A truc from the NY Times today tells of a man who loves Lyon so much that he is undertaking an effort to re-create the atmosphere of the city on a 1,000 acre plot in Dubai. From the article:
"The project, temporarily called Lyon-Dubai City, will include a university; small versions of Lyon’s main museums; housing, hotel and office space; cafes, restaurants, pedestrian malls, town squares, courtyards, a film center, maybe even a church, all inspired by Lyon, France’s third-largest city...The Paul Bocuse Institute is hoping to set up a branch to train young chefs and restaurant and hotel managers. The Museum of Textiles is poised to open a silk museum and lend select treasures from its vast silk collection. Lyon’s soccer team has signed up to operate a center to train a Dubai team. Research is under way to cool outdoor spaces naturally to make strolling bearable during dust storms and 105-degree heat."
This effort is somewhat similar to a plan that I have to recreate the atmosphere of Paris in my house. So far I have a remarkable facsimile of the Eiffel Tower (somewhat reduced in scale) in the corner of my library, where Charles Trenet songs play in the background on permanent shuffle, and where I park my Smart Car on snowy days. I sometimes let my cats crap on the rugs to evoke Paris sidewalks. I'm working with master chef Alain Ducasse to open a knockoff of Benôit in the living room; he's eager to jump on this opportunity (actually, he's eager to jump on any opportunity), and we should be ready for business by summer. I've put out a few feelers to officials at the Pantheon about burying some French notables in my basement -- Chirac is high on my list, when the time comes, and let's just say they haven't dismissed the idea -- and I've asked one of Sarko's cabinet members -- Borloo -- to become mayor of my project -- currently known as États-Paris -- if we can work out the zoning issues. Surprisingly, he's interested.
Have to run. Scheduled a call to Bruni about having my baby.
Recent Comments