David Hilgier Photographs

We browse their offerings as the sun begins to set, picking out would-be purchases and imagining for an instance we live in the city.

Nestled along the Left and Right Banks of the Seine are the Bouquinistes of Paris. Selling books, antiques, posters, souvenirs, and other artifacts, their presence adds a charming irreverence to the postcard beauty surrounding them.

Evening replaces the day and fall morphs into winter. A couple makes their way dapperly through the streets near the Left Bank of the Seine.

What once was, is no more. An analog for photography. We wander in and around Notre-Dame and Île de la Cité appreciating the beauty of this area of Paris before moving on to our plans for the evening. In retrospect, I appreciate our opportunity to view this landmark of Paris one final time prior to its transition to its next iteration.

A few of the flower stands on Île de la Cité are open for business on this December midmorning selling season appropriate decorations and floral arrangements.

Signs of the holiday season dot the streets of Paris. In this instance, a corner flower shop presents a modest selection of Christmas trees to the passing pedestrians.

Rue Montorgueil and the city of Paris slowly wake up and begin to come to life on a Monday in December. With the sun remaining low in near winter sky, the city adopts a cool, nearly monochromatic hue.

The rain from the previous evening had disappeared by morning. Rooftops visible from our hotel room illuminated by the glow of a later than anticipated sunrise filtering through the curtains of our hotel window.

A cool and rainy Sunday evening greets our arrival to Paris. A lone convenience store the only sign of life on this sleepy block of the 9th arrondissement.

After a long day of travel, the familiar quirky confines of the Paris Metro welcome us back to the city. The systems’ uniqueness derived from its teal and white color scheme as well as analog components including pull-to-open door leavers, paper tickets, rubber wheels and flip-board signs