free Jazz concerts and parties 

If you're looking for somewhere that has an an excellent selection of artist books then Yvon Lambert is the place to go. Not only that but they sell incredible tote bags, with great straps and nice minimal design that will last you a life time. Out the back is a small gallery space, often showcasing the work of featured artist who's book is for sale in the shop. One of my favourite things about this shop is how friendly and welcomign they are! Not only that but they do cool collaborations, such as the one with David Horvitz, where he emails them a new photograph of the sky every day, the bookshop prints it out and you can only buy that one image on the day.

Ofr. is a bookshop and art space in Le Marais. What. A. Place. Stacked full of beautiful magazines, special edition art, design, fashion, photography and architecture books, with a bonus collection of vintage clothing in the back. My perfect shop. 

This is another artistic centre that opened recently, this time housed in a former 19th century music hall that later became an indoor roller coaster attraction (yeah, really). The temporary exhibitions can be hit or miss, but I like hanging out in the free, open-to-all library on the first floor where you can sit in the futurist media pods and flip through the latest arts, culture, music, design and architecture magazines. Their shelves are also filled with a growing endowment of books which seem to be acquired according to the theme of the aforementioned exhibitions. Internet access is available on a dozen or so PCs (or via WiFi on your own machine) and for gamers, there are a few consoles connected to largish plasma screens. The café upstairs, with its classic baroque meets retro-futurist interior, is a sight to behold.

Paris, unlike London, Brooklyn and err Chester, isn’t famed for its zoo. That’s because there isn’t anything quite as big here, but if its quality as opposed to size you’re looking for then the zoo in the Jardin des Plantes won’t leave you disappointed. There are about 1800 animals here, a third of which are endangered species, like the Amur leopard, pictured. The reptile house has big snakes and snap-happy crocodiles. There are even kangaroos and some other animals you wouldn’t have thought hardy enough to adapt to the cold chill of the Paris winters. The only drawback is the monkey house, which is a rather forlorn place with depressed-looking chimpanzees and gorillas gazing through shit-stained glass cages.