Thursday, October 30, 2008

La Rue Saint-Sauveur

La rue Saint-Sauveur is a small street in the second arrondissement where Ken lived when we met back in 1981. He lived in a tiny apartment on the courtyard of a building whose entrance was on the left side in this shot.

La rue Saint-Sauveur.

I took this slide many years later, looking into the street from the rue Montorgueil. Back in 1981, Les Halles was a huge construction site and the neighborhoods around it were dark and grungy, and a little creepy at night. Just a couple blocks over is the rue St.-Denis, lined with sex shops and prostitutes.

Since the time this picture was made, the rue Montorgueil and the surrounding streets have been gentrified, the streets re-paved with fancier paving stones, many of the buildings have been renovated, and the shops have gone decidedly upscale. Real estate is much pricier there now, to be sure.

Now I've scanned the slide and eliminated the color, except for that orange scooter and the rider's matching helmet.

10 comments:

  1. It looks to me it's a one way street; but which way is it one way? Cars and traffic seem to go in both directions!

    I like the "reverse" coloring or discoloring.

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  2. I like the treatment you did to that photo, too-- it's a great effect having the B&W for that street, especially, and then the color for the zippy scooter. It's kind of poetic :)

    I remember Ken's apartment. It was very tiny. I recall the bathroom being in the hall, wasn't it? Like it was for those of us with au pair rooms? I think I was only there once, with Jane and Aimee and others from the group, I'm sure. I think we had a little group party and were treated to dinner :)) Of course, the fact that it was tiny didn't mean anything... it was in PARIS! :))

    Judy

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  3. p.s.
    The pictures you've been editing were originally slides, didn't you say? Is there a special trick to scanning slides? I thought that I had heard once that you need a special "slide scanner" adapter, or something like that. What advice can you give me?

    I have a number of slides from a great trip to the Dordogne in '96, and I never look at them, because they're slides.

    Judy

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  4. It's rather unusual to have snow this time of year in the Loire Valley, isn't it? The climate is supposed to be up to 5°C warmer than what we have here in Belgium ... We were treated to a icy fog this morning and a grey day ... but snow, no ... It's way too early for that. Martine

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  5. Wow, that is so cool. You must be having a very good time playing with these old slides.

    ...Susie

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  6. Walt, I love what you've done with that photo. I could frame it and hang it on a wall at home. That orange scooter is brilliant!

    Donna

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  7. The apartment on the rue St-Sauveur was about 350 sq. ft. or 30 sq. meters. And it was on I think the 6th floor, walk-up, a spiral staircase. And yes, Judy, the toilet (turkish) was on the landing outside the front door. Very elegant. But you are right, it was in Paris, and right in the middle at that. Very cool.

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  8. I wish I could Photoshop as well as you. I like the tache of color. Trop chic.

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  9. Love the red scooter and helmet - very 'arty'!!

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  10. chm, yes, it's one way. I think the scooter and truck in front of it just pulled in to park. They could probably be verbalisés for that.

    judy, thanks. Yes, I have a scanner with a slide attachment. It's a Canoscan 4400, and it lets me scan 4 slides at a time.

    martine, it was an unusual snow for this time of year, according to what the news people were saying.

    susan, yes I am! It's great to look at them again and be able to share them.

    donna, thanks! High praise, indeed!

    rachael, I'm really an amateur when it comes to photoshop. It does so much more than I can handle.

    lady jicky, ain't it the truth! ;)

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