I figured with all of the time I have at home these days, it might be nice to look back at travels from the recent past. This travel diary covers my trip to Paris in the fall. Kev and I spent a week there, and we met our friend Kim for a few days, who hopped over from London. Paris turned out to be one of my favorite places I've ever visited. In fact, after we came home we booked a return trip that was supposed to take place at the end of March, but which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Paris. Almost a cliche to love it so. It's very much like New York in that way (NY being my frame of reference for all things), a place where of course you'd love to go, a city of endless magic, abundant possibility, and as a direct result, borderline unrealistic expectation. Perhaps because it reminded me of my beloved hometown, or what I could imagine as some version of New York in some parallel universe, I loved it pretty much immediately.
Dazzling beauty containing complicated tensions, kaleidoscopic culture, an esoteric social code, excellent food, better(?!) wine. My kind of place, I thought. I don’t get it here, not quite, not yet. But I think I could and I want to.
Before Paris, Kevin and I had a clear favorite European city in Prague, where we'd spent several amazing days under cloudy skies shrouding a sun that was always about to set. During our week in Paris, we asked each other (more than once, more than twice) “Do we like Paris more?”
Paris captured our hearts like no other city before it. It’s the only place from which we've returned where we immediately set about writing a list of things to do the next time we visited. It’s also the first place that we've ever booked a return flight to since we began traveling in earnest as a couple. Maybe it can be a place that we go, I said. Like the summers in Montauk from his childhood which I joined in on and got to enjoy with him in our twenties, that week away becoming a touchstone of summer - maybe Paris can become a staple too. A place to return to time and again, with favorite haunts to visit and favorite things to do, and a history we make together.
It was our first visit to the city, and our second to France. We spent a week there, with only one day trip planned. We wanted to take it easy, and to try to experience what it might be like to live in Paris. We even picked up some fresh flowers from the market on our first morning there as a gesture toward settling in.
We did a lot of planning (it paid off handsomely in that we were able to get all of the dining reservations we wanted), and we lucked out on a stretch of perfect weather: sunny, 70 degree days with not a drop of rain, late sunsets, and mostly balmy nights with just enough of a crispness in the breeze to keep you alert.
Our time there was a feast of simple pleasures. Great food enjoyed with cheap and delicious natural wine, amazing baked goods that fueled us while on the go, pretty streets that lured us to walk miles at a time, and hassle-free transportation to use when we so chose. So many cafes. Balconies for people watching. Architecture and art. The shimmer on the Seine that called us back again and again. So much to see, too many places to eat. The late summer sun warming all our days.
Flying to Paris (before COVID)
Nonstop roundtrips to Paris from NYC are common, and if you book far enough in advance, you can often find favorable prices for economy seats. We booked in mid-April for this September trip at $289 non-stop roundtrip per person via Norwegian. We booked at the end of December 2019 for our March 2020 trip, and found flights via Air France for $285 roundtrip per person. (Air France has since issued us vouchers for those tickets.) From what I've seen, flights around $350 are a good deal, and flights under $300 are a great deal.
The trip takes about 7 hours and 30 minutes. Our luggage routine includes carry-on only suitcases, a laptop loaded with movies, an audio splitter, and a Nintendo Switch for playing Mario Kart. With these items, some granola bars, and a nap here and there, a trip across the ocean in economy seats can be quite manageable.
CDG is about an hour by train from Paris. Taking public transportation (which we did) would include rides on the airport shuttle, the RER train, and the Paris Metro. Not as complex as it may sound.
Getting Around
During our trip, we walked, rode the metro, and called Ubers in order of frequency of use. Paris is very walkable, which means that you can traverse several miles a day without really noticing. Because the weather was so beautiful when we were there, we often chose to get around on foot so that we could see more of the city.
The metro is very convenient as well, but compared to the NYC subway, I was surprised by how close together (i.e. inefficiently spaced) the stations were. You can actually see the station before and after yours if you peer down the tunnel in either direction! Sometimes we'd check Google Maps and find that going on foot and taking the metro to a destination would take the same amount of time.
Between the two of us, we used two 10-packs of metro tickets over the course of a week (10-packs are cheaper per ride than single tickets). For future reference, Paris recently announced a phase-out of paper tickets, moving to a Metrocard-like refillable pass called Navigo Easy which we'll look into next time.
We also saw many people zipping around on rented scooters. It's something we may try as well.
Where We Stayed
For this trip, we thought it would be interesting to experience staying in two different neighborhoods. We began in an AirBnB in Le Marais and switched accommodations mid-week to Hotel Monge in the 5th arrondissement (also known as the Latin Quarter) on the Left Bank.
Kev found our AirBnB, a quirky place with a little Juliet balcony, not-quite level floors, a lofted bed, and an adorable, diminutive kitchen. We had to go up and down stairs in the flat to go from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen and living area, which added to the charm. The location turned out to be even better than we’d hoped. It was right at the edge of Le Marais, close to a couple of metro lines, and walking distance to many of the places we’d marked on our map.
From our window on the third floor, we had a nice view of the street, Rue de Turenne. We often kept the window shutters open to let the breeze and neighborhood sounds waft in. Our friend Kim, who’d moved from Brooklyn to London earlier in the year, met us for a few days in Paris and serendipitously picked out a place just around the corner. It felt like we were neighbors, which was surreal but also really cool.
We picked Hotel Monge as our second place to stay, a well-rated boutique hotel in the Latin Quarter. This place also has a hammam that you can book for private sessions, which I took advantage of, with inky black tiles that were lit with tiny dots of LED lights like the night sky. I really liked it here.
On this trip, we liked the Le Marais location more, mostly due to our AirBnB's proximity to several restaurants, sights, and shops that we'd wanted to check out.
Late mornings and later nights
While dinner reservations are typically available from 6pm on, we noticed that the heart of the dinner rush is usually later in the evening. The restaurants we visited seemed most busy as we were leaving around 8pm or later. In the evening, from our window over Rue de Turenne, we could see the crowd at the bistro on the corner, with people lingering over glasses of wine, stretching dinner until well past 11pm.
Mornings on this trip weren't as early as we typically like for them to be when we travel, but it felt right for where we were. Something about the vibe in the city nudged us to take it easy, and though we mostly obliged, we still ended up packing a lot (but not enough!) into the week.
Boot Cafe, a popular hole in the wall coffee shop that was just down the street from our AirBnB, was my preferred first stop of the day while we were in the area. However, I was surprised to learn that it doesn't open for business until 10am, which feels late for a cafe.
What We Did
While there, it seemed that we were often on the go, covering so much ground. And yet, there is so much we didn't see or do that we have on the list for future visits. Below, I cover selected highlights, including places we loved and some that we didn't, with plenty of pictures to go along. One aspect of our experience that I won't get into as deeply here is Parisian dining. It was a major part of why we loved Paris so much and why we're so excited to go back someday. I’ll touch on some of that here, but I’m saving the bulk of it for another post as I think it could otherwise easily overwhelm this recap.
Marché des Enfants Rouges
This market (the oldest covered market in the city, dating back to 1628) was a few minutes from our AirBnB, and our first stop on our first morning. We got a sandwich from Chez Alain Miam Miam, which is not for the faint of heart. Lots of ingredients, a satisfying amount of griddle grease on the bread, and two hands required. I'm not a big-time eater in the morning, but I really enjoyed the few bites I got in.
We arrived just after 10am and the market was not yet crowded. There are twenty or so stalls selling food, produce and other goods in this space. We picked up a bunch of freesia flowers for the apartment and munched on the sandwich on the way back to drop them off.
This market would be a great option for a casual bite, or for provisions for a picnic or a homemade meal. The entrance is unassuming and looks like a driveway behind a green gate. But inside, there are painted walls, compact rows of bench seating, and treasures aplenty to discover. There’s also a beautiful, old door right by the market entrance with a potted garden in front that’s worth a gander.
Montmartre & Pigalle
After the market, we went by metro to Montmartre, heading to the Sacre Couer Basilica high atop the hill, whose wide front steps offer sweeping views of the city below. Because the basilica is a popular tourist attraction, we decided that it would be a quick visit early in the day to try to get ahead of the larger crowds.
We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring the streets of Montmartre, visiting the Wall of Love, grabbing a baguette from Pain Pain and an espresso from Cafe Tabac, and checking out the photobooth I'd marked on the map (alas, it was out of order).
We made our way down the hill and into the neighborhood of Pigalle, passing by the Moulin Rouge. We stopped at hotel Le Pigalle, near the Pigalle metro station, for a quick break and a glass of wine, sitting at a small curbside table and people watching for a little bit.
Before heading back to Le Marais for lunch and to meet Kim, who'd arrived earlier in the day, our last stop in this area was the Musée de la Vie Romantique. It's a tiny museum located down a cobblestone alleyway. Upon entering, we found cottages from the 1830s with sage green shutters and rosebushes in the courtyard. The garden is open for tea and coffee, with the cafe counter located in the greenhouse. The museum is small enough to see in under 20 minutes, and entrance is free. If you're in the area, I would recommend stopping by for a peek.
Montmartre and Pigalle are two areas I'd love to see more of, as we only had a short time there on this trip. The sloped streets make for a very different feel from the other arrondissements, and we saw plenty of adorable boutiques and eateries on offer. Plus, I'm hoping they will have fixed up the photobooth by the next time we go.
The Seine
After a shared plate of Japanese curry at Pontochoux back in Le Marais, we had a couple of hours of free time before our dinner reservation at Au Passage at 7:30.
We walked down to the Siene, and though we'd been in Paris only about 24 hours, I remember thinking that it had taken too long for us to get to the water. Along the way, we made a stop at Kerzon where I picked up a wonderfully summery smelling soap, and another as we passed through the Place des Vosges, a square park lined with trees, with sandboxes for children, a fountain, pups, and picnic-goers. We hung out on a bench there before moving on. It was such a lovely and peaceful place to be.
At the riverside, we picked up a large beer (again, to share - we were saving room for dinner!) from Les Nautes, a popular bar right on the bank, and squeezed into a spot at the edge of the water, our legs dangling over the side. It was crowded in a buzzy way, with people enjoying the warm afternoon, music playing from portable speakers, and river cruises occasionally passing by. The sun was getting low at this point, as golden hour set upon us while we sat by the Seine. I'm pretty sure this was the moment I fell in love with Paris.
The UNESCO World Heritage List includes "Paris, the banks of the Seine" as a site, and if you read the description, you understand that it's listed this way because the history of Paris can be seen from the river. But the banks of the Seine are a beauty unto themselves. A walk along the river will take you across the heart of the city, with pedestrian bridges aplenty to cross and two islands in the middle of the river to explore.
Mostly, I just wanted to hang riverside. On the next day, we went back to hang out there in the evening with Kim, bringing along a bottle of wine and a few mugs from our kitchen to drink it with.
Dinner that night at Au Passage was vegetable centric, amazing, and served up with interesting wines. Afterward, we hung out for a long time at the wine bar Margo on the recommendation of our waitress.
Atelier des Lumières
I was feeling rough the next morning after all of the wine consumed the prior night. However, we had 10am tickets to Atelier des Lumières and so I dragged myself into an Uber and we went.
The exhibit projects light on the walls and floors of factory-sized rooms at a large scale, and featured the art of Van Gogh while we were there. It was cool to see, but didn’t altogether feel like a new way to experience his artwork. I think this format would be awesome for space imagery and videos, or microbiology perhaps, but would skip it otherwise.
Aux Bon Crus
While we were planning the trip, we’d come across a timely New York Times article about a crop of canteen style eateries serving simple, classic French fare for low prices. Interested in trying one, we picked Aux Bon Crus.
Lunch here was indeed no frills. It was solid if not amazing, but I also wasn’t very hungry so we didn’t order a large spread to try. I enjoyed the ambiance greatly: vintage signage, white tablecloths, and a gathering of older gentlemen who were breaking out the bottles of red wine at 12:30 on a weekday. Dining there felt simple, pleasant, and approachable, which is exactly what I'd want in an everyday sort of place.
Musee D’Orsay
We met up with Kim and headed to the Musee D’Orsay next. Crossing the Place de la Concorde, through the Jardin des Tuileries and over the river, we arrived to crowds and live music outside the museum. It was almost too bright to be outside, with sunlight glaring off of the pavement as we waited in line. Our pre-purchased tickets allowed us to enter in just a few minutes' time.
Once inside the three of us fanned out, meandering around and only loosely keeping together through the exhibits. The museum is set in a converted train station which is both more novel and quirkier in person than you'd expect. Amongst the art, I found marble sculptures that awed me, paintings of sunrise over a desert that were maybe the most gorgeous use of color I’ve ever seen (one example pictured above. IRL the color is mesmerizing), and a whole room of fine china vases with intricate animal themed handles and feet that I snapped a few dozen pictures of. This is a museum I’d recommend.
After the museum, we visited one of the city’s covered passageways, picked up wine for the evening, and snacked on pain au chocolat from Maison Kayser and macarons from Lauduree. (Both of these establishments have locations outside of the country, including in NYC.)
L'avant Comptoir De La Mer
Our apéro hour was spent at this seafood wine bar, where we had the best butter of the trip and too little time to eat and drink. Again we were saving ourselves for dinner.
This place offered freshly shucked oysters and clams, simple preparations of all sorts of seafood, and interesting, unusual looking dishes that I would have loved to try had we had the room in our stomachs.
Our waiter was just as disappointed as we were by our small order. It's a must-visit stop for our next trip so that we can give it its due attention... and enjoy some more of that amazing butter.
Clown Bar
My hangover from the prior night was in its last throes as we sat down for dinner at the famed Clown Bar.
So while I was able to enjoy most of it, I still felt off, and didn’t have too much wine or food at dinner.
One dish in particular, a bocce ball sized meat pie with foie gras and duck, was too much for me to even to look at in that state. I couldn’t bring myself to try a single bite of it. A shame, and I'm sorry Clown Bar!
Wine by the Seine
By that evening, I was finally recovered and raring to get back to the riverbank. Kev and I packed up wine, a bottle opener, and some mugs from the AirBnB and met Kim to head over. We found a spot to sit and watched the city lights reflecting off the water. Though we couldn’t see the structure itself, we saw distant western skies lit up by the Eiffel Tower over the buildings behind us.
The trip home was probably the most energized I'd felt all that day. It was after midnight and there was a cozy quiet that had taken hold. How pretty Paris is at night.