OK, I have to admit, when I saw the title of Diane Ratican’s book, Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?, I was immediately intrigued. I’d spent 12 years as a young adult living in and around Los Angeles and have had the pleasure of visiting Paris a few times over the years.
Of all the world’s great metropolises, Paris and Los Angeles are among those that house the most significant and immediately recognizable cultural milieus. This book is an ode to what makes each city shine in its own right.
What Diane colourfully does – by way of talented illustrators Eric Giriat and Nick Lu – is paint a portrait mirroring both cities, broken down into seven distinct topics:
– Cityscapes & Landmarks Magnifiques
– Culture Célébre: Cinema, Entertainment & Glamour
– Fashion, Style & Shopping à la Mode
– Sports & Leisure
– Communicating Ideas: Art & Culture
– Cuisine & Dining
– Cities in Motion
The 272-page, collectible art book begins with an introduction to both cities as well as the author’s personal experiences navigating through both.
Speaking of navigation, each landmark includes precise GPS coordinates to help connect the dots as well as to get readers inspired for a visit to both world-class cities.
“Paris has its own drama and majesty, and like no other city I have ever traveled to, enables me to experience the privilege of being who I really am.” — Diane Ratican
From the Champs-Élysées to the Sunset Strip, Marilyn Monroe to Brigitte Bardot, LACMA to Louvre, there’s plenty to fall in love with these storied cities, and in Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?, they’re revealed in parallel for the first time ever. You’ll be amazed at how these two cities are similar in so many ways.
Each spread contains a visual of Los Angeles on the left, Paris on the right. Each section’s filled with tips, stories and quotes pertaining to their respective historical landmarks, architectural icons, style codes and cultural peculiarities of the City of Angels and City of Lights. And the book is bilingual too.
A lifelong Angeleno, from the first time the author stepped foot in Paris as an 18-year-old university student exploring Europe, she knew she was destined to live there.
The LA-based entrepreneur has built a highly successful U.S.-France fashion import/export business and calls Paris her second home.
“Los Angeles is an eclectic, energetic, and stunningly beautiful place.”
Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? retails for $26.95 USD/€25 and is distributed by SCB Distributors in North America and Groupe Flammarion in France. It’s a great read and gift idea for travel lovers, art lovers, Los Angeles/Paris lovers and pop culture fans alike.
