Paris for beginners -Part 1

This blog post is really for my friends M and A who are going to Paris for a week.  They are quite lovely people - well traveled and have an amazing perspective on the world. I believe the last time they were in Paris, they might have been roughing it a little more.

In any case, here is my best what to see in  Paris advice. Take what you can from it and throw the rest away.

Welcome to a city that is full of amazing stuff - croissants spilling out of shop doors, dogs clad in Chanel, millions of instagrammable shots everywhere you look and tourists, scads of tourists.
Be a tourist for a few days, take in the city by bites, there is no need to see it all in a purposeful way. Make it fun, not a trudge.

Paris is a bunch of cities in one. Pick a few things that appeal to you - gardens, fashion, art, technology,  revolution, food and focus on them. No need to be greedy. Paris will always be there. Focus on those things and do them well. 

Interested in gardens and adaptive reuse?  Visit Parc Andre Citroen, Parc de la Villette, Viaducts des Arts, Canal St. Martin, Bercy, Bois de Boulogne, Giverny spring to mind and don't forget the Jardins des Plantes.

Interested in Markets - pick three to see - one with a great view is the  Marche Au President Wilson, Posh Organic Market - Boul. Raspail, Ethnic Market - one on the Canal, Covered markets are worth a look as well... The Quai de la Mégisseries and others close by have great plants. From this you get a sense of how Parisians try hard to eek out a little green in the smallest of balconies.

Outdoor Art - Musee Rodin, Pompidou and the sculpture garden located at Quai St. Bernard on the Seine.

Understanding Hausmann - walk the Grands Boulevards, at least for bit - Start at Opera, look down the Avenue, go towards Madeleine, marvel at the square and the poshness that surrounds. If you are strong willed, walk up Boul. Malesherbes to see the grandness of the streets.  You can stop anywhere along the way to rest your feet.  Contrast this with the Marais and its medieval feel.

Find the best box of chocolates - you know my favorites - Foucher, Jean Paul Hevin, La Maison du Chocolat, compare and contrast.  Do the same for macarons - you don't have to order a whole box, it is perfectly okay to order one or two.

The maps that you get from the hotels are remarkably well designed and should be used in conjunction to those you use to navigate on your phone.

 

Travel Thursday - Why bother engaging? American Airlines and Status Matching

Magnolia Stellata on Rue des blancs manteaux, Paris, March 2011.

Your words can speak louder than your actions. Think about it before you put anything out there onto
the interwebs. I had to leave a conversation on twitter with @americanair because they were starting to make me cranky and it was not going to be pretty in the end.  To their credit, they do attempt to be proactive and engage with their best customers. In this case, they were just spouting the company line.

I am not currently very pleased with American Airlines, the legacy airline to which I have been chained to for what appears to be an eternity.  I originally stayed with them because they acquired TWA and all their elites.  They treated us well. I traveled a lot, some for work, and much for pleasure. I was lucky, I found  some decent fares, usually got upgraded and rarely was disappointed, until now.

The airlines have been hit by high fuel costs, high salaries and benefit costs, and shrinking networks. The results are downgrades to basic amenities such as clean toilets and nourishment on flights and fewer and more crowded flights.  Flying is really no longer fun, even in premium classes. I approach each trip as if I am going to Alaska to do field work. I pack plenty of snacks and carry an extra book. I make sure I have my phone charger and an extra pair of underwear in my carry on because who knows if I'll end up with an unexpected overnight in Cold Bay.  I am  grateful if my bag makes it to my final destination.

It is sad to see something that used to make me so giddy with excitement now fill me with dread. The new developments make it even more irritating. 

American Airlines is offering status matches to United Airlines/Continental fliers at a tier to tier match up.  I know this sounds like Urdu to some of you, but they are giving the same level of elite recognition to fliers with high elite status on one airline to another, including free domestic upgrades and eight international upgrades.  The fliers can choose to fly or not after being granted these perks.  While the perks are not allowed to be traded or sold, they can be "gifted" to friends and family; so there are now eight more opportunities for you to give your parents the trip of their lifetime. In the past, they have had to challenge (fly a certain number of miles or earn a certain number of points) to prove their mettle and dedication and still only granted the mid tier of status.  Matches have also been granted on a case by case basis, or done very quietly .  Social media and community forums have put an end to that -- everything is fair game and everyone can get in on the deal if they are eligible.

Its all so awesome, right? Bonus! Score! How nice of them! Fraternity! Equality! Liberty!

So what happens to the schmucks that either fly weekly for work, monthly for leisure or try a little harder and pay a little more to fly American?  They wait in the same queue as your newly minted elites and their families or "friends" for those upgrades that may or may not clear because there are now x% more of them than there were a month ago.

There as far as I can tell, no way to distinguish between the minted elites and the earned elites, unless AA's crack IT team can flag the reservations and the gods of revenue and seat management can work their magic and move them up in the priority queue. I don't have an answer. I would ask (nicely) that American Airlines think about how to retain their best customers by engaging them on or off line to figure out a way to keep them happy while courting the unhappy UAL/CO customer base.

It's just good business.

rebranding and thinking

Easter, 2012.

I spend a lot of my day thinking about what I really want to do in terms of my next career move. I do not have an elevator speech at the ready, nor an ignite talk, pecha kucha slide show to show you, and blessedly no haiku. I do know I want to continue learning about social media and its penetration into the realm of science observation and reporting. I am pretty sure I am done being a scientist. I sometimes wonder how many scientists really do science any more. A lot of my friends seem to be managing budgets, programs, writing policy documents and creating power point decks. Very few people have the luxury of getting out into the field and collecting data, getting wet or sitting at the bench waiting for a gel to run out. I have done both. I loved the experience and hated the dread of ambiguous results.

I also had some really interesting fodder to throw out at cocktail parties. Fish poop! Gonads! Big tidal waves!

Is a better mix of/for me to look at my love of science, my understanding of observation platforms and using social media for engagement? I would have to say yes. I am sure to be shot down for some of my ideas and am getting used to dear colleague letter about lack of funding. Each stumbling block just makes me a better grant writer, editor and more confident.

Where does branding come into this? I am not toothpaste, nor an energy drink, but am more concerned these days about how people perceive me. Words are important, as are images and your interactions with colleagues face to face as well as on line. Do people view me as a dog lover, a lover of all things floral, or a potential social media strategist? My twitter handle (@floraandflying) was made up in 2005 when I first started blogging and using flickr for posting pictures. Things have changed now, but do folks only see me by this name? Should I go back to using my real name?

I don't know and right now I am trying to figure this out.

I just hope they read on...

March Madness

How it is shaping up to be a 10, or at least a 7.5.

I can't tell you that my life has been awesome, it hasn't. I have a roof over my head, a taller half who has put up with a lot of my struggles for over two years and a clearer mind that I have had in years.

Honestly, some days I wake up and can't believe what I have been through. Grace under fire and Grace coming home every night shaking and in tears. Now Grace is trying to reinvent herself.

Yeah, I'm that Grace.

I see so much opportunity and potential out there. I feel like I am on the cusp of something and its going to be awesome.

nm

a new day

Sometimes you just gotta move.

Jump through a few puddles to free yourself.

3 October

Its a wrap.

2 october - helsinki

Last call. Life changes soon.

Dear October

Be kind.

This month has beaten me to a pulp.

Fall

Well, not yet, I want a summer do over or under.

Here's to better things

And new beginnings.

Reading is sexy

And tasty

Today's catch.

A little perspective

I went to Boston last night on a comfort mileage run - one where my upgrades were confirmed. I had a lot of ticket value to use up and this seemed to be a good use of an otherwise chore filled weekend.

I needed a little distance from my not so stress free life right now.

It worked.

I walked the common, went on a photo tour of beacon hill, had a nice relaxing breakfast and lunch. I could have gone with someone, TH for example, but it felt good to go by myself.

I missed her terribly when I had a frappe at Algiers. I want to take her to see the glass flowers at the natural history museum. However, this time it just didn't work out.

We'll be back next month. We will make it back to Cambridge - frappe together and walk the Arnold Arboretum, but today by myself was perfect.

A harbinger?

Seen at miles 4 and 6 today. I am so over training for the MDI marathon and I am sure you are sick of me bitching about it.

Don't look back unless you have something pretty to see.

I love you Annie banani.

Everything's gone green

Back to the grind.

Sneezeweed sunday

Sometimes a picture is all you need.

Sit and stay awhile. It gets better.

Life is sweet

Don't be bitter. Happy Friday.