Since the dawn of the twentieth century, Paris has been a lighthouse, safely gathering in the world's most daring creative talent- the writers, poets, playwrights, musicians, dancers, painters and sculptors, whose legacies endure to this day.

Launched in 2001, Paris Through Expatriate Eyes is the realization of my Paris dreams. It is my effort to personalize the Paris experience for others, sharing the friendships and experiences that so enrich my life. Paris Through Expatriate Eyes offers guided Paris excursions, events in the SF Bay Area focused on French culture, literature and cinema, and online resources to enhance the Paris experience for all who visit Paris-Expat.com.

TOURS

The carefree, creative energy that permeated the Paris of les années folles ("the crazy years"), the Paris of Hemingway, Joyce, Stein, Man Ray, Picasso and Buñuel is the inspiration for Paris Through Expatriate Eyes. Our faculty of expatriate friends -- the booksellers, writers, journalists, wine merchants and restaurateurs that define contemporary Paris are their cultural heirs.

If you'd like to learn more about why Paris continues to inspire and lure creative personalities, then join us in Paris, where, among other experiences, you'll share a wine tasting at a Left Bank apartment, listen to a renowned author read from and autograph one of their books at Village Voice Books, hear a lecture on Impressionist painters, sip coffee on the deck of a Seine-moored houseboat and stroll the Luxembourg Gardens, the source of so much pleasure and comfort to Hemingway.

I have chosen my expatriate faculty not only for their talents but also for their generosity with their passion for Paris. You will dine and drink with them as if old friends. You will feel a part of the expatriate community in Paris. You will discover a Paris that you will want to revisit again and again.

Limited to just sixteen persons per tour our guests develop strong personal connections with our expatriate faculty and each other and can often be found discussing the day's activities while sipping an after dinner drink or champagne.

* View all upcoming tours

EVENTS

Paris Through Expatriate Eyes' renowned events showcase our talented expatriate friends – painters, authors, filmmakers, and journalists – on their visits the San Francisco Bay Area.

WEBSITE

Paris-Expat.com provides a resource for all who have a passion for this magnificent city. It includes ever-expanding group of tips to enhance your Paris visits, interviews with noted cultural personalities, and detailed information about our fabulous tours and events.

HISTORY

My Paris dreams were fueled by my grandparents who upon returning from their first trip to Paris in 1973 said to me "Paris- the most civilized place on Earth. If I were your age I'd move tomorrow". With those words in mind and a desire to find out what had so inspired the modernists of the 20's I made my first trip in 1974.

Throughout the 70's I became fluent in French and made several trips to Paris but it was not until 1995 when I returned and initiated what has become a semi annual ritual that I truly began to see Paris through expatriate eyes. I began to appreciate her serenity, her beauty, her civility and her seasons. To enjoy her parks overrun with happy children, her benches draped with elderly lovers gazing into each other's eyes with the same affection and tenderness that they felt generations ago.

To appreciate the intelligence and interest of her teenage students that eagerly and knowledgeably talk to me about America, politics, food and most passionately about cinema.

The civility of the gentle bonjour, monsieur that greets me as I enter a shop and the au revoir, monsieur that accompanies my leaving.

So I invite you to join us in Paris and kindle a passion for the City of Light that will a part of you forever. Discover why everyone who becomes a part of our community has two homes: One's own and Paris.

Join me in Paris...