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TG: When did you first come to Paris?
TC: In the fifties, when I was a toddler. We lived in Fontainebleau, but the whole family came to Paris every weekend.

TG: When did you come back to stay?
TC: In 1989. Actually, Paris was a compromise that I worked out with my wife. I wanted to live in Rome, but since she's a Roman, she vetoed that idea. Since we both knew that we wanted to move back to Europe (we had met and gotten married in San Francisco), Paris was the fall-back. Now I can't imagine living anywhere else in Western Europe, least of all Rome.

TG: Where do you live in Paris?
TC: In the 5th arrondissement, not too far from the Pantheon.

TG: Why did you choose that arrrondissement?
TC: There's a real "vie de quartier" here, a richness in one's daily encounters with the shopkeepers and residents that is rare in any big city. It feels like a real neighborhood.

TG: Do you rent or own? Why?
TC: We own. This is home base, so we decided to put down our stakes.

TG: Do you read French?
TC: Every day. I went to French schools as a boy, so I read French before I read English. However, I try to read English every day, too. Since I write in English, I find that if I don't have a regular dose of American usage my writing takes on a strange, slightly formal air, like a bad translation. I think this is a problem for a lot of long-term expatriates. Newspapers and magazines are good for keeping in touch with contemporary voices. Language is a bit like music, you have to stay in pitch.

TG: What's your favorite cafe?
TC: There are so many good ones, I like to move around rather than stick to a set routine. I like the Rostand across from the Jardin du Luxembourg, except on weekends when it's way too crowded. I also like the Bourgogne on the Place St. Medard at the bottom of the rue Mouffetard for a nice neighborhood feel.

TG: What's your favorite market?
TC: Place Monge in the 5th in the morning. The bottom of the rue Mouffetard in the evening.

TG: Do you have a favorite park or garden?
TC: I like sitting in quiet corners of the Arenes de Lutece in the 5th. It never fails to give me a thrill to realize I'm in the remains of a Roman amphitheater; it casts an entirely different light on how Paris wears its great age. I also love the wind and the light and the views of the water that you get from the Jardin Tino Rossi along the Seine in the 5th, though the sculpture garden is something of a joke because of the lack of maintenance.

TG: What's your favorite museum?
TC: I like to move around a lot since so much depends on what the special shows are. I find that the Musée Cluny is often an oasis of calm, and they usually have wonderful concerts there. The Musée de la Musique at La Villette is vastly underrated: the collection of musical instruments is beautifully presented, and there are often musicians playing in and around the displays.

TG: Do you have a favorite time of year in Paris?
TC: Late fall or early spring. It's usually not bitter cold, and yet the leaves are gone. I love seeing the trees in a line with bare branches. Also, there are far fewer tourists.

TG: This is a two-part question. Do you have a favorite bistro coin, a place where you go for a blanquette de veau and where do you go for something very special.
TC: Au Petit Marguery on the Boulevard de Port Royal in the 13th is a very warm and welcoming place -- yes, they have red velvet banquettes! -- with lots of the standards and some original dishes, too; none of the pretentious nonsense that can make some Paris restaurants an ordeal rather than a pleasure. They don't always have blanquette de veau since the menu changes, but there's game in season and good French cuisine all year round. We don't much care for fancy restaurants, there's something quasi-religious about the experience in Paris that's bothersome. So when we want to celebrate, we're more inclined to buy some very good bottles of wine, a few delicious starters and perhaps a sumptuous desert from one of the serious traiteurs, and then make a party of it at home around a pasta dish.

TG: What's your favorite bistro dish?
TC: Magret de canard, au jus.

TG: When you are just kicking back and looking at the sunset what kind of wine are you drinking?
TC: Whatever our local caviste has supplied me with. One of the glories of Paris is that there is such a wealth of specialized shops that you can truly rely on the expertise that is just inside the door. If I tell him that I just want some good plain wine around the house, he always has a suggestion; lately it's been a Cahors. I can also go in and tell him that we're having friends for dinner, and he'll ask me about the menu, where our guests are from, whether they are wine experts or plain folks, is it a very special evening, what price range, etc. Then he'll give me at least three suggestions with an explanation of the considerations for each. Honestly, it's like having a consultancy that you don't have to pay for.

TG: And if you want something special?
TC: I talk to my caviste.

TG: Do you have links to America outside of reading the (Herald) Trib?
TC: My parents and siblings all live in the U.S., so I stay in touch with them quite regularly. And as much as I love Paris, I still love San Francisco, too. We have plenty of friends there and we try to get back at least once a year.

TG: How has living in Paris affected your work? How has your writing changed as a result of living here?
TC: Strangely enough, I think the fact that I walk a lot has a big effect on my writing. In Paris you really can walk; in fact you'd be crazy to try to drive to get anywhere in the city on a daily basis. But the scale is manageable, especially with the metro, and the people-watching is just terrific. There are some remarkable faces, and every face has a story for me. Also, street-level Paris can only really be taken in by walking, so I'm sure that my powers of observation are sharpened, certainly more than if I were glued to the steering wheel. It's a rare luxury, especially if you compare it to most U.S. cities where there is little alternative to driving.