Distractions, reflections

My travel to the U.S. — and to Europe — generally means warmer temperatures than is in Toronto. There aren’t really that many major snowfalls in Toronto, but they do happen. Here’s the view out the front door.

I look at snowfalls as an opportunity to get some exercise … shovelling. In Toronto, we’re responsible for clearing our frontage.

When I’m done on the front walk, there’s the back yard to the garage …  Read more... (81 words, 3 images, estimated 19 secs reading time)

Since I normally work at home, a short morning walk to the office in Paris is a special occasion. Antonio led the way with a little short cut through a passage couvert north from Rue de Richelieu onto Boulevard des Italiens westbound.

The boulevard had moderate traffic before 9 a.m. A few cafes were open for breakfast.

The Place de l’Opera is a major traffic circle with a key metro station underneath.

Crossing the street at Place de l’Opera, the column at Place Vendome is visible.  Read more... (368 words, 14 images, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

While the client was near the Paris Opera in the centre of the city, we were asked to have an internal meeting out at the office at La Defense. The Grande Arche is a landmark.

The fastest and most direct way out from the city centre via the metro. The station connects directly to a shopping mall. We rode the escalators up, and the consulted a map to orient ourselves. The Grande Arche towards the west.

Just north of the Grande Arche, the modernist architecture of La Defense shows up in the office boxes.  Read more... (239 words, 10 images, estimated 57 secs reading time)

Walking across Boulevard Beaumarche, there was a lineup outside a boulangerie. We didn’t try any bread, but it’s a good indicator of quality.

In Le Marais, most of the stores were closed on Sunday. We saw an interesting display in this window. They look like shoes, but they’re actually chocolate.

The other window the store seemed to display leather goods such as cases and boxes. They were also chocolate. (Who buys these?)

The convenience store was open on Sunday. The windows are packed with merchandise, the shelves were full of wine.  Read more... (672 words, 37 images, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)

My travel to Europe and Asia has mostly been on personal time. In my day job, the territory only extends the U.S. However, Antonio and I happened to be working with a client with offices in Paris, so we had reasons to make a business trip to Paris. Since I had been riding trains and subways in New York City a lot, we met up at Charles de Gaulle airport and took the RER train connecting to the metro. Here’s the transfer point at Châtelet – Les Halles.

My mode of travel is the same 24″ suitcase, no matter where I go. It stays packed, as I’m on the road so much. Since we were travelling on expense account, taking the subway was really a dumb move. I discovered that the Paris metro stations are a maze of connections — not unlike Tokyo — but, unlike Tokyo, the platforms aren’t connected by elevators or escalators! I had to hoist my luggage up and down quite a few sets of stairs, while Antonio waited for me.

We exited the metro at the Quatre-Septembre station near our hotel. On a Sunday morning, the streets were quiet.

The rooms at our hotel on Rue de Richelieu weren’t ready, so we checked our bags and went touring. I had brought the guidebooks from the library, but let Antonio do the navigation. My eyes aren’t as young as his.

On Sunday mornings, one venue that is open is the Bastille Market. We hopped on the metro to Place de la Bastille.  Read more... (505 words, 21 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Getting a hotel in New York City can be a hit or miss affair. One week, the hotels have lots of vacancies, and the next week, there will be a convention in town. Since I was working with a client on Wall Street, I discovered that it’s easy to stay in New Jersey and take the PATH train in as a commuter. In Jersey City, Washington Boulevard is modern, with lots of skycrapers.

Jersey City is right on the Hudson River. Manhattan is a just across the water.

The PATH station at Pavonia-Newport is an unassuming building amongst the skyscrapers. The train platforms are underground.  Read more... (361 words, 9 images, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)