Cheap Thrills: Hôtel de Ville

(Photo via Wikipedia)

When my mom first came to Paris, we were in the Marais and as we walked past the Hôtel de Ville, I pointed it out to her and she said, "Wow, I wish we were staying in THAT hotel!"

Easy mistake, but it's not, of course, a hotel at all... the "hôtel de ville" of any French town is the city center or town hall. It's where you go to sort out administrative woes and pick up brochures for what's happening around town. But Paris takes the concept much further and its Hôtel de Ville goes way beyond its definition as a city center. This magnificent structure has been around since the 1357 and is so much more than "the city's local administration" (as Wikipedia has described it).

THATLou: Paris Treasure Hunts at the Louvre

(We didn't even get bonus points for this. We just liked the look of it.)

When Daisy de Plume was growing up in New York, her mother would take her to art museums like the Met. To keep her interested, engaged and well-behaved, Mum would create games for Daisy to play that focused on the art, often with monetary incentives. Years later, living in Paris and armed with an art history degree, Daisy's wanderings around the Louvre inspired the familiar feeling of associating art with reward. Wouldn't it be great to have those games to play in the most famous museum in the world? Thus THATLou, or Treasure Hunt at the Louvre, was born.

Discovering Paris With CROP THE BLOCK

(Video still via CROP THE BLOCK)

When French-born Adrien Degouve was traveling or studying abroad, he wanted a way to show the spirit of Paris to the new friends he met. He searched for videos online that captured the essence of the varied Parisian neighborhoods and arrondissements, but found many of them were of amateur quality. So, like any good entrepreneur, he saw the opportunity and decided to fill the demand. Thus CROP THE BLOCK was born.

CROP THE BLOCK is a collection of creative, high-quality short videos that highlight the unique beauties of neighborhoods around Paris. Ranging from documentary style to short fictions, each video is created by a different local filmmaker or "cropper" who knows the area intimately and shows it from his or her own joyful and enthusiastic perspective. One video shows a man rollerblading around the iconic pyramid of the Louvre to the sounds of electropop, while another features a charming and witty host to tell us all about Place d'Italie (while saving us from boring history lectures). Still another depicts two young lovers in black and white on the Seine in the style of Agnès Varda. My favorite is this clever montage by Camille Lorente and Lucie de Ribier of the colorful and diverse Château Rouge area, featuring a pair of shoes that undergo a cool transformation:

This is an awesome site because anybody with an interest in or tie to Paris can enjoy it. Whether you're a proper Parisian and want to see fascinating new takes on the neighborhoods of your city, or if you're an expat or traveler who wants to discover a new 'hood, or a Francophile who just wants to spend an afternoon living vicariously through a group of talented filmmakers in Paris, CROP THE BLOCK is THE digital way to experience Paris, and soon they'll be expanding to feature other cities around Europe and hopefully, eventually, the world. Check out the site to watch all the films.

The Paris High Line: Promenade Plantée

One of the few things to do in Paris in August, one thing that doesn't close and holds all the magnificence of summer, is the Coulée verte, or Promenade Plantée. Preceding NYC's Highline by sixteen years, the Promenade Plantée operates on the same idea: an elevated railway gone to waste and reclaimed by city planners, clever landscape designers, and Mother Nature.

An Ode To The Almighty Baguette, And Where To Get It In August

I won't try to give you a comprehensive list of the best baguettes of Paris, because wiser foodie sites than mine have already done it. But I will say that this is the cheapest thrill possible, maybe in all of life. There is nothing like the French baguette.

Pro Tip: Paris Bike Sharing With Vélib'

(Thug life! There's no way a Parisian driver won't see me)

When the weather's good and the Métros are too stuffily hot or crowded to bear, the absolute best way to get around Paris is in the Vélib'. This clever bike-sharing system makes wheeling around town easy and, best of all, affordable. There are over 1,200 Vélib' stations and 18,000 shared bikes in Paris, making it the world's 3rd-largest bike sharing system. It used to be a hassle to use the bikes for just a day, but now you can take out a bike on a one-day pass for just 1,70€.

Cheapskate Special Deal: Pictours Paris

(Photo courtesy of Pictours Paris)

My friend and fellow expat Lindsey Kent has the perfect job: one that takes advantage of both her talent, her passion and her temperament, is completely unique, and is perfectly suited to her adopted city. As the founder of Pictours Paris, Lindsey goes around town with visitors and takes photos of them on their Paris travels, capturing moments in front of some of the city’s most beautiful monuments as well as its hidden nooks and crannies. Photographing lovers and newlyweds as well as families and groups of girlfriends, Lindsey has seen it all in the City of Light.

Cheap Thrill: Paris Postcards To Your Future Self

As you may already know, I'm kind of a postcard fanatic. The only kinda-problem is that most of the postcards I send out I secretly wish I were receiving, because they're simply so beautiful. So here's a fun idea for a cheap souvenir: send your future self Paris postcards.

The Single Girl's Guide to Valentine's Day In Paris

(Audrey Hepburn in Montmartre, via The Times)

Personally, I think that Paris is the perfect city to be a woman alone. French women are respected for having their own strength, and nobody here looks at you twice if you're sitting at a café on your own. Indeed, the City of Light is a wonderful place to find yourself if you're an independent lady. That being said, it's still Paris and come Valentine's Day, there's no way to avoid the romantic masses crowding the city. If you're a lady chillin' toute seule or with your girlfriends in Paris on Valentine's Day, here are a few ideas to make it a night to remember. (Also applies to my single guy readers, too... :-)


EAT - At all costs, avoid fancy restaurants (particularly near the Eiffel Tower). You will never get a table, sorry babes. Instead, why not eschew tradition for the night and hit up one of Paris' more ethnic eateries? I recommend the incredible falafel at L'As du Fallafel or the vegetarian platter at Muniyandi Vilas (both meals less than 10€).

DRINK - You're not the only singleton in this city, you know - don't forget that Valentine's is a great night to hunt down the hotties. Head to the bar at Chez Jeannette in the 10e arrondissement, where the music is great and the crowd looks like an open audition for the Strokes. This place is consistently full of cuties, right down to the three hipster bartenders.

WATCH - If you want to keep things low-key, head to Le Champo and catch a film in whichever retrospective they're running. In the past they've celebrated beloved filmmakers from Tim Burton to Roman Polanski to the Coen brothers. Another fab cinema is Le Nouveau Latina, which shows flicks for 5€ every day at noon and has a comfy cinephile café upstairs.

SOCIALIZE - One year I spent Valentine's night at a Franglish meeting, where not only did I get to improve my French and meet some new friends, but since it was a certain evening, everyone knew everybody else present was single. The night had less the feeling of a manhunt and more the recognition that yep, we're all single here, let's have drinks together and fumble to speak each other's language.

If there are no Franglish meetings happening, check out Meetup and find an event that sounds like it'd be fun to hit, like the "Without Valentine Masquerade Party." Other possibilities for the night are a jazz and poetry session, or - deep breath - karaoke.

When all else fails, DANCE - Rex Club. Barrio Latino. La Peña. Go, sweat, frisk, feel good.

5 Under 5€ : Kate Neary

My friend Kate Neary runs the lovely fashion-etc. blog Thrill of the Chaise and has been spending the last month in a dream-state here in Paris. This week we're doing a guest-post exchange! Check out her post below and look for mine on Thrill of the Chaise. 

Paris is a place to escape to and explore. And though it is also a place where spending money can be as easy as walking out the door, this city offers people like you and me (a fully grown fashion student embarking on a complete career change) so much to do, see, eat and buy at pretty reasonable prices if you keep your eyes out for it. So if you're up for a bit of an adventure, I've done some of the groundwork for you. Here are my five things to do under 5 euros in Paris:

Do It Right: The Perfect Picnic

It's finally, officially here: proper picnic season. With the emergence of the sun and glitteringly warm, long days, now is the perfect time to get yourself to a patch of grass with some good eats, good drinks and good friends. But before you grab a sandwich at a boulangerie and head to any old park nearby, take a moment to think about it. Because, like everything else in Paris, there is an art to le pique-nique. Luckily, I have way too much experience and have become an expert in how to achieve the Perfect Picnic.

Cheap Thrill: Postcard Hunt

Pont Arcole

If there are two things in this world I love, they are postcards and wandering. There's nothing more wonderful than getting lost, then finally realizing you know exactly where you are. So in dreaming up some cheap activities for a tourist or expat to Paris (or to anywhere!), I gathered inspiration from the fantastic site Dear Photograph and decided to go on a Postcard Hunt.

Cheap Eats: The French Vending Machine

Today I had a blood sugar meltdown while waiting for the Métro. No problem... when you have the choice between Kinder Bueno, Le Petit Écolier and Balisto bars, a moment of panic becomes a moment of opportunity.

Cheap Thrill: Shakespeare And Company

(photo via versindaba.co.za)

I've always longed for a place to go where I could read or write in quiet, away from home but just as comfortably, undisturbed, for as long as I want. I could never find the right place in Arizona or even New York... coffee houses are too busy, and bookstores often don't have comfy furniture or - my inner snob emerging - "the right vibe."

All I had to do was come to Paris to find it. It's called Shakespeare & Company.