Paris

Coming home after a week in Paris with my niece feels like trying to swim to the surface in a pool of pea soup. Coming up is tedious and slow. I cannot see all that needs doing.   First there’s extreme fatigue. After walking miles and miles in 95-plus degree heat, this body cries out for recovery. The heat did not detract from the beauty of that gorgeous city, but it fatigued even the most enthusiastic traveler.   Sitting on the plane for eight hours from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Dulles was no hardship.

When Alexandra von Paris found herself out of a job in 2010, she didn't know how she was going to pay rent. Instead of working for another business, von Paris decided to start her own. Von Paris (Ali for short) founded Route One Apparel, which she said specializes in "edgy, unique designs. " Lately, the company has focused on "Maryland Pride" clothing - Maryland flag apparel and an emphasis on other state icons like crabs and Baltimore. Born in Joppatowne, von Paris graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in May 2012 and now lives in Timonium while working full-time at Route One Apparel.

The Paris haute couture shows for fall and winter have ended.Doesn't it seem like just a few months ago that you saw those frivolous French frocks in the papers and magazines? No, those were the ready-to-wear showings, very different. Ready-to-wear clothes are actually manufactured and can be purchased by mortals who have enough confidence and cash -- say, the equivalent of two mortgage payments for a skimpy little sweater dress.Couture clothes are special, one of a kind.They are the theater of fashion and can only be had by women who can pay the high-ticket prices to be part of the play.

We're still in Paris, where Yolanda and Brandi are running through the streets backed by what sounds like Parisian dubstep. Brandi's on a mission to look as good as Yolanda does when she's her age, to which I say, "Yesssss, ma'mm!" Both of them spent their modeling years in Paris, and it's cute to hear them reminisce. Especially Yolanda, who was "milking cows and riding horses" a week before she first walked on the catwalk. Gag, Mauricio and Kyle are having a romantic walk down what Mauricio claims is "lover's bridge," and as you all well know, I'm not a fan of either of them, so this is making me ill. There's some superstition about writing your names on a lock and key and chaining the lock to the bridge, and throwing the key in the river so you can be together forever.

Great state occasions, like ocean liners, are slow to turn, difficult to move. And so the opening of the Channel Tunnel went ahead as planned, more than one year delayed, with Queen Elizabeth II of England and President Francois Mitterrand of France dining and transiting together, although there was nothing to open. More work needs doing. Scheduled use by inter-city trains, shuttle trains bearing trucks and others bearing passenger cars will be phased in from spring to autumn.Typical of engineering marvels, the Chunnel comes in a year late with cost overruns of 100 percent.

Where does a highly acclaimed Baltimore chef like to escape when she has the opportunity to temporarily hang up her apron? If you are Cindy Wolf, there's no better place than Paris. As often as possible, Wolf sneaks away to "the world's best food city" to gain new inspiration for her Baltimore restaurants, Petit Louis Bistro, Pazo, Cinghiale and Charleston. She first visited Paris, briefly, in 1985 while on a backpacking trip. She returned for her honeymoon in 1994 and has been going back ever since.

Paris -- Some of the big fashion houses are setting off explosions that will be heard round the world with their spring ready-to-wear collections.The best designers here, like Christian Lacroix, mix practicality with imagination. He has toned down the creative blast that brought him to the head of the fashion column five years ago, but his clothes haven't lost their fizz.The colors still sizzle, and the patterns grab the eye with their mixtures of checks, stripes, heart shapes, ornate frills and flowers.

On October 23, 2005, MARY L. PARIS (nee Bowen) beloved wife of Mitchell E. Paris and the late Edward L. Kulesza, devoted mother of Elaine Valentini and Patricia Sadowski, dear sister of Frank Bowen. Survived by five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Anthony of Padua Church on Friday at 11:30 A.M. Interment Gardens of Faith. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mary's name may be made to Alzheimer's Assoc., 1850 York Road, Suite D, Timonium, MD, 21093.

PARIS -- April in Paris: the delightful time celebrated in song lyrics. Like "chestnuts in blossom." And "holiday tables under the trees."Starting this spring, Parisians have a few more things to sing about. Like lovers lolling on the grass in many of the city's parks.In one of those little revolutions that tell a lot about contemporary changes in French lifestyles, Paris authorities have been compelled to revoke long-standing regulations that made it illegal to walk on the grass in most of the city's 413 public gardens, parks and promenades.

Now this seems more her speed: Party girl Paris Hilton, in the area recently with pal Nicole Richie to film their Fox TV show, The Simple Life, was largely stuck in the 'burbs - until Monday night. Paris jumped on the pool table to dance and performed karaoke at Grand Central, the sprawling club on Charles Street in midtown Baltimore. She got there about 11 p.m. and stayed until 1:30 a.m. Owner Don Davis, photographed here with his celebrity guest, said the hotel chain heiress was delightful, singing Madonna songs and proving quite the match to "house diva" Tia, who hosts the club's regular "Tia-oke" competition.

Few people can recognize the yearning to escape better than Carla Hayden, chief executive officer of the Enoch Pratt Library. As a librarian, she has spent many years helping her curious clientele explore new realms and journey to wondrous places through books. So when Hayden decides that it's time to turn the page or open a new chapter in her life, it is no wonder she favors a destination famed like no other for its joie de vivre - Paris. We caught up with her to chat about her Parisian adventures and her favorite hidden treasures.

Chef Rebecca Pauvert reflects: “I chose this recipe because it is one of my favorites. It has great flavors, it's comforting and it's a recipe that you can increase if you want and enjoy for a couple of nights. It only gets better.” Braised Chicken Basquaise with red peppers and artichokes Ingredients: •    olive oil •    ½ pound chorizo •    2 small red onions, cut in 6 wedges •    2 red peppers, cut in ½-inch strips •    4 Cornish game hens, halved •    4 plum tomatoes, quartered •    8 small artichoke hearts, halved •    6 cloves garlic •    2 cups chicken stock, plus •    Juice of 1 lemon •    ¾ cup sherry •    sea salt and ground black pepper Directions: 1. Heat oil in large braising pan. Brown chorizo slightly, add red onions and red peppers and toss a few times.

We pick things up at Kyle's Morrocan dinner party with Mauricio continuing to go in on Brandi. After Brandi finally tells Mauricio to go eff off, Kyle jumps in and whispers to Mauricio to back off. In her confessional, Kyle tells all: "You can't control what comes out of that girl's mouth. " It's annoying because Mauricio was definitely berating Brandi for about 30 minutes. People have limits. Kyle tries to gloss over it all, making it clear she didn't want Brandi to be attacked tonight and explaining that Mauricio's tight with Adrienne, so he felt compelled to insert himself into the drama.

If you like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, you do not want to miss "Picture Paris," a quirky 30-minute film playing throughout the month on HBO. The film about a middle-aged couple trying to navigate the life passage they face as their last child leaves for college is written and directed by Brad Hall, husband of Louis-Dreyfus. She is in virtually every frame and appears to be having loads of fun playing a woman who becomes obsessed with all things French. At 30 minutes, don't expect a big film.

Where does a highly acclaimed Baltimore chef like to escape when she has the opportunity to temporarily hang up her apron? If you are Cindy Wolf, there's no better place than Paris. As often as possible, Wolf sneaks away to "the world's best food city" to gain new inspiration for her Baltimore restaurants, Petit Louis Bistro, Pazo, Cinghiale and Charleston. She first visited Paris, briefly, in 1985 while on a backpacking trip. She returned for her honeymoon in 1994 and has been going back ever since.

In a twist on Caesar's "Veni, vedi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered.), the French writer Victor Hugo wrote: "Veni, vedi, vixi. (I came, I saw, I lived.) Either way, I went to Paris, I saw everything possible in a week, I conquered any apprehension about being responsible for my niece on a trip out of the country. I lived through some 95-degree days in the City of Lights, and I had a trip my niece and I will remember as long as we live. Much has changed in Paris in the 37 years since I had last been there.

Affectionately known as Pfoto or P born October 31,1961 to Barbara Miles and Joseph Gray in Baltimore, MD. Departed this life October 15,2006 at his residence after a brief illness. He was 45 years old. Paris decided to become a photographer during his sophomore year at the Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1982. His original major was graphic design and illustration, but he always liked photography, so he decided to take classes, ultimately changing his major. He started his career at the Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper, the oldest black-owned newspaper in the country as an intern, later staying on fulltime as a staff photographer.

Coming home after a week in Paris with my niece feels like trying to swim to the surface in a pool of pea soup. Coming up is tedious and slow. I cannot see all that needs doing.   First there’s extreme fatigue. After walking miles and miles in 95-plus degree heat, this body cries out for recovery. The heat did not detract from the beauty of that gorgeous city, but it fatigued even the most enthusiastic traveler.   Sitting on the plane for eight hours from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Dulles was no hardship.

Richard Nixon was president, Charles de Gaulle Airport had just opened and People magazine had just begun. No bar codes were on products, no one had a personal computer and online booking was impossible for hotels and airlines. Travelers' checks, not plastic cards, were used when travelling. I had recently begun a job at the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting, and my sister was a rising senior at Duke University the last time I was in Paris. That was June 1974, my last trip to my favorite city until this month.