Two Medici women fighting for recognition and power in a world dominated by powerful men.  Pat Hallam traces the extraordinary stories of Catherine and Marie de Medici.

Starting at the July Column in the Place de la Bastille, this walking tour loops through the scenic, boat-filled Port de l’Arsenal.

The current Matisse exhibit at the Grand Palais reveals how a youthful joie de vivre spills out of the artist’s work in his 70s. Coupled with a new book, gain new insights into Matisse.

Walking tours with local “Greeters” in Paris are a fabulous way to uncover insider secrets, such as this exploration of the Mouzaïa neighborhood.

The current Matisse exhibit at the Grand Palais reveals how a youthful joie de vivre spills out of the artist’s work in his 70s. Coupled with a new book, gain new insights into Matisse.

Once an industrial area, Pantin has been transformed into the “Brooklyn of Paris,” with multiple parks, bike trails, and artist studios. It’s also home to Hermès.

In the 1930s, Raymond Queneau wrote a playfully pedantic newspaper column of urban trivia titled “Do You Know Paris?”

On a day trip outside Paris, Bill O’Such discovers the charms of Louveciennes, from an excellent restaurant to the Machine de Marly that once pumped Seine water for the Versailles fountains.