There seems to be a bit of a hullaballo going on right now about the metro renovations in Paris. I'm still wondering why the addition of escalators and elevator always seems to get put aside for the asthetics underground, but nonetheless, some renovations are better than none, n'est-ce pas? It seems that 240 stations are to be renovated between now and 2015, adding new futuristic chairs, white tiles, new lighting, GSM for cell phones, and other stuff to control the 'fluids' underground. That said, the metro is a handy dandy way to get around Paris, and isn't it great when you come out into a new station and find that *surprise* it is one the cool, decorated ones? Some of my faves are Varenne (line 13, with its Rodin statues), Hotel de Ville (line 1, with its giant history lesson), and FDR (line 1, with its retro 50s orange decor). Any other favorites out there? And what about the metro you are blogging from?

Some of the metro fun facts to know and tell, from the Figaroscope (12-18 April): number of kilometeres covered by metro= 212; number of stations = 297; shortest line = the 3 bis, with 1.3km; longest line = 13, with 22.5km; most frequented line = 1 (with 141 million passengers a year)

Okay, so as most of you know, parfois it's tough to get going, to get the groove on, to get your mojo flowing, to get a bit of blogspiration. I've watched my husband time and time again stay up late, until the 'bewitching hour' when he may or may not get the inspiration to blog or write something else for work. Me, it's hard to say what inspires....Sometimes it's a glass of rose on a sunny spring day today!, sometimes it is a "vive la France" moment which can be rare, sometimes I just get excited about things and want to share them with someone, anyone out there in cyberspace. So why do you blog?

The City of Angels is US city on the minds of the residents of the City of Light at the moment. In both art and fashion, LA is a la mode. It started with the "Los Angeles 1955-1985" expo at the Pompidou, which focuses on the 'scene' of Los Angeles when it began emerging as such in the mid-50s. And to capitalize on the theme, Galeries Lafayette is exposing the glitter and gaudiness of Los Angeles in a "Made in LA"- themed promotion with famous LA brands, selling everything from underwear to cowboy boots. So if April in Paris hasn't given you a spring in your step, check out these options for some California sunshine.

Ever wondered what was available at those great big places called libraries that we ceased to frequent with the birth of the net? Now you can peruse the dusty shelves from the comfort of your couch. The Mairie de Paris' site now offers a Catalogue des bibliothèques municipales spécialisées, which lets you search the catalogs of various libraries around town. Kudos to the Mayor's site for giving us one more reason to use it as a fountain of useful information.

Belleville, one of those up-and-coming neighborhoods in eastern Paris, is chocked full of working artists and their ateliers. And lucky for us, they are having a Portes Ouvertes event from May 12 to 15th. Over 200 artists in the neighborhood are opening up their studios from 15h-21h on these 4 days to show us the behind-the-scenes of the Parisian art scene. So put on your walking shoes, grab your artsy friend, and hit the streets-- you might just discover the next Picasso for that space above your canape....

Cow Parade (or "Vach'Art" en francais) is one of the largest public art events in the world, dating back to 1999. The idea is that cows decorated by various arts are on "parade" throughout cities across the world and the cows are auctionned off after the event for charity. Over 150 cows will be on display throughout France (starting April 10th), until June 16th. So be on the lookout for a colorful bovine sculpture near you...

....especially when it is Ben & Jerry's. So mark your calendars-- this year's Free Cone Day is Tuesday, April 25th. That's right, the guys who gave the world Chunky Monkey and Chocolate Thearpy are giving away free ice cream on the 25th, so we can all bask in the creamy goodness that reminds us that summer is almost here.

Ahhh, April in Paris—the soleil is finally shining, and it’s the perfect time to brag and blog about living in the City of Light. Need some inspiration? Check out the over 2000 Parisian blogs on Paname Ensemble’s blog map, listed by the metro station where they are based. Is your blog listed?

Or if you’d rather just do a bit of reading about what’s going on in Paris, check out some of the great blogs out there in the blogosphere. Are you a foodie? Check out the mouth-watering entries on Chocolate & Zucchini. Just can’t get enough of day-to-day Paris? Check out Paris Daily Photo for photos and commentary. And be sure to watch this space for upcoming news and events, interviews, and random thoughts.