Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Stock market


This is the French stock market (la Bourse). It's a beautiful building conceived by Alexandre Brongniart in 1813. For about 150 years traders would go there to sell and buy stocks until 1986 when this was totally computerized. Now this building shelters a museum and is mostly used for private parties like the night I took this photo.

24 comments:

  1. Come on Eric, we want more hot gendarmes....

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  2. I was wondering why they have such nice lights at night ... Good to know they put the building to good use! In San Francisco we have a gym now in the building where the stock market used to be held. Times change!

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  3. Beautiful Eric! How 'bout a gendarmerie guy leaning on one of those pillars! LOL! =P And, LOL!, for a second there I thought the dark pointy things were little potted topiary...then I realized it must be the pointy tops of a wrought iron fence! (=

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  4. What a beautiful picture. I love those bright colors.

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  5. oooohhh very pretty. I'm guessing the color comes from the lighting? Do they often make it different colors?

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  6. >>In San Francisco we have a gym now in the building where the stock market used to be held. Times change! >>

    Tomate, The Bourse in Philadelphia is now a mall and office space that is heavily visited because it is across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. (www.bourse-pa.com) It is a lovely building,but I haven't seen it lit at night. I'll put it on my list for when I get better.

    The Philadelphia Bourse was the first in the world to house simultaneously a stock exchange, maritime exchange, and grain-trading center. Under the guidance of Philadelphia businessman George Bartol, the exchange thrived. However, as the business community moved westward in the city the sun started setting on the Bourse. In 1982, the Bourse was renovated to a combination shopping mall and office complex.

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  7. I love the red lights on the building that contrast with the blue sky.

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  8. Nice and colorful picture Eric. It's strange that you are on the other side of the fence in a private party!!! You weren't invited?? LOL

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  9. As the Embassador of Paris in the Blog Universe, you should be invited in every single party of the high society in Paris. ;-))
    And after that you should make a new series of blogs, partydailyphotos, with photos from the inside!

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  10. From these parties, I remember well when I was in Paris, and it had impressed me a lot, the presence of too many guards. I remember once in Chanel's main shop at Rue Montagne, that there was a guard in every single vitrine of the shop. They had replaced the manequins with guards for the needs of the party !!!
    And each guard usually is dressed with black suit, not with a uniform or jean!

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  11. susan, that would be pretty! The do that for the old building at the St. Louis Science Center. They often change teh color of the lights shining on the Planetarium, even making it festive and wrapping bows around it for holidays.

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  12. Beautiful shot! I admire that you were able to isolate the building from the bustle that surrounds it.

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  13. I love the infinite variety of people, places, and things that you photograph. Now that we have a digital camera we take many more photos. We took 800 in May-June of this year while vacationing in the Morzine area. Next year, 2007, we will be in Grenoble and Paris. My partenaire might be teaching a short course in Dijon which will extend our time in France by two weeks.

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  14. Beautiful colors, and such strong rythmic repeating lines and elements--from the fence tops to the capitols, from the columns to the stairlines, and the bursts of light from the windows, and that saturated blue cloud sky. Kudos!
    -Kim

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  15. Bonjour,

    Je viens de decouvrir votre blog, il me plait beaucoup, super photos, et humour... et puis Paris me manque... a'yest, vous etes bookmarke!

    Yeehaa from Texas!

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  16. Ujima...I looked all through your blog to see what you meant by "I'll put it on my list for when I get better.

    What happened?

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  17. Across the street from this is my favorite restaurant, Cafe Moderne.

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  18. Yey ! Those p^rivate parties are so fun ! Once i played roulette in there, with false money, so weird in that temple...

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  19. >>what you meant by "I'll put it on my list for when I get better. What happened? >>

    So sorry, Michael that I mentioned it. I'm sooooo frustrated at not being able to get to places because of this back problem. Was so very frustrated when I wrote it because my friends are going on a trip to S. Africa and the doctor says I won't be ready to go in January. Grrrrr. Just not used to not even get around town to make a PhiladelphiaDP.Maybe improvement from the 3x weekly aqua therapy will kick in soon and I'll be on the road again (but not on Willie's bus).

    Sorry Eric & group for taking up space but "Thanks", Michael for asking.

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  20. Hi everyone. Sorry girls no hot Gendarmes today. But tomorrow I'll promise, I will show another police staff...


    Ujima. So sorry to hear about your back. So unfair, especially when you see they others go on a trip! Fortunatly PDP is here to make you travel!

    Susan. It's the first time I see these colours. And I go pass by it every evening...

    Philos. "Embassador of Paris in the Blog Universe". Yeah, I like that LOL !

    XenoHumph. Welcome!

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  21. The Bourse is looking a little psychedelic with the lighting! I don't leave many comments because you get so many, but I love coming for a quick visit to the big city when I start to feel a little isolated in the country....

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  22. Just wanted to say that you have a Great Blog on List Building. I run a Blog myself that covers List Building , but I still stop by here daily to read what you post. Kudos on a great site.

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