The New Paris Podcast

On July 7, my second book, The New Parisienne, was finally released into the world. I’ve been delighted to participate in a number of virtual talks, including the hour with author Thomas Chatterton Williams as part of The American Library in Paris’s author program. That’s the conversation you’ll discover in this episode-- I hope both the book and this exchange inspires discussions in your own circles. Mentioned in this episode/Additional links: The New Parisienne book, order now! www.thenewparisienne.com This discussion on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPQ24MqB7mo&t=231s Vogue review: https://www.vogue.com/article/lindsey-tramuta-the-new-parisienne The Guardian review: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/02/myth-white-parisienne-is-being-challenged-lindsey-tramuta-alice-pfeiffer-and-aissa-maiga

The last several weeks have felt like a sea change for much of the world. The fight for social and racial justice in America has awakened minds across the world, including in France where antiracist activists are being heard in a new way. What happens in Minneapolis, New York City, Atlanta, and towns big and small across the United States, matters to the world because the systemic hate is the same. The efforts to curtail miscarriages of justice are the same. Police brutality and unchecked power are also shared pains. In this episode, I highlight how the movement has erupted in Paris and what this might finally mean for the taboo discussion around race in France. Mentioned in this episode: Jenna Wortham for the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/sunday-review/black-lives-matter-protests-floyd.html Rokhaya Diallo's Al Jazeera op-ed: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/france-denial-racism-police-brutality-200609133104476.html George Floyd Protests Stir a Difficult Debate on Race in France https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/world/europe/france-race-george-floyd.html Interview with me and Rokhaya Diallo, moderated by Pamela Druckerman https://youtu.be/jR6wR7WDAps Pre-order "The New Parisienne": https://www.thenewparisienne.com/

France considers itself the birthplace of human rights and yet many of the country's policies when it comes to the disabled population are severely lacking. This is one of the themes discussed with today's guest, Marina Carlos, a 31 year-old French-Portuguese disability rights' advocate. For the last several years, she's been creating French and English content around ableism, accessibility, and media representation of disabled people. Her self-published book ""I'll figure it out: How Ableism Impacts Disabled People's Lives" will be released this summer. She joins me to talk about how the pandemic has amplified ableism and what needs to happen for Paris to become a more accessible city. Mentioned in this episode: Marina Carlos on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarinaCpom Marina Carlos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinacpom/ Marina and her book: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_KPS3Gp0eJ/ Background on ableism: https://www.nccj.org/ableism Ableism and the pandemic: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/opinion/coronavirus-disabled-health-care.html

Pregnancy is an emotional, physically demanding, and life-changing experience in normal times. In a pandemic? Amplify those feelings. There are more questions than answers and a whole new set of protocols that an expectant mother hadn't anticipated. For Ariane Chang, an artist in Paris, the pandemic hit just as she was reaching the end of her pregnancy. When she was admitted to the hospital, she was presumed to have the virus. She joins the show to talk about the experience, the unexpected twists and turns to bringing her daughter into the world, and the essay she wrote following the birth for the NY Review of Books on being her clinic's first COVID-19 delivery.  Mentioned in this episode: Ariane Chang's NY Review of Books essay: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/04/02/corona-maman-a-paris-clinics-first-covid-19-delivery/ Ariane Chang's art: https://www.instagram.com/yayachang.art/

If seven weeks in confinement has illustrated anything, it's just how much collateral damage a pandemic leaves in its wake. the fragile become more fragile. The disenfranchised are pushed down even further. But it isn't only human life that takes a hit. Animals, and in this case I'm referring primarily to domestic animals, are also heavily impacted by our radical shift in daily life. Unfortunately, that means high rates of abandonment. Though shelters were closed for the majority of confinement, France recently exempt individuals from the lockdown to rescue animals in need from shelters that are edging toward overcapacity.  As a lifelong animal lover and the parent of two adopted cats, this scenario is extremely upsetting. Somehow it feels even more cruel to imagine animals being dumped during the pandemic. The sentiment has been shared by my friend Roxanne Matiz. She's a photographer living in the 17th arrondissement whose confinement experience has radically changed in the last week: she has taken in an abandoned terrier and is prepared to do whatever she can to keep him well. I'm joined by Roxy to talk about the rescue and what happens next.  Mentioned in this episode: Roxanne Matiz: https://www.instagram.com/roxannematiz/?hl=en France adoption during confinement: http://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20200411-france-briefly-exempts-people-from-lockdown-to-rescue-abandoned-pets SPA: https://www.la-spa.fr/ 30 Millions d'Amis: https://www.30millionsdamis.fr/

At the end of 2019, the pension reform strikes dealt a nasty blow to businesses in Paris. I reported a story for Fortune magazine about the economic impact for a handful of food and wine establishments, including those run by Josh Fontaine. He is the co-owner of Quixotic Projects, the group that created Candelaria, among the world's top cocktail bars, Le Mary Celeste wine bar, Hero, and Les Grands Verres. He expressed just how devastating the strikes were to business at a time of year that usually represents a sizable source of annual revenue. I felt for him then and I feel for him even more so now. He joins me on the show to talk about how he's doing, what he's drinking at home, and what he believes awaits the business when confinement lifts.  Mentioned in this episode: Fortune article: https://fortune.com/2020/01/10/paris-pension-reform-strikes-france/ Quixotic Projects: https://www.quixotic-projects.com/ Josh's venues: https://www.quixotic-projects.com/venues-en Shop Merch: https://quixotic-projects.myshopify.com/ Les Grands Verres at Palais de Tokyo: https://www.instagram.com/lesgrandsverres/ Hero: https://www.instagram.com/hero_paris/ Le Mary Celeste IG: https://www.instagram.com/lemaryceleste/ Candelaria IG: https://www.instagram.com/candelariaparis/ Bar Marilou in New Orleans: https://www.instagram.com/barmarilou/

Today's episode is more of a discussion than a one-sided interview. I'm joined by Jacqueline Ngo Mpii, the founder of Little Africa, a cultural and tourism agency in Paris that connects individuals, companies, and organizations with the best of African spirit in Paris (and beyond). She invited me to discuss the impact of the pandemic on travel and the tourism industry on her Instagram account and we wanted to continue the discussion here. What does the future hold for travel? We try to imagine what's in store. Mentioned in the episode: Little Africa: https://littleafrica.fr/ Little Africa Travel: https://www.instagram.com/littleafricatravel/ Little Africa Paris: https://www.instagram.com/littleafricaparis/ Little Africa city guides: http://boutique.littleafrica.fr/ Jacqueline Ngo Mpii: https://fr.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-ngo-mpii-b9b32846 Skift on travel: https://skift.com/2020/04/16/the-travel-medias-role-in-the-coronavirus-crisis-and-recovery/ When we'll travel again: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/coronavirus We Travel Forward (hotel support): https://www.wetravelforward.com/ Buy Now Stay Later (hotel support): https://buynowstaylater.com/

It's week five of confinement in Paris. I have been reporting stories about the virus and how the lockdown has severely impacted businesses and was slowly thinking about recording the podcast from home (vs in a studio). After a number of listeners reached out saying they'd love to know a little bit about how Paris is handling the situation, I got the equipment set up and got to work! More episodes, with guests, to follow. Mentioned in this episode: Paris under quarantine: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/life-in-coronavirus-quarantine-stories-from-paris-umbria-and-tel-aviv Restaurants suffering: https://www.eater.com/2020/3/17/21183882/life-in-a-paris-without-restaurants Rate of bankruptcy predicted: https://www.rtl.fr/actu/conso/coronavirus-quelles-seront-les-consequences-de-la-crise-economique-7800368225 Soutien Artisans et Commerçants: https://soutien-commercants-artisans.fr/ Institut Pasteur: https://don.pasteur.fr/site/ipa/coronavirus/en/don/index.html Vos Gâteaux: https://www.instagram.com/vosgateaux/?hl=fr New publication date for my book: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/new-parisienne_9781419742811/

In the time I have run this show and published my book, "The New Paris", specialty coffee has become a far less exotic and unfamiliar commodity in the city and across France. The city's leading coffee roasters have helped that along and continue to demonstrate the importance of transparency in the industry. To talk about some of his company's new initiatives, I'm joined on this episode by David Flynn, co-founder of Belleville Brûlerie. Mentioned in this episode: Belleville Brûlerie: https://cafesbelleville.com/?lang=en Pesticide-free coffee: https://cafesbelleville.com/blogs/bloguerie/zero-residu-de-pesticides Coffee subscription: https://cafesbelleville.com/pages/abonnement Tutorials on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cafesbelleville/ Update: Belleville Brûlerie has been donating coffee to Paris hospitals to support workers on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. If you wish to buy a bag of the special blend to support them in their efforts, click here: https://cafesbelleville.com/products/petitssoins?variant=31513039732854 Instant coffee: https://cafesbelleville.com/collections/cafes-instantanes

(Recorded March 12, before Covid-19 confinement) One of the earliest travel aficionados I met in Paris was Anne Ditmeyer. Her design work, her blog aptly called Prêt à Voyager, and her leisure time all revolved around travel and the way it expands our minds and teaches us about other cultures and ways of life. As a longtime Paris resident, she has applied that travel experience to exposing visitors to the best of her home. Anne joins me on this episode to talk about her work, tourism in Paris, and immersive experiences. Mentioned in this episode: anneditmeyer.com pret-a-voyager.com navigateparis.com Anne on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pretavoyager Anne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pretavoyager On overtourism: http://www.pret-a-voyager.com/2019/07/the-problem-of-overtourism/ Farfelu Paris: https://www.instagram.com/farfelu.paris Grand Rex aquatic show: https://www.aquatic-show.com/fr/references/fontaine-musicale/fontaine-musicale-grand-rex-paris-france Cinema Pass: http://www.pret-a-voyager.com/2014/09/life-in-france-cinema-pass/ Vincent Sardon stamp shop: https://www.instagram.com/le.tampographe.sardon/