Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Les Deux Magots


while it remains at -40 over here, i've just learned from my friend Heather Stimmler-Hall that a major event in cafe life is taking place in Paris...i miss cafe life (though once i get back to Paris, i'm going to miss long walks along the frozen river...can't have everything in one place!)

the big news is that the famous literary cafe Les Deux Magots--favourite hang-out of Oscar Wilde, Picasso, Andre Breton, Janet Flanner-- is selling off the old chairs from the inside of the restaurant. these aren't the wicker chairs from the outside terrasse, no, these are the chairs that Sartre, Richard Wright, Hemingway and other 20th century literary figures actually sat on. and they're the chairs i've sat on, while drinking their superb hot chocolate. i won't be buying a chair-souvenir, but still, somehow the change is shocking to me. each chair has a number (corresponding to its location & table) and it's these chairs that are being sold off and replaced.

the cafe is now non-smoking (like other cafes in France, as of February 1st)...which means i have to forgive it for replacing its chairs.

No comments: