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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 5:52:59 GMT
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Post by mossie on Jul 31, 2013 6:51:42 GMT
Thanks for all this modern architecture, all a bit OTT. Those statues should be on Easter Island
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Post by bjd on Jul 31, 2013 7:36:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 10:33:07 GMT
There was a little display on the esplanade showing a bit about the upcoming projects and also a comparison that was made of La Défense and Canary Wharf.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2013 5:30:22 GMT
Defacto, the new name of the La Défense development authority, puts on a fireworks show in September. I went to it this year since it was a nice evening. This year's theme was nothing less than the creation of the universe. Of course it's nothing like the 14th of July fireworks since it only drew a crowd of 60,000, but La Défense is always a nice setting for fireworks -- and also they get to play with Grande Arche.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 24, 2013 6:17:18 GMT
Magnificent Kerouac! Your still photos bring out the best in the lazer light production and the video really enhances those brilliant fireworks. I couldn't imagine how the 14th July surpasses that but I believe you! Thanks so much for bringing one of my favourite places in 'Paris' to life on my computer
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Post by mossie on Sept 25, 2013 10:40:53 GMT
Well done Kerouac, I must find out when this happens next year and try to attend. It is many years since I visited La Defense.
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Post by fgrsk8r1970 on Nov 1, 2013 20:49:26 GMT
Great photos again Kerouac! I read that there will be a Christmas Market at La Defense - have you ever been to that one? And is it outside Zone 1 if we would decide to venture there by bus ?? Not sure if we would have time - I'll know more how everything will go once we are in Paris and tried getting around with the wheel chair (and of course the weather ) But it looks like it would look "magical" after dark around Christmas time. Yikes - I just did some research on a bus route and don't think that'll work LOL - unless I do it by myself and take line 1 from Hotel de Ville. Sorry…. should have checked first.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2013 21:09:02 GMT
Metro line 1 will take you to La Défense if you can find a wheelchair access at one of the stations in Paris. The Christmas market at La Défense is pretty impressive -- I think there are some pictures of it in my report about Christmas 2012.
For just a little more, you can take the RER A to go there, or else get a commuter train from Saint Lazare.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2013 15:03:20 GMT
Thanks for bouncing this to the top, Skater. It's one of my favorite threads on all of anyport, & I never saw the fabulous July & September additions.
Kerouac, thank goodness you continue to be inspired by this area, so we get to see it through the ever-expanding skills of your photography.
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Post by fgrsk8r1970 on Nov 6, 2013 15:41:43 GMT
Sure thing Bixa It's such a great report and great photos !!! - and yes Kerouac…. I thought I had seen something but honestly couldn't remember, so thank you for reminding my poor brain. That was a another great report and I have looked at it again. I will probably try to do this christmas market by myself taking the line 1 (we are so close to the Hotel de Ville stop) after our day is done (which is always relatively early for the hubby). I always really enjoyed the tree at Lafayette in your report….. much prettier than the Rock'n'Roll theme they had in 2011. Can't wait to see what they come up with this year! Even though this will be our 3rd time in Paris I have to play things by ear as I of course have no idea how this will all go with him and the wheel chair and of course the weather LOL. But we are flexible and excited and will go with the flow!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2013 17:56:09 GMT
I was watching the video of the fireworks again and it suddenly occurred to me that some people who work in the Grande Arche (which is an office building) must have stayed in their offices to get a view of the fireworks that absolutely nobody ever gets. That would have been absolutely incredible. Of course, there is also a distinct possibility that it was totally forbidden to remain in the building for security reasons.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2014 13:21:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2014 13:34:52 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 18, 2014 15:06:31 GMT
Hooray! I love this thread & am always thrilled when you add to it.
Wonderful photos, many of which are downright stand-alone fabulous.
On your previous visits, did you know that charming antique little neighborhood was there?
How do the as-yet-undeveloped parts of La Défense look? Are they provisionally incorporated into the whole, or simply fenced off?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2014 17:05:59 GMT
I am going to mourn when that little village in Courbevoie is gone.
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Post by tod2 on Feb 18, 2014 17:07:46 GMT
Ah, so nostalgic for me, a lover of La Defense! Obviously my vineyard was sans greenery so you didn't bother snapping that... Thank you so much for the update on the area. With fingers crossed I will be there in September. Kerouac - I must say your photos are outstanding! That thumb and other building taken from certain angles are great!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2014 18:08:57 GMT
I had actually seen them before since you can see them from the train but I had never thought to get closer. But today when I saw the contrast of those houses to the nearest office building, I knew it should make for some good photos. One of the undeveloped areas is going to have something soon because they broke ground this week, but I already forgot what they are building. It is along the main axis behind the Grande Arche where that long walkway to nowhere is. The walkway was closed off today, so I don't know if that has anything to do with the construction. Meanwhile the biggest project underway is the Russian "Hermitage Plaza" which will be right along the Seine next to the Novotel/Ibis cube. First they need to get rid of those pesky apartments that were built in the 1970's, so everybody has to be relodged elsewhere. They have managed to empty the first building facing the Seine of its 40 tenants, and the next building only had 8 tenants left out of 64. But the largest building with 142 apartments has some rebels in it, with 24 tenants left, 17 of whom "refuse" to leave. Well, we all know what happens to people like that faced with billionaires with a project in mind, so demolition should begin before the end of this year, and the project is due for completion by 2019. (In case you are wondering, Hermitage Plaza is a tiny bit shorter than the Eiffel Tower out of "respect." I kind of think that it was a condition for getting the building permit.)
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Post by bjd on Feb 18, 2014 20:14:57 GMT
I don't quite understand where those Russian buildings are supposed to be -- somewhere near the 16th or La Défense? The woman in the video looks like some Russian mafioso's bimbo.
I thought that Paris had decided against high buildings like that?
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Post by htmb on Feb 18, 2014 21:51:27 GMT
This is an area I've yet to visit.
Unfortunately, the video us blocked in the U.S. (For me, anyway)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2014 22:18:57 GMT
The photo shows that it is in Courbevoie, just beyond the Pont de Neuilly. So Paris has no control over it. Here is the website of Hermitage Plaza, which should have sufficient information even if the video will not work: hermitageplaza.fr/
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 19, 2014 18:02:35 GMT
I was able to see the video & discern that yes, that dwelling is so me. It's simple, yet comfy.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 18:17:48 GMT
I am scandalized by the idea that one will have to go down 30 floors or so to visit the spa and pool.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 19, 2014 20:18:50 GMT
Seriously?! I thought the pool was in my flat. That slum can just forget about having me as a tenant!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 20:23:40 GMT
That reminds me of a construction project that I drove past in Miami Beach. The sign said "28 floors, 30 pools." I think it is necessary to have one of the places with two pools. Otherwise, why bother? Imagine the day that the pool has to be cleaned. What do you you do then?
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 19, 2014 20:27:50 GMT
The idea of living in a high-speculation, build-'em-quick area on the bottom floor with 28 or 29 big boxes of water above me is a little nerve-racking.
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Post by htmb on Feb 20, 2014 4:39:17 GMT
The red brickwork on the building with the "paved street" is really beautiful. I've never actually had much of a desire to travel to the La Defense area until seeing your little neighborhood pictures. Surely, these holdouts will all be gone within a few years.
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Post by tod2 on Feb 20, 2014 12:13:40 GMT
Gee whiz Htmb you have to go across the Seine and visit La Defense! We always stay there for part of our Paris visit and love it's tranquil setting. Yes, in the mornings and early evenings the metro stop nearest The Ibis Hotel where we stay, is busy but the evenings are like wandering through the Milky Way as the skyscrapers light up and twinkle down like thousands of stars. The gardens are manicured and lots of fountains and open sandy squares covered in trees for a shady stop. Even a first time visitor has the Line 1 running right across Paris, stopping at most of the touristy attractions.
Kerouac - we have taken bus rides through Courbevoie and Puteaux on the opposite side and found them delightful. Never took a walk like you did but that is a must for me next visit!
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Post by htmb on Feb 20, 2014 19:55:22 GMT
Tod, I just might make it on the next trip. Will see what transpires.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2015 13:45:13 GMT
Today, while I was out exploring various suburbs, I came up on La Défense from behind, by taking the T2 tramway line. There's nothing very old out here, but you can find a bit of a contrast in years from time to time. Once you get in closer, there's not much from before 1980 and the majority of things are from this century. Here is where the T2 goes under La Défense to meet up with the commuter trains, the RER, the metro station and various bus lines. Even though I have photographed most of these buildings before, coming from a different direction makes them look different. Naturally, some less fortunate people can also be found. Since there are a number of disused tunnels, there is probably an entire village.
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