Story created: 2008-07-24 11:22:13.185694
Karen Fawcett profile
Karen Fawcett has always been able to hop, skip and jump in and out of various different working situations. That fact alone could be her bio. Here are the details.
She has been president and owner of Bonjour Paris since the site launched on the Internet more than ten years ago. Prior to that, Bonjour Paris was housed on AOL where Karen derived enormous pleasure from sharing and demystifying “her” France for Francophiles and tourists who were heading to her adopted country.
Karen wasn’t planning to move to Paris (or Provence) in 1988 much less remain there for the past 20 years. She went kicking if not quite screaming when her (now deceased) husband had a yearlong consulting gig for a financial services firm with headquarters in the City of Light. He persuaded her to leave her job with the City of Boston’s Economic Development Firm where she served as its Director of Public Affairs and Marketing.
During his assignment, Karen played trailing spouse and traveled extensively throughout the EU. It was then that Karen met her inner gypsy and the unknown became her passion. In other words, the travel bug bit her. Her favorite book as very young girl was “Eloise at the Plaza” and she frequently fantasized about living in a hotel where she had carte blanche in the dining room and could dial room service whenever she wanted.
Her first career was as an interior designer. Because of that expertise, she became an ongoing contributor and features writer for Home Life Magazine, for the lamented Washington Star Sunday supplement. In addition, Karen was one of the founders of the “Big Cheese” restaurant that in Georgetown. She survived a crash cooking course when the chef quit during the first week of August — long before commercial kitchens were air-conditioned.
After the Washington Star folded, Karen joined many of her colleagues as a contributor at The Washington Times. For many years, she wrote for its Travel Section and always had a suitcase packed because you never know.
Karen worked for a DC financial services company where she was Senior Vice-President for Marketing and Public Relations. One of the company’s investments was a property situated on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu that housed a restaurant. Because of zoning restrictions, the property’s development was put on hold. Even though she considered the restaurant business one of the hardest in the world, she found herself drafted into being the Acting-President of Geoffrey’s in Malibu, California. During that period, Karen wore so many hats she felt as if could have been Carmen Miranda.
It was a long commute and realized she was flying across the continent far too many time each month when all of the flight attendants addressed her by her first name and knew what she would and wouldn’t eat. These were the days before the advent of, “Which soft drink would you like with your package of pretzel mix?”
In spite of her initial protests about making the move, once she recovered from the initial culture shock, Paris was an adventure; the travel it entailed opened her eyes to an entirely new world. Even though Karen had visited Europe numerous times, living there was an entirely different experience. When the time came to return to the US, Karen did so only to turn around and head back to Paris.
Luckily, her husband was able to accompany her where his work responsibilities expanded to encompass much of Asia. Karen was able to utilize her journalism background and contributed more than 100 “Expat Abroad” articles to the International Edition of USA Today. She also wrote for numerous other publications and has often said that being a journalist gives a person license to ask all of the questions that are “none of your business.”
Karen sees a plane and wants to be on it in spite of the travails and security precautions of traveling today. Her mantra is that the more people are able to travel, the greater the global understanding will become among people and nations.
Karen Fawcett is accredited by the French Ministry of the Interior as a member of the Foreign Press, a member of the Public Relations Society of America, The European- American Press Club, The French Press Club and was a founding member of the American Institute of Wine and Food’s Paris Chapter.
Karen hopes the dollar will become stronger so more Americans will “hit the road to cross the pond.”
She commutes frequently between Paris and Washington where Karen’s son and family live.
Stories
How I'm Spending my August Vacation - Yes, In Paris! (Ask Karen)
Around-the-World Travel -- Some Nitty Gritty Realities (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2005-12-14 00:00:00
Ask Karen: Rent a Furnished Apartment or Ship Furniture? (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2003-07-07 00:00:00
Ask Karen: finding an apartment for short-term rental (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2003-02-27 00:00:00
Flying Coach - Is there a way to “up” the Comfort Quotient? (French Travel)
Story created: 2005-01-29 00:00:00
Have the French Really Adopted the No Smoking Ban (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2008-05-01 08:54:03.543568
If you are spending a Lot of Time in a Place or Want to (Paris Hotels)
Story created: 2007-02-14 12:54:28
Let’s Pack our Bags and Move to France – The Plusses and a Few Minuses (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2006-05-08 12:28:47
Michel Richard A Chef Who Brings New Meaning to Haute Cuisine (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2006-11-01 07:00:19
Paris Reentry It is Always the same but very Different (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2007-03-21 15:54:47
Real Estate It has Its Ups and Downs and its Ins and Outs (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2007-10-24 15:55:06
Review: the Hotel de Sers - A Different Spirit on the Paris Scene (Paris Hotels)
Story created: 2004-10-27 00:00:00
Sundays in the US versus France and Other EU Countries (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2006-08-30 21:56:53
The Louvre: Undoubtedly Paris' Most Famous Museum (Paris Monuments & Museums)
Story created: 2003-01-07 00:00:00
Things I didn’t know about – and I live in Paris! (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2008-08-20 07:02:35.003516
Today Agra – Tomorrow Hong Kong: Flow with the Cultures and the Centuries. (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2005-12-01 00:00:00
Valentine’s Day – Is it the Corniest Day of the Year? (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2006-01-30 09:01:52
What to Wear When the Dollar is at an All Time Low Against the Euro (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2007-10-16 19:03:11
Wine Bars Have Become the Rage in the US Capital City (Ask Karen)
Story created: 2008-06-27 10:25:38.852909
Comments
Have You Seen This Man? Buzz
Top 10 Hostels in Paris
French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure
Ask Karen: Renting an Apartment
A Few of Paris's Favorite "Intimate" Hotels
Have You Seen This Man? Buzz
What to Do When You Are Unsure Where to Eat?
Sarkozy Wins Again
Sarkozy Wins Again
Why I could never be a real food critic
Crillon Le Brave
Le Bristol Garden & Grenelle Buzz
Le Bristol Garden & Grenelle Buzz
Gael Greene Self-Interview
Two Girls
Galleries Lafayette, City of Paris, Neiman Marcus
The Top Five Best, Unique French Shops In Paris
2008 Bordeaux Wine Festival Exceeds Expectations
David Burke -Self-Interview About Writers in Paris, Literary Lives in The City of Light
Is this Place Still in Business?
Get Your Artsy On
Jean Michel Lorain Buzz
Christmas Stories in Paris
Top 10 Shopping Districts
The Fable of the Lion and the Squirrel
Be Here Now
Red Coat, Red Light
In Paris, A Secret 'No-Star' Hotel
In Paris, A Secret 'No-Star' Hotel
Mummy – and So She’ll Always Be
Memorable and Unmemorable Meals
A Case of Summer Wines 2008
U.S. Elections Fascinate the French
Spontaneous Combustion
A Case of Summer Wines 2008
Memorable and Unmemorable Meals
Food Great Service Sucked
Great Expectations or the Tale of Two Cities
Cheap long distance calls in France
Rue Daguerre
Buzz: State-of-the-Art Cookery School
Buzz: State-of-the-Art Cookery School
Letter from the President
French Vacation Times 2006
Best of Buzz. Who is Next?
Going Home but Dealing
Going Home but Dealing
Paris for Singles: At the Movies
Home Again, Home Again!
10% off Hotel d'Aubusson
New Hot Quarters: the 1st and 13th
On the Hunt
On the Hunt
On the Hunt
That Sheet Secret
Eating in Company Cantines
Moving to France - Is it a Trend?
“Fala Fwancais?”
Eating in new places or golden-oldies
Genetic Testing in France
“Speak French Pretty Today”
Bonjour Paris Writer Makes Best 2005 Book List
Color It Cold
We Found Ghislaine Arabian! Buzz
Is it War or Simply Bureaucratic Red Tape?
Petrossian/Caviar Pret-A-Porter Buzz
Restos for under 30 Euros
How Can A Critic Get It So Wrong?
Where I Walk in Paris
A name caller pigeonholes herself in France
A name caller pigeonholes herself in France
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
Hitting the Streets
The Culinary Children of Christian Constant
Events of March 28th 2006
Houseguests – A Curse or a Pleasure?
More “fresh off the plane” expat observations and experiences
Who Are These People?
Who Are These People?
It Isn’t Always Perfect
BonjourParis It is an Addiction
BonjourParis It is an Addiction
It is So Good to be Home
It is So Good to be Home
A Bit of Provence
A Bit of Provence
Misconceptions Abound Abroad
Misconceptions Abound Abroad
Medical Care Across the Ocean
Sundays in the US versus France and Other EU Countries
It is Time to Come out of Hiding
Forgive My Silence
If you are spending a Lot of Time in a Place or Want to
The French Monster In Law
Paris Reentry It is Always the same but very Different
There is Style and There is Style
Safety When Traveling
Travel and Leisure
These Things That Happen
Vienna So Close to Paris Such a Different Culture
Another Year and What a Year