 On the phone, Jim Haynes invites me to come for dinner on Sunday, something he's been saying to visitors for decades. By now, well over 100,000 people–most of them total strangers–have accepted his invitation. American visitors, mostly, but not exclusively.
In a not-particularly-fashionable neighborhood in the southeast quadrant of Paris, a high metal gate swings open. You walk into a courtyard and enter a high-ceilinged artist's studio. Jim is on a stool next to the stove, welcoming new arrivals (or on the phone, talking to strays who got lost). By 9 PM, the apartment is crowded with perhaps 75 or 80 guests.
The three-course menu is modest and tasty: salad, boeuf bourguignon over pasta, ice cream with poached pears. On the landing, you help yourself to decent, bag-in-box wine. And you talk to people. Jim makes sure of that.  He calls out names. "Pierre, talk to Julie! Mitch from Cleveland, right? This is Suzanne. She lives in the neighborhood. Ronald, Seattle, Bruce, Seattle." Bruce ignores me; you don't come this far to meet neighbors.
A few of the guests are newcomers, some come regularly, others whenever they're in town. To be sure, some are just cruising, but many are couples. "It's a nice way to spend a Sunday night in Paris," says a Belgian expat. Martine and Danielle, who live in the suburbs, tell me they've heard about Jim's soirées for years, finally decided to see for themselves. Jim is from Louisiana, a theatrical type (as if you couldn't guess). Why does he do it? "Why not?" he answers.
To reserve a dinner spot, call Jim directly at 01-43-27-17-67 in Paris, or visit his website, Jim-Haynes.com. To see if he's available to spend a couple of weekdays with visitors, contact InTouch Travel.com.
Final note: Carol Pucci of the Seattle Times meet the Parisians had a terrific feature about how to meet Parisians earlier this month; Jim's dinners are supposed to be in next Sunday's paper.
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