Story and photos by Pete Shaw I felt a bit like a broken record in last year’s “Giving Thanks” when my lede was almost exactly the one from 2023. This time it’s the same record, but a slightly different tune. While Covid remains, I gained the confidence of my better 99% that I would take…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw October 10, 2025 Dear Dad, I have a movie idea. The setting is Père Lachaise, Paris’s famed necropolis where many artists are buried. In many ways this vast burial ground resembles a city of the living. Its buildings are mostly permanent residences: tombstones, vaults, mausoleums. Some are remarkably elaborate,…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw October 6, 2025 Dear Dad, Our numbers have dwindled. We arrived at Paris Gare de Lyon early on Friday afternoon. And then it was time to bid farewell to Howard. He will spend two nights here in Paris before heading Home. He has been a fine traveling companion, and…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw October 2, 2025 Dear Dad, Marc has solved the issue. The other night, having dinner with him and his partner, Zahia, and their Friends, Edoard and Oliver, I jabbered on about how amazing I found Marseille, how it struck me as so different from Paris, or really anywhere. Since…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw September 29, 2025 Dear Dad, How do I describe Marseille? It hit me a bit like New York City. The greeting was not so flagrant and aggressive as The City’s, but similar contours were discernible. Or at least at this early morning hour, I seem to believe that. But…
