Almost 30 years in the making, not even exactly finished, actually, and drawing out not much more than a collective yawn from the local press for its architectural qualities, the new Montreal Symphony Hall (la Maison symphonique de Montréal) nevertheless opened its doors to a select group of invitees and hosted the inaugural concert on Wednesday...

Read the rest of: "New Montreal Symphony Hall Opens Its Doors"»

As we have previously mentioned on these pages, the city of Paris is readying a car equivalent of the hugely popular bike rental service, Vélib'. The new service, predictably named Autolib', will allow renting small 4-seat electric cars for short trips in the city and environs. The vehicles can be dropped off at the most convenient docking station (not necessarily where they were picked up). Pricing is by the minute (a 20-minute minimum), with the rate beyond one hour increasing to encourage customers to take shorter trips.

Read the rest of: "Autolib' Is Coming. Will Foreigners Be Allowed to Use It?"»

Last year we wrote about the massive reconstruction project in the Quartier des Spectacles - namely, a new plaza for the yearly Jazz Festival and similar events. One year has passed and the project bore its first visible (or, rather, walkable) fruit.

The $40-million Place des Festivals plaza was unveiled last month with an inaugural show featuring fluttering multi-colored water jets (a rather expensive spectacle, opined some local journalists) and packs of awe-stricken tourists enjoying the last warm days of Montreal's short summer.

Having snubbed the inauguration festivities, I went by with my camera to take a look a few days later...

Read the rest of: "Place des Festivals Opens, Fountains Operational"»

Next week not one, but two of Madrid's most prominent symbols are going to disappear from its central square. One is the statue of a bear licking (or sniffing) a tree (el oso y el madroño) currently installed a few steps from the Puerta del Sol. The other one, which we wrote about last year, is the Tío Pepe sign perched atop one of the building surrounding the plaza.

Read the rest of: "The New Puerta del Sol: Two Symbols Moving"»

After two years of construction, Le Bristol, one of the swankiest hotels of Paris, will open a new wing with 26 rooms, 5 suites and a new restaurant.

This addition represents its first major expansion since the hotel's opening in 1925.

Read the rest of: "Le Bristol Expands"»