why the 17th--the nicknameless 17th--you ask?
not much there in the way of sights or monuments, but i'd read that the marché des batignolles would offer a feeling for simple, everyday parisian life, which sounded very good to me. and there were 2 small artisan shops where i hoped to do a little gift shopping.
i got a late jump on the day, though, no thanks to work. and because i'd planned to meet my friend matt in the marais in the afternoon, i had to forego the marché. but i took the 13 line to la fourche to see how much local flavor i could absorb in a couple of hours.
there was something immediately familiar about walking along avenue de clichy.
old trees canopied the blocks, giving a beautiful sun-dappled effect--i thought, the avenue was a living, shining renoir! it was easy to imagine a beautiful architectural history.
i continued my slow stroll...
past...
racks of leather shoes
and dvd stores
and t-shirt shops
and frill-free, neon signs for quick-stop chinese, japanese, middle eastern and eastern european eateries.
even more amazing? the unmistakable, lingering aroma of rotisserie chicken, all along the avenue.
i'd found, in that little swath of the 17th, the fulton mall of paris.
(who knew?)
***
as a tennis fan, i loved seeing this in the front window of a store called "edene star""
yannick noah, and his ex, the lovely heather-stewart whyte.
definitely wouldn't see this in brooklyn...
***
it was an unexpected scene on avenue de clichy, but it reminded me that mine had been a narrow (dreamy) view of parisian life. and i know not to define the whole 17th from what i saw that afternoon. the 17th blends upper, middle and lower classes, there's a big-business district as well as older, historic areas, and former industrial areas in various stages of gentrification. young families move in, other nationalities do, too.
there is real, every day life there, after all.
***
it was a litle etsy emporium, and in a different way, very "brooklyn."
(i fell particularly in love with--and couldn't say no to-- the cravate swing by emmanuelle biennassis and the beautiful blue ceramic sautoir dle pampilles by claire hecquet-chaut...)
