Here I come

I'm reading The Cafes of Paris ... A Guide that a friend gave me last year. It's a wonderful book, with a nice balance of historical perspective and current information. There are quotes at the start of each chapter. My favorites:

The most friendly observer cannot ignore the fact that the consuming ambition of the Parisian is to pose ... He prefers it even to dawdling on the boulevards or making epigrams ... And nowhere can he strike an attitude with more effect than in the cafe. -- Henry Shelley

There is only one trait that marks the writer. He is always watching. It's a kind of trick of the mind and he is born with it. -- Morley Callaghan

Take-off is Wednesday night. Wow.