Paris Controversy: Banning cars by the Seine

San Francisco's weather is warming up, the Fourth of July is nigh—summer is here. So what am I thinking about these days? Ice cream, of course. When you're in this city, you can forget Ben and Jerry's or Cold Stone Creamery; San Franciscans much prefer artisanal small-batch ice creams made with mostly local ingredients. Try adventurous flavors like salt and pepper, honey lavender, or earl grey tea. So far I have yet to taste a flavor that disappoints. Here are five shops worth a stop. Humphry Slocombe Creative flavors like olive oil and secret breakfast (cornflakes are among the ingredients) have garnered Humphrey Slocombe national attention from places like Food and Wine magazine and Bon Appetit. Even if those combinations sound too crazy to believe, trust the folks behind the counter—they can offer up recommendations to pleasantly surprise your palate. A local favorite is Harvey Milk & honey graham cracker, made with blackberry honey, homemade graham crackers, and carrot mango sorbet. Some people are so addicted that only a Twitter feed could sate them (@humphryslocombe). 2790 Harrison St., at 24 Street, 415/550-6971. Mitchell's A San Francisco institution, Mitchell's Ice Cream opened in 1953, making gourmet ice cream in creative flavors long before it became fashionable. Well-known for tropical flavors like jackfruit, guava, and mango, other options like avocado, Mexican chocolate, and the current seasonal—peach—are also wildly popular. But the pumpkin ice cream, served only in the fall, has a following that can only be described as cult-like. 688 San Jose Ave. at 29 Street, 415/648-2300. Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous Located in the Dogpatch neighborhood, this is the newest shop on the ice cream scene. Everything is made in-house, including the flavoring extracts and crispy cones that have a hint of vanilla. Although Mr. and Mrs. is still in its early stages, there are already eight small-batch flavors produced daily. Try the "ballpark," made with Anchor Steam beer, pretzels, and peanuts, or candied violet and tres leches, which has chunks of tres leches cake. Throwback treats like fudgsicles are expected soon. 699 22nd St, at Third Street, 415/ 970-0750. Bi-Rite Creamery If you happen to walk by Bi-Rite Creamery, just across the street from the Mission's Dolores Park, be sure to stop by. And if there isn't the usual long line, then you are obligated to stop in for a scoop (or two) of ice cream. The most popular flavor by far is the salted caramel, but others like roasted banana and brown sugar with ginger caramel swirl and classics like cookies and cream are all winners. Soft serve is also available in flavors that change daily, like balsamic strawberry and spicy Mexican chocolate. 3692 18th Street, 415/626-5600. Maggie Mudd Take note, vegans: Maggie Mudd in Bernal Heights has, hands-down, the best-tasting non-dairy ice cream. Made from soy or coconut milk, the ice cream here has a rich, creamy texture, and the impressive range of flavors include oatmeal cookie dough, lychee coconut, and rocky road swirl. There are regular dairy flavors as well, like espresso almond fudge and green tea, as well as options that have no sugar added. 903 Cortland Ave., 415/641-5291.

There's a lot of political talk about the mood on Main Street. But what are these streets named Main really like and how much do they have in common? To find out, a team of radio producers and artists launched the multimedia project Mapping Main Street last summer and began enlisting collaborators. Amy Fichter, a drawing professor at University of Wisconsin-Stout, heard about the project through NPR and immediately felt she had to be a part of it. She grew up on a farm in Iowa and told me she could relate to small towns that aren't always appreciated. On weekends for the past several months, Fichter has gone out by car with her husband and 8-year-old son to photograph Wisconsin. "On the surface, when you first pull into a Main Street, it feels very similar, with the old storefronts and banks and post office," Fichter said. "But as soon as you start going into places and talking to people, each Main Street becomes unique." Fichter doesn't do advance planning. Armed with her iPhone and an antique twin lens reflex camera, she simply shows up in a place with an eye out for what's beautiful in the ordinary. Her favorite discovery so far is Pepin, a town on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, about 45 minutes from her home in Menomonie, Wis., and 90 minutes southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul. She started driving along the residential end of Pepin's Main Street and soon noticed a brightly colored wooden sculpture in front of a gallery. "I thought, that's really cool, it was like a little treasure," Fichter recalled. Lake Pepin Art & Design Center hosts film screenings, live music, arts shows and classes, and sells quirky handmade items. It's one of 17 area galleries and art studios that participate in spring and fall Fresh Art tours. The next Fresh Art is slated for October 1-3, while October 21-24 brings the Flyway Film Festival. Main Street dead ends at Lake Pepin, where the Mississippi widens. Fichter stopped for a lakeside lunch at the Harbor View Café, which serves locally-sourced dishes such as pheasant, Norwegian meatballs, and her pick, vegetable risotto. The winsome café and a few other downtown buildings date to the 1800s, the era of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was born in a log cabin near Pepin and set Little House in the Big Woods in the area. Each fall, Laura Ingalls Wilder Days draw crowds for arts and crafts booths, a fiddle contest, and Laura trivia and look-alike contests. "When you start looking around where you live, you realize there really is stuff happening here," said Fichter. "I've learned so much about the towns around me." With photos and videos of only 593 streets submitted so far, Mapping Main Street could use some help! Find out how to get involved here, and share your stories by posting a comment below. What's your favorite Main Street?

Rainbow flags are already flying along Market Street in anticipation for San Francisco's Pride celebration, one of the largest in the country. And with an estimated 200,000 people from around the world expected to take part, the parade is one of San Francisco's biggest—and most famous—events. The official celebration happens at the Civic Center on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., with live music (the Backstreet Boys (!) are on the playbill this year), food and drink, and exhibitors, like the famous S&M; spanking booth ($5 voluntary donation.) On Sunday, the parade travels down Market Street between Beale and 8 street, starting at noon. But we all know the real party happens at hundreds of clubs, bars, and restaurants around the city. The prime spot to be for Pride weekend is the Castro, of course, the epicenter of San Francisco's gay scene. There is no shortage of places to party, and the streets will be packed—even the sidewalks are places of revelry. But this year, some of the hottest parties are happening outside the Castro. Our short list follows, so that you can take part of this 40-year-old tradition. Kelly Mission Rock Cafe This year, famed drag queen Juanita More is moving her pride party (perhaps the most epic of the weekend) far from the Castro, to Kelly's Mission Rock Cafe on 3rd Street near the water. Mission Rock is usually a hetero spot, but the large outdoor space and floor to ceiling windows with views of the bay, makes it ideal spot for this huge night of revelry. Moore's party will not disappoint: the drag show will feature Glamamore, Miss Rahni, and Diamond Daggers, and DJs will include Will Automagic and Sean B of NYC's SPANK, and more. Sunday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m., 817 Terry Francois Blvd. at 3rd and Mariposa. $25. Shuttle service from Market and Franklin streets. Advance tickets strongly recommended. The Eagle Tavern One of the city's famous gay hot spots in SOMA, the Eagle Tavern is a dive bar with a motorcycle edge and a huge backyard patio. It's packed here any sunny weekend, so expect a mad house for Pride. Saturday is a special party before the women's march starts at Dolores Park at 7 p.m.—expect a Burlesque show, a motorcycle wash, and tons of women who belong to the in for the Dykes on Bikes motorcycle contingent not to mention all-you-can-drink and eat for only $10 (from noon to 5 p.m.). Who knows? You could even convince one of the bikers to take you on a ride during the parade. 398 12th Street, at Harrison, 415/626-0880. There are other events throughout the week. The Lexington Club The Mission's Lexington Club has enough going on that you could stay all weekend: Thursday's Bad Reputation kick-off party will have DJs and go-go dancers, Saturday's free party starts at 3 p.m. with live bands and DJ Bunnystyle, and Sunday brings a hangover-curing mimosa brunch. 3464 19 Street, near Valencia. Aunt Charlie's Lounge If you're looking for a good drag queen performance, head right to Aunt Charlie's in the Tenderloin to check out the absolutely fabulous Hot Boxxx Girls on Friday and Saturday (starting at 10 p.m., $5 cover) One of the city's hottest dance parties for the hipster crowd happens on Thursday night with the Tubesteak Connection dance party featuring DJ Bus Station John's '70s and '80s discofunk that packs the dance floor. 133 Turk, SF; 415/441-2922 Note for party hoppers: Don't even think about driving this weekend. Instead take the L, K, S, or M Muni Trains. For late-night/early morning cabs, be sure to book in advance, since you won't be the only one looking for a ride.

Take a train about an hour outside of Paris this summer, and the trip is sure to leave a lasting impression. Normandy, the region in northern France that was home to Claude Monet and a hotbed of impressionist activity in the latter half of the 19th century, is hosting its first-ever Impressionist Festival. From June to September, over 150 events celebrate the arts and culture influenced by the impressionist movement—not just painting (with 15 major exhibitions), but also music, dance, theater, photography, architecture, and more. The centerpiece of the festival is the exhibit "A City for Impressionism: Monet, Pissarro, and Gauguin in Rouen" at the Rouen Fine Arts Museum (through Sept. 26). The collection of 100 paintings, many never exhibited in public before, explores the city of Rouen's impressionist-era scene (admission $15). Make sure you stick around the museum until nightfall: Each evening, the façade near the Esplanade Marcel Duchamp is transformed by a light projection show called Impressionist Nights. In Giverny, visit Claude Monet's House and Gardens (admission $7.50), where you can see many of the natural elements that inspired his work, including the Oriental water garden with its Japanese bridge and a pond brimming with—what else? —water lilies (see them blooming at their best in August). Giverny is also home to the Giverny Impressionism Museum, which is hosting an exhibit of 50 paintings entitled "Impressionism on the Seine: From Renoir and Monet to Matisse" (through July 18) that retraces the history of impressionism through the use of scenes captured along the Seine (admission $8). Starting July 13 and 14 and continuing throughout the summer, guingettes will be revived throughout the region. The lively open-air cafés were popular among—and immortalized on canvas by—impressionist artists; often set on the banks of a river like the Seine, the guingettes were characterized by carefree music, dance, games, drinks, and food. One of the festival's final events is the Great Impressionist Ball in Rouen on September 24. The public is invited to the indoor/outdoor ball, under only one condition: They must come dressed in white. As the crowd dances, it will serve as a blank canvas, on which a light artist will project splashes of color—like brushstrokes—an effect that will be captured on video and displayed on a wide screen so that the audience can watch themselves become transformed into a work of art. For a full list of events, including Seine cruises, picnics, painting workshops (learn to paint in one of Monet's actual studios!), cooking classes, and special itineraries, visit impressionism-normandy.com. Getting there: Much of Normandy is easily accessible by train from Paris. Rouen is as short as a 70-minute trip (but you'll pay more for the faster trains), with one-way fares starting at $26. To reach Giverny, take the train from Paris to Vernon (45 minutes, from $17). From there, you can travel the remaining four miles to Monet's house by bus, bike, taxi, or on foot. MOREPlan your trip at The Impressionism Normandy website