An African American in Paris: Ricki Stevenson's entree to the City of Light.

Paris is a city of great sites and enormous style, which is quite evident from a stroll down the Champs-Elysees or a visit to a world-renowned institution such as Musee du Louvre. It's part of what attracted Ricki Stevenson to this city of 2.1 million residents. "My mother had dreamed of taking her three children to live in Paris for a year," says the former Oakland/Bay Area broadcast journalist, who is the founder of Black Paris Tours (www.tomtmusic.com/id24.htm). Stevenson had planned to stay just 12 months when she and her daughter, Dedie, moved seven years ago

In France, "There was a history of black people outside of slavery, and there was a greatness."

African Americans have long had a love affair with Paris a city cal ed home by cultural giants like Josephine Baker and James Baldwin. And today, black expatriates find the French capital a place Where they can thrive as entrepreneurs or as employees of multinational firms like Microsoft and IBM. The Paris region, home to strong aerospace, automotive, and information technology industries, has the highest per capita gross domestic product in Europe. And with more than 20 million visitors each year, Paris enjoys vibrant tourism.

Here, Stevenson offers recommendations par excellence.