Visiting Paris? Nothing helps get you in the mood for a brilliant holiday like watching movies set in your soon to be locale. Here are my top eight recommendations for films to watch before you visit Paris.

In Paris, everybody wants to be an actor; nobody is content to be a spectator. -Jean Cocteau

Midnight In Paris (2011)

Probably the most accessible of the films on this list, Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris follows an American couple visiting Paris in posh style with their parents. the story quickly takes a turn as Gill, smoothly played by One Wilson, begins to long for the Paris of the past, the one written about by Hemingway and painted by Degas. Filled with nostalgia, romance and intrigue, Midnight In Paris is a perfect way to prepare for your trip to this magical city.

Breathless (1960)

If Midnight In Paris is the most accessible of the films about Paris, then Breathless (À Bout de Souffle) will counteract that. This masterpiece from Jean Luc Godard is full of jump cuts, funny dialogue and some of the most iconic scenes set in the French capital. If you’re new to the films of the French New Wave, this is your perfect introduction. Breathless follows the whirlwind romance of a French outlaw and his American love interest as they traipse around the city avoiding the authorities. A French classic that must be seen.

 

Ratatouille (2007)

If you’re traveling to Paris with children, Ratatouille is the best way to help pique their interest. Kids and adults alike will love this beautiful Pixar film that stars a French chef and his rat friend Remy as they work in a stereotypical Parisian restaurant. Directed by Brad Bird, who also helmed The Incredibles for Pixar, Ratatouille is a fun jaunt into the city of light that gives viewers of all ages a lighthearted look at Paris and some of its more known locations.

Cleo From 5 to 7 (1962)

Agnès Varda uses Paris as the backdrop for one of the best character study films ever made. Cleo From 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7) follows Cleo through the back half of her day as she waits to get test results back form her doctor. the film also serves as a look at Parisian life in the 1960’s and the Algerian War, which led to Algeria’s independence from France in 1962. Cleo begins as a pretty vapid character that suddenly is faced with her impending mortality, prompting much wandering, physically and mentally. It’s a beautiful, meandering film that really captures the heart of the early 1960’s and gives a glimpse into the sexism that women dealt with.

 

Paris Je t'Aime (2006)

Eighteen short films set in different arrondissements, Paris, je’ t’aime is a love letter to the city in every sense of the term. With shorts from Gus van Sant, Alexander Payne, Wes Craven and many more, this is the perfect film for a quick introduction to the many different flavors of arrondissements of Paris. My personal favorite is Alexander Payne’s short that follows Carol from Colorado as she takes her first European holiday. hearing Carol speak French reminds me of my horrible attempts to speak a language that I’m pretty bad at, as are most tourists.

Before Sunset (2004)

Director Richard Linklater's use of real time in filmmaking is absolutely genius. Before Sunset picks up nine years after the previous film, Before Sunrise, with Jesse and Celine meeting in Paris. In each of the movies in the Before trilogy, the city that it takes place in becomes a character in its own right, with Paris playing its magical part in the romance. There’s something ethereal about Linklaters’s film. the almost mumble-core style dialogue mixed with exotic locales just draws you in. If you’ve ever wanted to just wander around Paris, this film is a great place to start.

The 400 Blows (1959)

There’s too much to say about François Truffaut’s masterpiece The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) and how much of an impact it’s had on my life. So I’ll save that for another post. Suffice to say that this French New Wave classic inspired countless filmmakers with its gritty look at Parisian life in the 1950’s through the eyes of a child. Young Antoine Doinel is the quintessential misunderstood child, and a somewhat biographical take on Truffaut himself, that just can’t seem to do anything right. the opening scenes show a moving Paris from a very low angle, invoking how a child would see such a massive city. A bit more harsh of a look at the French capital, but a moving and necessary one.

 

Amélie (2001)

There's just something about watching Amélie walk around Paris that is inherently romantic. Storyline aside, just seeing her interact with the outlandish but everyday Parisians makes you feel one step closer to eating a croissant in Montmartre. Jean-Pierre Jeunet created such a beautiful and whimsical film that puts you into the shoes of Amélie Poulain, a lovable and mostly accident prone young woman in the northern Paris district of Montmartre as she looks for love. It’s romantic, fun and a really heartwarming look at the former artist enclave of Montmartre and the area around Basilique du Sacré-Cœur.

Sometimes you just need to get away. From life. Responsibilities. Time. Chores. Well, that's exactly what we did this past weekend to celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary. We packed a small bag and headed into downtown Houston for a weekend at the JW Marriott. Rarely do we splurge for a nice place to stay so it was genuinely refreshing to be in a beautiful hotel with no worries at all.

There's something freeing about staying in a nice hotel. It just makes you feel like the world is at your fingertips. From an amazing staff to a wonderful restaurant and bar, the JW had exactly what we needed for a calm weekend away. We debated going for a quiet place to bask in serenity, but we're urbanites at heart and a downtown vibe just felt right.

The room was absolutely beautiful and lacked nothing. From the full size tub to the separate living and dining area, we felt like royalty. We even had a complimentary bottle of champagne waiting for us with dessert. There really was no way to not relax and enjoy the sounds of the city as it passed by beneath us. Our soundtrack each night consisted of the gentle rolling of the Metro Light Rail beneath and a surprisingly soothing song selection that accompanied the Marriott ad channel showing the different JW properties around the globe. This place was meant for slowing down and enjoying life.

Situated in the heart of downtown Houston, the JW Marriott makes it easy to enjoy all that the newly revitalized area has to offer. For our first night out we made sure to visit one of our favorite places, Prohibition Supper Club and Bar. The front consists of a 1920's themed restaurant that serves traditional Southern style food with an upscale twist, while the back holds a vaudevillian style burlesque themed show on the weekends. We opted to just hang out up front and enjoy some of the tasty treats and some custom-made concoctions from some of our favorite bartenders in town.

If you've never been, it's worth going just for the people watching. Never have we been disappointed by the constantly rotating cast of characters, especially on nights when the show is going on in the theater. There's nothing not to love about Prohibition, from the period-styled art on the walls to the simple take on great Southern food, it's always a great night out.

Saturday was spent mostly lounging around the hotel, plus we had to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. For dinner we headed over to Pappas Bros. Steakhouse and ended up sitting by one of the players from the San Antonio Spurs. Not only did we have a fantastic steak, we came up with the idea to go hang out at the Four Seasons since that was where the rest of the Spurs players were staying. If you haven't picked it up already, my wife is a massive Spurs fan. They were in town for their playoff series against the Houston Rockets and it just seemed liked we needed to bump into them.

Well, as we sat in the bar lobby of the Four Seasons, that's exactly what happened. Kim got to meet her favorite sports personality, Spurs' head coach Greg Popovich. She still grins every time I bring it up in conversation. It was the perfect end to our last full day of the staycation.

After sleeping in on Sunday and enjoying a late checkout, it was off to home to hang out with our pup. If you're ever in need of some time away, downtown Houston is the perfect place. It feels like a totally different city from the rest of the area. With a large amount of amazing restaurants, bars and entertainment, you just can't go wrong.

I remember watching documentaries as a child about mountain climbers and adventurers. Every scene made me want to strap on a backpack and go explore some unknown part of the earth. As adults, I feel we've lost that ability to look at the world through fresh eyes. Blame it on technology, Google Earth or simply access to travel. Whatever it is, wonder seems to have escaped us. That's why most people are envious of long-term travelers or people who live outside the normal parameters of what we consider life. But isn't that exactly what those mountain climbers in the documentaries did? The stars laid out before me one night as I sprawled out on a dock on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. I was sitting next to my friend Josh and my cousin Julie and never before had I seen so many celestial beings in nature. We were far from major towns so light pollution was low and the stars seemed to dance off one another. In my gut I could feel the pull of the heavens, yearning to reach out and swipe my hand through the cosmic dust. It was a once in a lifetime view, uninterrupted by storms or clouds.

The Wonder Next Door

Nowadays, that sense of wonder is getting harder and harder to come by. If you're like me, travel seems hard on a normal 9-5 work schedule. But the truth is, you don't need to travel far to experience wonder. Any place can be filled with wonder if you only learn to see it with new eyes. My wife and I are consciously working towards finding the wonder in the city we've lived in for years. It's easy to take for granted the things we see on a day-to-day basis. I find that bringing my camera along to take pictures helps me focus on what is beautiful and awe-inspiring in the day-to-day.

So as you go about your life, find wonder in everything. Train your eyes to look for the beautiful, the broken, the weird. You'll find that there's more of it around you than you think.

Film by Mathieu Le Lay.

The last time I went to NASA's Johnson Space Center was probably in the mid-90's with my parents. Then, it was highlighted by the newly opened Space Center Houston which provided up close looks at shuttle replica pieces, a theater that showed IMAX films about space and the shuttle program and a place to get up close and personal with science. they even had a Saturn V rocket sitting out in the open. Today, Space Center Houston has become a major tourist attraction in the "space city" with the new Independence Plaza showing off the only shuttle mockup docked on top of the NASA 905 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

Johnson Space Center

I was amazed by the sheer size of walking into a mostly hollowed out Boeing 747, knowing that there was a vehicle meant for space travel on top. the last time I'd seen a shuttle on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft was in September of 2012 as the shuttle Endeavor made its last flight around Houston before heading to California. Getting to be so up close and personal after seeing the same type of aircraft buzzing around the skies was like being a child again.

Into Rocket Park

johnson space center

The last time I stood next to one of three remaining Saturn V rockets was in the mid-1990's where it was open to the fickle Texas humidity, weather and pretty much anything else. In 2004, the Smithsonian began a partnership with Space Center Houston and constructed a massive complex to house the rocket and keep it from deteriorating further. The enormity of the Saturn V is truly breathtaking and it's hard to believe that something had to be that size to take a mere three people into space.

Along the far wall of the exhibit, the Apollo missions are chronicled in detail to show just how big a part of space exploration the Saturn V rocket played. Standing next to the type of vehicle that took the first man to the moon is truly inspiring and is definitely a must see when you come to Houston.

The outside section of Rocket Park lets you get up close and personal to unused rocket parts, engines and even a Mercury Redstone rocket like the ones used to take the first American astronauts to space in the Mercury program.

johnson space center

Bring Kids, and the Parents Too

Walking through Space Center Houston as an adult was a bit surreal. I remember the first time I saw the Skylab trainer in the Center's Starship Gallery and I got almost the exact same feeling when I saw it again as an adult. Chalk it up to the sense of awe that surrounds space travel and the things unknown. Even the science exhibits meant to teach kids basic concepts of engineering, math and science were fun to play with and learn from. Space Center Houston definitely holds enough fun for kids and adults alike, because when it comes to space travel, we're all pretty much learning together.

space center houston

space center houston

Space Center Houston is a wonderful place to visit and I look forward to heading back soon and finishing up some of the tours of Johnson Space Center since the wife and I are now card-carrying members. You can find out more information on visiting and about the exhibits at Space Center Houston here.

Libraries were a place of adventure for me as a child. I spent countless hours rummaging through books, living out fantasies in pages and inserting myself into history. I got that same sense of wonder and awe when I stepped into The Mercantile Library in downtown Cincinnati. Founded in 1835 as the Young Men's Mercantile Library Association, the library currently resides on the 11th and 12th floors at 414 Walnut Street, where its been since 1908.  

I was fortunate to have a tour of the Mercantile Library with author and Religion News Service blogger Jana Riess which included some of the history of the building itself and look at some of the old and oversized books with the library's Executive Director, John Faherty. He described the Mercantile as a "working library" and not a museum.

Amy B. Hunter, Literary Programs and Marketing Manager for the Mercantile Library, brought out some of the oldest books in the library's collection for us to look at. There's something otherworldly about scanning pages bound in 1614 on subjects like Egyptian Hieroglyphics, you can almost feel the knowledge pouring off the paper. I've always believed in the power of reading and transformation. It was this method that took me to London and Paris years before I would ever step on an airplane.

A Lease Like No Other

Throughout its history, the Mercantile Library has hosted Herman Mellville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many other great wordsmiths. The lease for the library at its current location was signed for a 10,000-year occupancy, cost $10,000 and was written by Alphonso Taft, the father of President William Howard Taft.

Just the look and feel of the small library was magical. The rich wood and dark metal cut a stark contrast to the bright book covers and white busts. Riess talked about how some people come and eat lunch and read the newspaper in the library, and I can see why. The deep brown leather in the couches mixes with the wood flooring and sparse decoration to create an inviting atmosphere for study, deep thinking or simple enjoyment.

In a 2014 article written by Faherty when he worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer, he mused on whether the Mercantile Library was the "city's prettiest place?"

The floors are wood, the windows are gigantic and the air is filled with the unmistakable smell of old books. There are glass floors in the stacks to let light filter through because the library was built before the invention of the light bulb. -John Faherty.

If you find yourself in Cincinnati, make sure to stop by the Mercantile Library, a haven of knowledge, beauty and wonder in the heart of the Queen City.

Thanks to Jana Riess for showing us this magical place. Be sure to check out her books The Twible and Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray and Still Loving My Neighbor. You can find Riess' blog for Religion News Service here.