Hidden Arcades of Paris : Shopping and Dining in the City's Historic Passages

by ALTER, ANNHARRIS, ALISON

• ISBN13: 9781892145727
• ISBN10: 1892145723
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-04-28
• Publisher: Little Bookroom

Summary

Atmospheric, and hidden from view, the historic covered arcades of Parislongtime centers of shopping known mostly to Parisiansare among the city's most striking architectural features. Dating from the nineteenth century, the buildings on either side of a street were enclosed under a glass roof to create a shopping arcade. Though many have been destroyed, almost two dozen have survived and several have recently been restored to their original, breathtaking beauty, providing some of the most elegant and interesting shopping in Paris. Ann Ilan Alter's guide takes the visitor through twenty of the city's survivingpassages, pointing out designer boutiques, shops that sell antiquarian and specialized books, print dealers, art galleries, shoe shops, wine merchants, and restaurants that have injected new life into these little-known, romantic places. The chicest are home to avant-garde designers who, looking for hip locations in the past decade or so, found it in these glass-covered structures. Not all the shops are upscale, but all are interesting. Manypassageshave generally held on to their artisanal origins: small shops, Indian restaurants, and discount clothing stores that serve as reminders of a less gentrified Paris. All of the arcades are, in their own ways, cherished settings where Parisian meet, shop, and dine.

Author Biography

Ann Ilan Alter writes about the pleasures of Paris and the Parisians both in the nineteenth century and today for academic publications as well as for The Encyclopedia of Fashion. She teaches European history in private high schools and expository writing at Rutgers University. She lives in New York.

Alison Harris has worked throughout the world shooting photos for travel books, cookbooks, advertising campaigns, book covers, and magazine stories. Her latest books, Markets of Paris, The P‰tisseries of Paris, Chic Shopping Paris, Food Wine The Italian Riviera & Genoa, and Food Wine Rome (Spring 2009) are published by the Little Bookroom.