Foundation Louis Vuitton

In a nod to list making, from a person who always ate the frosting first, here is the best experience of my trip, La Fondation Louis Vuitton, a monumental new art museum and performance venue. Set in the Bois de Boulogne, a vast park in the western fringe of Paris, the museum, which was given the mission to inspire creativity,  was designed by architect Frank Gehry. There is a full spectrum of programs for children, and a provocative exhibit of modern art, all contained in the woods that previously were the King's hunting grounds.

The star is unmistakably the building itself. Resembling a cloud that floated down to earth, the building is a contrast of matte and reflective surfaces. Although the scale is enormous, it is not designed to inspire awe, but rather to capture playfulness and to embrace its visitors. The building deliberately eludes a comprehension of the whole….here a swirling staircase, there a curving wall…and in so doing, refuses to intimidate with its size. The glass walls reflect the surrounding woods, making the Foundation not merely a part of its surroundings: these surroundings become a part of the building itself.

The building's structure is exposed and so becomes as much a feature as the external and internal contours. These beams and timbers cast shadows that lend personality, and are an integral part of the experience of the structure. There exists no clear separation between external and internal. Walls that are external suddenly swoop inward to become interior walls. Notice the intertwined  LV logo, which sparkles with the appearance of crushed diamonds glinting in the sunlight.

When you visit, be sure to have a meal in the restaurant FRANK. Lunch there was one of our best meals in Paris. After you've toured the building, stop in for tea in the nearby Jardin d'Acclimation, where peacocks stroll scooping up crumbs from your snack.