by Danielle
Yesterday to celebrate getting the whole family vaccinated against swine flu (at a practically empty gymnasium set up just for this purpose), Dan and I got lunch at what might be my favorite Chinese restaurant in Paris, Chez Shen.
You would think that living in Belleville (which has a large Chinese population) we’d have favorites galore but it’s simply not the case. Either the food is too greasy, the menu impenatrable, whatever, we’ve struck out. However we have found two decent Vietnamese pho restaurants we like nearby (although our favorite completely stumps us, every time we want to go it’s closed and there is no sign displaying their hours). Anyway, Chez Shen. Packed, yummy, cheap, menu in french and english. It’s a home run, and just three metro stops away at Arts et Métiers.
After lunch I hit some museums I had not seen in years, Palais de Tokyo and Musée d’Art Moderne Paris. Both are contemporary art museums in the 16th arrondisement overlooking the Seine. They are beautiful spaces, but unfortunately the art was mainly of the head scratching, are-you-kidding-me variety. Oh well better luck next time.
The real gem of the visit was across the street, a lovely building (former palace of Duchess of Galliera) that houses the Musée de la Mode, a fashion and costume museum. It’s only open for special exhibits so I could not go inside, but just a walk through the small garden was a treat. I especially enjoyed the huge posters displayed in front, it had me pining for graphic design projects where I’d worked in similarly large formats. 
I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of some art, a little cherub beating the daylights out of an unnamed adult. I couldn’t find a descriptive plaque anywhere, but all I know is that the sculptor must have been a parent.
