Category Archives: Uncategorized

The famous 1€ Nice bus/tram ticket, formerly one of the best deals on the Cote d’Azur, has just jumped, …no, leaped …no, pole-vaulted to 1.50€, joined by the Day Pass spiking from 4€ to 5€, and the Airport Express bus, which is now charging … Continue reading →

The Nice Jazz Festival is definitely hitting its groove, and if you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to go.   The 35€ ticket price might seem a bit steep, but not when you consider that you get a full … Continue reading →

Tonight the Fete de la Musique transforms the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, into the longest night of the year in the Old Town.  It’s a crazed musical free-for-all with musicians of all stripes on every corner, … Continue reading →

If the Cannes Film Festival glamour is not your thing… the top anti-glamour event of the weekend is the Grande Vide Grenier de Nice, a massive swap meet/flea market/car boot sale on Sunday at the Palais des Expositions parking lot, … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

It’s an ironic byproduct of the sordid DSK affair: the title Mademoiselle is being quietly phased out. DSK unwittingly unleashed a major feminist “click” moment:  The debacle with the hotel maid was bad enough, but watching the French male establishment … Continue reading →

It’s the third Thursday in November, when wine shops all over France celebrate the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau, a fruity Gamay wine that is meant to be drunk young. Most wine shops will be offering samples today, but really, … Continue reading →