 View from the Balcony, Rue Masséna, Nice
At the very last moment of our three-day stay in Nice, the 'umpteenth' trip I've made in the quest for a "pied-à-terre" on the Côte d'Azur, an apartment came available that had the attributes I'd been seeking: windows, light, view, balcony, great location, air conditioning, relative quiet, charm, not higher than three flights without a lift...and as it turns out, was an 'animal' almost impossible to find in the Old Town, my first location choice for rental and return on investment purposes. After realizing the impossible was just that, I expanded the search to include the area around Place Garibaldi, Place Masséna (the area known as the "Carré d'Or") and the Old Port, also highly rentable. That's when one of my best agents spotted this apartment, fresh on the market. With only two hours to the return flight time, we rushed over to see it, but fully expecting it to be another 'not-so-perfect' apartment. Earlier that day we viewed an apartment soon to be under renovation in a building on Place Masséna which was a Notaire's archive, the many boxes of files to be moved or tossed in lieu of residential space, with the installation of a lift and "haute de gamme" furnishings. The potential was there, but the views from the smallish windows was not so pleasing. It left me cold, in spite of its outstanding location and the promise of luxury appointments.
Yep, I fell in love (!) and am now negotiating with the seller regarding the renovation and the price. And yep, it's "cher" (expensive), but in my opinion, worth it. One block away from the apartment, we hopped on the 98 bus headed to the Nice airport and quickly settled into the Air France President's Club Lounge to await the boarding of the flight. There everyone was glued to the television watching the scandalous turn of events surrounding IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn's New York arrest for the attempted rape of a hotel maid! The news has rocked the nation, if not the world!...and of course, the Socialist Party of which he is affiliated and was a presidential candidate. This is a man who was the 10th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, an economist, lawyer, and politician, a full professor of economics at the Paris Institute for Political Studies ("Sciences Po"), Minister of Economy and Finance from 1997 to 1999 and sought the nomination in the primaries to the Socialist presidential candidacy for the 2007 election (defeated by Ségolène Royal). In other words, this is one of France's most illustrious politicians...who, guilty or not, has certainly stirred the political pot and turned the nation's (and the world's) eyes toward France.
As a woman, it is always surprising how a so-called intelligent man can let his 'other head' get the best of the one sitting on his shoulders...but look how often the two seem to get confused, French, American or otherwise. Remember Bill and Monica? We are not without some guilt...
P.S. If you have not already reserved your place for the Special Event: "Legal and Compliance Issues for the US Expatriate" presented by Joel M. Nagel of Nagel & Associates, LLC and Peter A. Zipper, Caye International Bank, Ltd, there are only a few seats left, so do not delay. Scroll down for more information or visit French Property Conference. |
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
From the Last Minute in Nice to a New York Minute Turn of Events
Your taste of life in Paris and France
Dear Parler Paris Reader,
This final property is on the pedestrian street of rue Masséna in the Carré d'Or, in the immediate vicinity of such illustrious merchants as Cartier, Chanel, Emporio Armani, Hermès, Charles Jourdan, Kenzo, Lacoste, Lancel, Longchamp, Sonia Rykiel and Louis Vuitton...not bad neighbors! The building is beautiful...white with gray shutters, balconies, and carved motifs above the windows with a musical theme. There are only four apartments in the building, this one on the third floor up immaculate and beautiful white marble steps with low risers that make the climb "du gateau" ("piece of cake").
The apartment is currently a very large studio stripped of all its necessities, awaiting the installation of a kitchen, bath, storage and a wall to create a bedroom, but has dark rich parquet and stone-brick walls that ooze charm and luxury. The orientation is south facing so the light is indirect from morning to night. From the balcony, one can see all down rue Masséna to the Place, where shoppers are strolling or dining at the nearby cafés.
The scandal is fascinating, as the events of the arrest, the evidence and the trial unfold, along with the ramifications, which include a shift in currency values and political party strength in the upcoming elections. My favorite article about the event is BBC's Europe Editor Gavin Hewitt's titled "Strauss-Kahn affair turns French politics upside down" to be found at
A la prochaine...
