Although I've lived in Los Angeles since 1961, and I've visited Paris many times since 1969, it never occurred to me to compare the two cities. Fortunately author Diane Ratican has. In doing so she has created a wonderful book, Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?: An Artistic Pairing of Two Iconic Cities that highlights the features of both cities with short prose pieces and colorful and whimsical illustrations by Eric Giriat and Nick Lu. This is a book to treasure on your coffee table and use as a resource when visiting either city. I've found out about places in LA that I've never visited and must and places in Paris that I can't wait to return to. The information in this book is invaluable. Ms. Ratican has divided her book into seven sections having to do with cityscapes and landmarks, culture, fashion and style, sports and leisure, art and culture, cuisine and dining, and how people get around in each city. For example, in her section called Cityscapes and Landscapes she pairs the LA … [Read more...]