About this item
“Beautifully written and refreshingly original… makes us see [Paris] in a different light.” -- San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Swapping his native San Francisco for the City of Light, travel writer David Downie arrived in Paris in 1986 on a one-way ticket, his head full of romantic notions. Curiosity and the legs of a cross-country runner propelled him daily from an unheated, seventh-floor walk-up garret near the Champs-Elysées to the old Montmartre haunts of the doomed painter Modigliani, the tombs of Père-Lachaise cemetery, the luxuriant alleys of the Luxembourg Gardens and the aristocratic Île Saint-Louis midstream in the Seine.Downie wound up living in the chic Marais district, married to the Paris-born American photographer Alison Harris, an equally incurable walker and chronicler.
About the Author
The secrets of why Paris is the most romantic city on Earth lie in the Romantic Age, and that's what my new book, A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light, is about (spring 2015) . See you on book tour? Visit my website for details.
A native San Franciscan, I've called Paris home since 1986. I live and work in the Marais, and travel widely in France and Italy.
My travel, food, wine and arts features have appeared in over 50 leading print media worldwide. I've been contributing editor, European arts editor or Paris correspondent for half a dozen magazines.
I've also authored two apps: David Downie's Paris Timeline and David Downie's Food Wine Rome.
Starting with the most recent book first, Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James, was a bestseller, reaching #5 of all e-books. The little book that could is Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light, with striking black-and-white photography by Alison Harris (www.alisonharris.com) , now into its 10th printing.
Paris City of Night, a classic thriller set in Paris, is out in e-book format. My three critically acclaimed Terroir Guides--Food Wine Italian Riviera & Genoa, Rome, and Burgundy, plus Quiet Corners of Rome, include stunning photography by Alison Harris.
For bite-sized portions, try the dozen anthologies I've contributed to: the latest is An Innocent Abroad (edited by Don George) .
After nearly 30 years I still love living in Paris, Burgundy and Italy, and sharing my world with readers and private tour guests. Please visit www.davidddownie.com and my Paris, Paris Tours site: www.parisparistours.com. All the best, David
