EXPAT AMERICANS TO PRESENT GOURMET PARIS AND BLACK PARIS IN SAN FRANCISCO
Added: (Tue Jun 03 2008)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - 3 June 2008 – The Alliance Française of San Francisco has the pleasure of hosting presentations by two long-time Paris residents – Tom Reeves (a native of the SF Bay Area) and Monique Y. Wells. The couple owns and operates Discover Paris! (www.discoverparis.net) – a travel planning service that creates personalized itineraries for Americans traveling to the City of Light.
Reeves and Wells are passionate about Paris. Already enamored of the beauty of the French language and the marvels of French cuisine upon their arrival in 1992, they spent many hours extensively exploring the city. Their continual delight in learning about its history and culture combined with their love of French lifestyle and cuisine inspired them to create a travel planning service designed to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with individuals, families and small groups traveling to the French capital.
Using their clients’ areas of interest as a starting point, they develop a customized itinerary, permitting clients to explore Paris within the context of the themes that they, the clients, have selected. Clients explore Paris on foot, using the itinerary as their insider’s guide.
At the Alliance Française, Reeves will present “Ile Saint-Louis: History, Architecture and Epicurean Delights”. He will draw upon his experience as a tour guide of the gourmet food shops on Ile Saint-Louis to present an illustrated historic and culinary overview of the island, located near the heart of Paris. In years gone by, the island was home to literary and artistic luminaries such as Charles Baudelaire and Camille Claudel. Today its main thoroughfare abounds in boutiques and restaurants that appeal to every level of gastronomic taste and budget.
Wells, who hails from Houston, will give her perspective of the fascination that African Americans have had for Paris since the 19th century. Her presentation, which is often requested by groups of American travelers in Paris, is called “Black Paris and the Myth of a Colorblind France”. Sixteen years of living in the City of Light has permitted her to develop a fresh and particular outlook on the subject, notably regarding the exploration of the myth. Wells has written several articles, presented numerous talks and co-authored a book on various aspects of the African-American experience in Paris.
Since 2000, Reeves and Wells have published a monthly newsletter called Paris Insights. They recently assembled a collection of their subscribers’ favorite newsletters, creating a book entitled Paris Insights – An Anthology. It is a beautiful volume, amply illustrated with stunning and inspiring color photographs. Readers will sense that they are getting to know Paris intimately, moving beyond its stereotypes and learning about lesser-known historical and cultural elements of the city.
No other book presents the City of Light in such a lively, informative and vividly illustrated fashion. NBC travel editor Peter Greenberg states that it is “the antidote to typical tourism hyperbole” and “a true insider’s guide to one of my most favorite cities in the world, written by someone who has lived the special experiences you'll never find in a guide book.”
Paris Insights – An Anthology (price: $39.95) will be available for purchase at both presentations: Ile Saint-Louis – 24 June 2008 at 7 PM and Black Paris and the Myth of a Colorblind France – 26 June 2008 at 7 PM.
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