Un certain je ne sais quoi: Direct flights from Dublin have brought the historic port town of La Rochelle, on France's Atlantic coast, close enough for a short break. With its bracing sea breezes, superb shellfish and cobbled streets, La Rochelle is a lovely place to spend a couple of days.
Right in the heart of the old port area, backing on to a pedestrianised street crammed with restaurants, one more inviting than the other, is La Maison du Palmier, a hidden gem of a Chambre d'Hote. There's no sign outside this discreet residence, but press the bell and the high gates at 23 Place du Maréchal Foch open to reveal an airy and stylish residence run with impeccable style by Christian Vieira. Rooms are spacious and well equipped, and breakfast is a traditional French carb fest, but with attention to detail than runs to marking out the salted butter from the non-salted (the salted has stripes embossed on it). Viera is a charming host, who will point you in the direction of this enchanting town's hidden secrets.
La Maison du Palmier gets its name from the 110-year-old ramrod-straight palm trees which tower over the pretty courtyard (pictured). Rooms cost from €90 to €130 for a family-sized suite. www.lamaisondupalmier.fr, 00-33-5-46503196. Ryanair flies to La Rochelle from Dublin on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Marie-Claire Digby
A New York moment
My French housemate anxiously sat me down. "I've rented out our roof to the Playboy channel for the 4th of July. They are going to film a Playboy magazine photographer taking photos of a naked woman who's going to dance around in front of the fireworks. We're also going to have wine and cheese." My inner Roman Emperor gave me a high five. Wine, gyrating naked woman and fireworks sounds like the way to go out before Al Qaeda barbarians finally sack New York.
On the day, as New Yorkers unfurled star and stripes and lit barbecues, I began to have second thoughts. I met the model, Sativa, and any sad illusions about dressing in pyjamas while inspecting my subway-line Playboy Mansion fell away.
Sativa was 22. She is a full time student and has been finding it difficult to keep up with New York's exorbitant rent. A friend suggested nude modelling and she went for it. She was friendly, brunette and sharp, not the blonde, air bagged Barbie of Playboy's soft focus fantasy.
Sativa got naked and waited. The fireworks exploded over Manhattan. "Beautiful baby," said the cameraman, as she leant precariously over the balcony. The camera crew rushed in to film him filming her. The fireworks died down. Sativa moves to the side and waits silently before the next round of fireworks lights up in red, white and blue. She jumps out in front of the camera like a crazed shopper at the January sales.
The next round of fireworks, she is sitting on the chair, Christine Keeler like, glaring at the camera, the next she is kneeling on the chair looking back like a very naked second World War pin-up; then it's back to crazed shopper. One of the neighbourhood fathers climbs up on the roof to grab a group of young boys who are furiously clicking on camera phones. "Your mother wants you downstairs" he says half an hour later, as the shoot winds up.
"It was a lot of fun," says Sativa as she puts on her sensible sweater. She leaves her phone number. "If you guys ever have a party, let me know. I live out in Long Island. I'm kind of bored. At least this gets me out of the house." Sean O'Driscoll
Chalk and Cheese
There are some people who equate blank wall with blank canvas. Michelle Darmody, who runs the Curved Street Cafe, in Dublin's Filmbase is one of them. She has painted the two-storey-high wall in the building with blackboard paint and every six weeks is inviting artists to create a picture.
Next up, from Tuesday, is Mark Garry, who has just finished an exhibition in the Douglas Hyde Gallery. Curved Street Cafe, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, is now open late until 8.30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Nicoline Greer
Don't mess with Sassy Sue
Anyone who thinks Friday nights out in Dublin are a bit dull should hotfoot it to The Sugar Club, where the people who brought you Rock and Roll Karaoke at The Village have come to the rescue. Our spies tell us the opening night of Sassy Sue's GoGo Inevitable last week was a roaring success. Legendary DJ Dandelion was on the decks while The Inevitable Big Band, a sizzling eight-piece brass outfit, reinterpreted classic Indie and movie sounds. Not to mention the club's resident GoGo dancers, who got everyone hot under the collar but are more swinging 1960s than sleazy Stringfellows, if you get our meaning.
The slightly challenging dress code here is "Audrey Hepburn and Michael Caine at a party in SoHo circa 1973", but if you're not going home from work to change, just throw on some pearls, loosen that tie and go out prepared to strut your elegant stuff. Do: Drink champagne cocktails. Don't: mess with Sassy Sue. The Sugar Club, Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Fridays, 11pm-3am, €15, 01-6787188. Róisín Ingle
Pack up your iBag
No new consumer item is now complete without iPod compatibility. Some clothing manufacturers were quick off the mark (I bought a jacket with a dedicated MP3-player pocket before I owned the device itself); now Levis are in on the act with iPod-compatible jeans, and Nike have delivered iPod-friendly footwear.
The fever has spread to cars (new Minis have iPod kits) and bicycles (iBikeMounts cost around €30 on the web). It seems only a matter of time before every new product - from swimming goggles to lawnmowers - will have built-in MP3 features.
So it's little surprise that bag maker Jansport has launched a backpack with an integrated audio system. You plug your music player - mp3 or CD - into a port inside the bag, and your headphones into a socket on the strap. The two are connected by a flex woven into the straps, or I should say, a "Livewire". There's a keypad on the outside that lets you play, pause and control the volume without fiddling about with zips. It may be a gimmick, but it's a well thought out gimmick.
It's also quite a nice bag, which most "urban males" would be happy to carry on their backs. The Audiopack is black, flat, and has pockets for every imaginable possession you might wish to carry about. It's available for around €100 from Arnotts, the Bag Shop, the Great Outdoors and Champion Sports. Conor Goodman
Hats and Cravats
Respect, the Daughters of Charity service for people with mental disability, is hosting a lunch for 400 at Carton House, Maynooth, Co Kildaren tomorrow, with a reception in the Rose Garden and a chance to oogle at the newly-restored hotel. Colette Jordan, architectural historian from Maynooth College, has wonderful stories to tell about the house. Dress code? Hats and cravats. Contributions welcome. Ring 01-8245424.
Ahoy! If you've dismissed the idea of cruising on the Shannon because you are honest about your boating skills (thousands aren't - honest, that is) you can have a trial run in a skippered boat during the month of July. Leaving from Portumna, boat and pilot cost €90 for a half day or €180 for a full day midweek (more at weekends). Information: 0909-741120, www.emeraldstar.ie