramped but cozy dining rooms filled with memorabilia from Provence make this a loud and somewhat raucous bistro. But the food will remind you of a visit to your french grandmother's kitchen -- dishes such as grilled sea bass with pesto, spinach salad with goat cheese, and a simple but savory magret of duck with rosemary."

www.chezjanou.com

DR. STEPHEN WILSON -- 54 rue des Archives 01-48-87-21-10

English speaking doctor. Studied in the U.S. Only charges 40 Euros for a consultation. On the U.S. Embassy list of recommended English-language doctors.