(October 2012) My husband Tom and I traveled to Paris in October for a week’s stay at the Hotel Observatoire Luxembourg, located on the left bank in the heart of the Latin Quarter near the Luxembourg Garden. We connected with friends from the states, Len and Betsy Homer, who have a flat nearby off the Rue Mouffetard Market in the 5th arrondissement.
Our first evening in Paris was spent with them and included a tutorial on how to navigate the Metro and some subtle cultural cues that might otherwise have escaped us. It works well to have “cultural navigators” on hand who speak the language and can help with some basic understanding of French customs. We had a wonderful time doing all the things tourists do and look forward to a return trip someday.
(Oct. 22, 2012) This is a GREAT book! The author is a well respected academic who has also published as Judith Halberstam. A must read on so many levels because it is more than just about feminism. It’s about gender politics and why we need to rethink some of the institutions and ideas that really aren’t working for the vast majority of us. I heard about this book in a presentation at George Mason University (part of the annual Fall for the Book) by Dean Spade, author of Normal Life (who is quoted in this book.)