Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Drink at "La Gare"


Last evening I had a drink with one of my beloved nieces (that I photographed once in the beginning of PDP without telling she was my niece!) at La Gare, an old station that they turned into a bar/restaurant. I usually don't like this kind of places that treat their customers like c... because they are trendy, but this time the service was very good, the price of drinks not outrageous and the atmosphere not super noisy. In short, I had a very good evening. I took a photo of the bar (that actually reminded me a lot of the one of the W hotel in San Francisco. The photo is not very good, but I'm sure you "get the picture"!

42 comments:

  1. Jean-Charles sat patiently at the bar, sipping an expensive cognac. Despite her promises, she was probably not going to show up, but he refused to leave, just in case she changed her mind.

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  2. Oh, I really hope Jean-Charles isn't disappointed! Personally, I have faith that Solange (I've decided that's her name, okay?) will show up.
    Eric, your niece is lovely—very chic and, yes, Parisienne. Glad you had a nice time. BTW, I really like this shot.

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  3. Pondering whether he might ever make Solange love him enough not to tease him so, Jean-Charles glimpsed an elfin figure, gliding through the crowd, with the lavender light from the bar reflected off her luxuriant red hair. His mind was reeling....

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  4. Actually, I like this photo alot, Eric! The various greens and yellows and reds sprinkled throughout the photo and the silhouetted objects make a very moody image.

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  5. PS - Its very sweet that you have beloved nieces! I don't remember the photo of her, but she looks very lovely.

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  6. this photo is fabulous! the electric purple-blue-pink with a touch of green in the corner is so artsy....i can actually "see" this hanging on a wall.......

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  7. ...she wasn't Solange. She was better. And she was looking right at him. Solange was thirty minutes late, she probably wasn't coming. Should he offer to buy this lovely new creature a drink?

    I really like this shot.

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  8. No doubt you ordered a milk shake from Faironika....

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  9. And the Bar at the W has never been the same since your visit! LOL!! Great shot!!!...looks kinda "sexxxxy!"

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  10. He felt it, after all these years, and he had to surrender. Jean-Charles had always, deep inside, loved every red-headed women he'd ever seen. Luxuriant only hinted at the attraction of the elf's red hair as she floated toward him, seemingly ignoring the crowd, levitating through it. The light from the back bar created a surreal fantasy. Solange be damned.

    "Bon soir, bel ange."

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  11. With a toss of her head she whispered, "Won't you buy me a drink?" He could feel the thrill of danger. What trick of fate was this? None of the red-headed fantasies he dreamt of had ever let him come near. In an instant, Solange and all his thoughts of her evaporated into the mists hanging over the damp, grey cobbles of the Marias and were replaced by a symphony in purple and red. But, who was she? And why had she come to him?

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  12. I do get the picture and you are so right. It does remind one of the W in SF. Looks like fun.

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  13. The station building is really charming. It looks bigger inside than it does from the outside. It looks like it would be easy to have a nice relaxing time in this place.

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  14. The photo is good. You should crop it, it would change the focal point completely. I like the background, with the patron on the foreground, and the lamps on top, but not so much the big dark lines on the right and left. I would redudce the height, too. Just playing ;)

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  15. The light from the back bar created a surreal fantasy. Solange be damned.

    Jean-Charles turned around and spotted the best looking creature he ever laid eyes on.

    "Bonsoir, Je m'appelle Jean-Claude."

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  16. Tomate: LOOL!
    I remember some time ago, Lynn and Drummond wrote one or two excellent "novels" in this comment box. Obviously, they have brilliant successors today ;-)

    I love "La Gare"! It's one of my favorite places for an evening drink with friends. And the restaurant is OK too. I invited all my sales team there 2 years ago. That was a nice evening...

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  17. and then Jean Charles awoke from his dream.
    LOL, I STILL remember Dallas.
    Please continue in the other vein, all you unpublished novelists are hysterical!

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  18. BTW Eric, good service, fairly priced drinks and not super noisy are hallmarks of someone GETTING OLDER!
    As far as the picture is concerned, you can see how it is inspiring your followers. It has a dreamy moody character about it.

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  19. Eric, your niece is lovely. Such a beautiful smile. Being a friendly Parisian must run in the family. And today's picture is wonderful!

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  20. On the contrary, this photo is great!!!
    I love the background color and the contrast with the bottles (and the man) sillouettes.


    Your niece surely represents the true parisian girl very well. She's lovely Eric!

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  21. Aurelie tiptoed through the bar. She always had the problem of getting served; she was so tiny. It was annoying to her.

    Not to Jean-Charles, though. He admired her from the moment he saw her. Two elegantly shod feet emerged between besuited men, making him smile at the welcome incongruous image. She caught his eye. Just for a moment; he expected a return smile from his but no, she was irritated. The expert line of her eyebrow maquillage formed itself into an impertinent hache to express her indignation. Ignoring him, she produced a note from her bag and attempted to attract the attention of the bar staff.

    Stifling his amusement, he resolved to give her one minute, then he would help and risk the wrath of the tiny elfin female.

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  22. 'Beloved neices' - how positively charming, Eric. How lucky they are to have such an Oncle as you x by the way I love her shoes; I have almost exactly the same pair!

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  23. I like the photo, the silhouettes - some in color!

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  24. But a minute was too long for Aurelie to wait for a drink.
    "Hey!" Aurelie snapped.
    The bartender looked up, then down, locating the voice.
    "Balvenie. Up. Thank you!"
    Jean-Charles fell in love with this flame-topped firecracker. He felt himself puddling off his barstool like candle wax.


    (By the way, Eric has another nice niece, n'est-ce pas? She baked chocolate bread for the 2008 picnique.)

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  25. Just to set the record straight about last night.

    I was in a panic. The man of my dreams was waiting for me, I was an hour late - my life was collapsing around me.

    It all started when the taxi which was to take me to La Gare didn't turn up..

    Night was falling as I skipped in anticipation down the steps from my hotel entrance. I thought I'd take the metro and I would only be a few minutes late, I wasn't about to let a slight setback spoil that special night

    The Eiffel Tower sparkled red and white in the distance. The nearest metro station, Ecole Militaire, was about 5 minutes walk. I slipped down Rue de Grenelle.

    Suddenly, I became aware of footsteps behind me. I resisted the urge to look round and quickened my pace.

    The steps quickened in response to mine and, in a flash, I was pushed into a doorway, my bag ripped from my grasp and almost before I realised what was happening, my assailant was disappearing into the distance cluthcing my beautiful Louis Vuitton bag - the bag that HE, the man of my dreams, gave me as a present yesterday!

    I caught a glimpse of red hair and what looked like an unusual pointed ear and then the b*****d was gone.

    My bag , my money, my phone. All gone.

    "To hell with it I thought, I'll walk!" Nothing was going to stop me.

    Using it as a guide, I headed towards the ET. it was now quite dark as I headed up the Champs De Mars and, blinded by the dazzling tower, I walked straight into a stupid plastic cow that some idiot had left there. I was sure I had a black eye and my nose was bleeding.

    I passed the ET and hurried accross the bridge towards Passy.

    Then my stilletto got caught in the cobbles and I tripped and fell headfirst into the gutter. My knees were grazed, my stockings torn but I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and started walking all over again. Or to be more precise, hobbling, as my heel had snapped off.

    Then the thunderstorm started.

    Bedraggled but undaunted, I flung open the doors of La Gare with a sense of triumph over adversity.

    There HE was, standing next to that creep, Jean-Charles, who had tried to pick me up last night and was trying to chat up something - I wasn't sure what it was - with terrible dyed red hair and pointy ears.

    Imagine my horror when I realised that HE was not alone. He was with someone, someone young, someone young and attractive, the typically perfect, charming, Parisienne.

    "Eric! Who is this?", I demanded.

    Eric turned round looked me up and down and replied "Why, this is my niece"

    I punched the redheaded elfin lady boy, retreived my bag and whacked Eric with it.

    "Niece indeed! You middle aged Frenchmen are all the same!" I shrieked.

    With that, I turned on my good heel and left.

    So, don't be too quick to judge people until you have all the facts.

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  26. I do like the photo, shapes and colours are great.

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  27. "You middle aged Frenchmen are all the same!" Ouch! LOL, Solange.

    That man does appear deep in thought . . .

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  28. Heavens no we're not disappointed in that fab photo. I love that purple light. Next time i come to Paris, maybe I'll sweet talk you into a sip there Eric, I mean BOSS!!:)
    V

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  29. Solange, you have a home in NYC when your ready! You go girl....

    And this bar looks like a potential for two Americans looking for something spooky to do on Halloween nite in Paris.....


    Sean

    PS-How do I get a log in and picture so I can stop typing it all the time? Is it a Blogger account or a Google acocunt? God knows I'd rather not sign up for another e-mail account....

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  30. I am really LOOOOOOL! Thank you Suzy for starting this. You all have a lot - I'm talking a lot! - of imagination...

    Solange, you really made my laugh to tears ;) I wonder who you are. Even though I have an idea...

    And Alexa why on earth did you pick up Solange as a name?! It's been at least 50 years that nobody was given that name any more... ;)))

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  31. Hi Eric,
    I remember very well the picture of your niece, even if I did not know that she was so!!!
    She looks very smart, indeed!

    La Gare seems a perfect location and as I've never been there I'm glad Thib and you said you like it. I'll trust you one day!!
    Speaking of your photo, it reminds me of a photo you took once of an icy lounge: I don't remember precisely its name.
    you may remerber it better than me...

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  32. This was a fun read. Thanks to all who took the baton and ran with it.

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  33. Amusing and entertaining in every way. I have been away too long. ;-)

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  34. Yes you have Coltrane. Do not do that again. Welcome back, baby! :-)

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  35. Michael... I could be wrong but..... I think Michael is the one who wrote as Solange....


    Hi Coltrane! Long time no see!

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  36. Hola Cali and Monica. It's always nice to come back to this little slice of heaven. I hope both of you are well these days.

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  37. he he I thought Michael but thought he was away... so Drummond is my bet.

    I do love the fiction baton Suzy - let's do it again soon!

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