The only feminist and LGBTQ bookstore in Paris.

Messy, busy, mangled, cheap, friendly and relaxed bar in Belleville. Unchanged for years, just layered with tags, stickers, laquered beer spillage and cigarette ash; but bright and light at the same time.

La Villa Rose is an elegant and beautiful private town house in Paris with a gallery and many events as cocktails, presentations, showrooms, dinners. I love the decorative identity combining artistic contributions, a collection of design objects and rare pieces of furniture to be discovered throughout the year.

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.

A modern bistrot in the quiet neighborhood of the 5th arrondissement. Great traditional French cuisine paired with carefully selected natural wines.