French Cuisine near Place de la Victoire in Paris

Even on rainy days beautifully moody.

Nameless pink shop run by a talkative redheaded Piaf who handpicks and sells allsorts of things from the 1950s - 70s - furniture, clothes, sunglasses, lamps. Unpretentious and priced correctly.

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.

No matter what season you are, this Magritte blue sky after the sunset is the perfect moment to walk in the streets. It's the blue hour