Author Archives: Best of Nice Blog

Yes, you Cannes!

Just because you don’t have a badge doesn’t mean that you can’t see films at the Cannes Film Festival! Besides the free Beach Screenings that I mentioned in my last post, free seats for the badgeless are set aside at every film … Continue reading

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Posted in Cannes Film Festival | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Cannes Film Festival’s Free Beach Screenings

The world’s most glamorous film festival starts tomorrow, and even if your VIP Badge got lost in the mail, there are still lots of ways to experience the Cannes Film Festival (and even see films!) without a badge. The easiest … Continue reading

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English Language Theater this Weekend in Nice

If your French is not quite on the level yet, here’s your chance to go see live theater in Nice in English:   Yes, you’ll understand every plot twist! …every nuance!  …all the slang!  …and every obscure cultural reference! Ira … Continue reading

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Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

What will the New Hollande Presidency Mean for France?

In America, ‘Socialist’ is a sneering insult, so how does this bode for France where they just elected a Socialist for President?   Some here are euphoric while others are predicting the worst.  Here are some well-written takes on these new … Continue reading

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New Saleya Live Free Concert Series Starts Tonight

Ever since the local farmers were forced to move their produce stands, we’ve all been wondering what the Mayor’s office had in mind for Place Pierre Gautier, the newly refurbished off-shoot from Cours Saleya in Old Nice… And now we … Continue reading

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Posted in Festivals | 2 Comments

Ten Ways Sarko has Changed France for the Better

With the French Presidential Elections coming up on Sunday, the ink is madly flowing on everything that everyone hates about Sarkozy, so I won’t bother with that list…  But in all fairness, here are 10 Sarkozy initiatives that are major positive steps for … Continue reading

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The Coulée Verte Takes its Toll

First the Gare Routiere was reduced to rubble, creating bus mayhem last summer, and now the Parking du Paillon bites the dust… making ‘parking mayhem’ this summer’s theme.  With the loss of these 480 prime spots, a parking stranglehold has … Continue reading

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Six Things You Might Not Know About Sarkozy and Hollande

The first round of the French Presidential Elections has just ended, narrowing the field down to just Francois Hollande and President Nicolas Sarkozy.   With the run-off election in just two weeks, here are a few interesting tidbits that you might not … Continue reading

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Cannes Film Festival Line-Up Announced

Update: Click here for How to do the Cannes Film Festival without a Badge The Cannes Film Festival Official Selection Films have just been unveiled… so who will rule the red carpet this year? With the opening film, Moonrise Kingdom by … Continue reading

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French McDo Loses its American Marketing Edge

When you think of a French McDonald’s what comes to mind?  John Travolta in Pulp Fiction explaining to Samuel L. Jackson that a Quarterpounder in Paris is a Royale with Cheese?  Well, technically, it’s a Royal Cheese… er, that is …was. In … Continue reading

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Posted in Life Imitates Comedy | 1 Comment

Sneak Peek for Summer Jazz Fests

It’s gonna be a July of Jazz!  The top three summer Jazz Festival line-ups have all been unveiled, so here’s what to look forward to… Nice Jazz Festival, July 8-12 The 5-night festival is splitting its musical focus in two:  the … Continue reading

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Picasso Affair: The Electrician’s Revenge

The treasure trove of Picassos came to light in 2010, when retired local electrician Pierre Le Guennec and his wife decided to pull out the box of little Picasso scribbles, paintings and notebooks that Picasso’s wife Jacqueline had given him … Continue reading

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Posted in Life Imitates Comedy | 4 Comments

Big Benefits for Bilingual Brains

Bonne nouvelle, ex-pats!   Those embarrassing gaffes and awkward efforts to master French will ultimately pay off in ways you never expected… with a lean, mean brain that can even ward off the effects of Alzheimer’s!   A raft of new studies are showing that … Continue reading

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Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Man Dead for 4 Years in His Nice Apartment

To the horror of the neighbors, it turns out that Henri has been sitting in his apartment, dead, for the last 4 years. Granted, nobody had seen him for awhile; he didn’t go out much anyway and largely kept to … Continue reading

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Posted in The Seamy Underbelly | 4 Comments

Tennis Royalty Rules Monaco in April

The Monte Carlo Tennis Club  is about to become the center of the tennis world, as all eyes turn to Monaco for the Davis Cup quarter-finals followed by the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. First, April 6-8, one of the most exciting match-ups in … Continue reading

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Posted in Sports | 4 Comments

World Figure Skating Championship in Nice

Do you watch the Winter Olympics figure skating competition on TV and wish you could be there?  Well, this week you can: the World Figure Skating Championships, the next best thing to the Winter Olympics, is being held in Nice! … Continue reading

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Your chance to see the Next French President?

Update April 24: Hollande took first in the first round with 27%, Sarkozy with 25%, and Marine Le Pen 3rd with 20%; even better than her father, who made 2nd place with 16% in 2002. The French Presidential Race is … Continue reading

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A Colorful Character, an Electric Bike, and a Lost Dog

Have you noticed a wildman with a handlebar mustache racing through Old Nice on an electric tricycle blaring Elvis’ ‘You Ain’t Nothing but a Hounddog’?   His name is Dolly, a moniker that is not meant to be ironic, but … Continue reading

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Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

In the Kitchen with the Chef: Cooking Classes in Nice

Why just have lunch when you can come into the kitchen, spend the morning with the chef, learn from the master while preparing the meal together, and then lunch on your culinary creations?  Several Nice restaurants offer morning cooking classes, from … Continue reading

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Posted in Restaurants | 3 Comments

Paris-Nice Bike Race Finish on the Prom Today, Eze Sunday

Don’t miss the spectacularly photogenic seaside finish of the second-to-last stage of the famed Paris-Nice bike race today on the Promenade des Anglais.   The expected arrival on the Prom is between 5:28 and 5:45pm this evening, but get there early … Continue reading

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Posted in Fun Stuff to Do | 2 Comments