Saturday, October 10, 2009

Defenseless in La Defense


Last evening I had a meeting at La Défense, the business district located slightly outside Paris that I already mentioned several times here. As I was walking back to the parking lot to get my scooter a huge storm (yes, like 2 days ago!) burst. The whole esplanade emptied, but for this pedestrian who bravely continued walking in the rain. The white wall behind him is a "wall of fame" installed today by the Korean manufacturer LG. People are invited to scrapbook on it. Have a cool weekend everyone, mine is going to be a bit busy...

27 comments:

  1. Such an artistic shot!! I would love to see it with a red umbrella.

    Please show us the wall once people start scrap-booking on it. If you get the chance, write "Eiffel Tower Suzy Rules" on it for me! HAHAHA!

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  2. Black and white always gets to me. The angularity and geometrics of the composition just adds to it coolness, with a touch of motion provided by Mr. CDG

    BTW Katie, I looked pretty much like this Mr. CDG the other day, as I HAD an umbrella with me andI brought a raincoat to cover my Mis Tic poster that I picked up from the gallery! New York Times weather report rules!

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  3. Oops! On closer inspection, it is a female CDGer. And the sidewalk gives some motion, too....I thought it was rain!

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  4. i like the composition...i could make up so many stories around it....like your title too....

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  5. This shot is SO beautifully composed, Eric. Love the symmetry. The big white space reminds me of similar spaces downtown after 9/11—but we were invited to write on sheets of fabric, so they could be saved. Did you write anything here? "Long Live PDP!," for example.

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  6. Well Eric, you caught one fine photo here. Bravo!
    Bon weekend pour toi !
    V

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  7. Oh, I love this photo!! I can almost feel the temperature and the rain, take in the smells and hear the echo of tired footsteps making their way home across the empty esplanade. And the symmetry is lovely. Its the essence of an urban, melancholic, fall night and its beautiful.

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  8. Magnifique! Simple and beautiful.
    Another good one Eric.

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  9. Awesome photo Eric! I can confirm that "Il a plu comme vache qui pisse!"

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  10. Be interesting to see this 'wall of fame' in a few months time.

    Eric, you're working too hard when you can't tell the difference between a woman and man, unless you know something that we don't!

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  11. This is so sleek that it almost looks unreal! Great shot, Eric!

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  12. Geat shot, Eric! Once again ...

    It would be nice to see the same wall once it's covered with scrapbooks, tags, etc...

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  13. I would love to scrapbook a section of this wall!

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  14. Michael - that beats the pants off of "Its raining cats and dogs"! : ) Very pithy indeed!! ; )

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  15. Beautiful photo, Eric. Nice title!
    I wish this wall of fame will witness a lot of beautiful stories!
    Off the topic: I am currently watching one of my children who is backhorsing and one of the horse name is : P.D.P.!
    That's pretty funny!!! Very eye catching!!!
    :-)

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  16. Eric, this is a classic. One of my favorites, I love it. How fortuitous that you got this shot before people started decorating the wall.

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  17. That's a cool shot....and ET Suzy you are spot on about the red umbrella!!

    Is the scrapbooking they are welcoming actually to be applied on the wall? Or are these digital screens that you can submit to? We'll be there in a few weeks and if it's just walk up and write on it, we will!!



    Sean

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  18. The symmetry in this shot is amazing. Even more impressive with the black and White effect!

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  19. Eric, I've been meaning to ask you for some time: how do you manage in inclement weather on your scooter? Do you pack rain gear just in case? Do you use the scooter year-round, or take a break in winter? BTW, I was amazed at how quiet motorcyles are in Paris, compared to the USA. There must be a regulation...

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  20. Ooops sorry for the gender confusion. I should have blown up the photo. It serves me right!

    @Greg. Yes, I use my scooter all year long (I hate the metro and I hate driving a car in Paris even more!). When it rains I have a sort of waterproof blancket for my legs and a raincoat for my upper body. It's not too bad unless it rains a lot.
    The only moment I cannot use my scooter is when it snows a lot, which, in Paris, happens once every 10 years roughly!

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  21. I was there from that burst of rain too. How fun to read about it and remember being there! Sad to be home.

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  22. I love this one. One could make up a million stories to go with this photo. It could be set in any era in the last 60 years!

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  23. this is a very very very successful shot. very well done :)

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