Paris Cheapskate Tour: "Amélie" Film Locations

I adore the film Amélie, which catapulted Audrey Tautou to international fame and gave millions of people the urge to come swoon in Paris. If you're also a fan of the movie, why not take yourself on a charming little walking tour of Montmartre and check out all the locations where the movie was filmed? Here is a step-by-step guided tour you can follow.

Free Art: Musée Carnavalet's Permanent Collection

There are tons of ways to enjoy Paris art for free, from galleries to free museum Sundays, but many of Paris' loveliest museums boast permanent collections that are free to visit every single day. My personal favorite is the Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to the cultural history of Paris.

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).

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.

Paris Cheapskate Summer Music 2013

Coucou mes cheries! As a celebration of all the nice weather, all the free concerts and movies, all the maxin' and relaxin' we've had the chance to do this summer in Paris, I made y'all a little playlist of all the fun summer songs I've been listening to on repeat since June. The list features such chillax artists as Rhye, Summer Camp, Breakbot, Dent May and my two new favorites Kindness and  Majid Jordan. Enjoy!

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.

Paris Cheapskate + Google Field Trip

Super exciting news - Paris Cheapskate has partnered up with Google as a contributor to their awesome new Field Trip app for Android and iPhone. Field Trip is like having a slew of personal tour guides to show you around a new city (or even your hometown), culling material from blogs and websites dedicated to the city you're in. It shows you recommendations for things to see, places to go, and the city's best restaurants, bars, museums, you name it, from the city's hippest insiders. Best of all, it remembers your preferences so if you are particularly interested in saving money while traveling to Paris, well, you'll see a lot of Paris Cheapskate pop up on your Field Trip. It runs in the background of your smart phone and when you approach something it thinks you would like, it alerts you with details about the awesomeness nearby.

This is one of the best apps you can get for discovering a city, and I don't say that just because I'm a proud partner. I'd recommend downloading Field Trip whether or not you're in Paris, because the app works in cities all over the world, and, of course, because it's FREE. Download Field Trip now and let's explore!

Paris Lit Up Open Mic Nights

Paris has a long tradition of attracting expat writers to its cobblestone streets and intimate drinking spaces. Even today, there's a booming community of writers wandering the streets of the city. The organization Paris Lit Up seeks to connect these writers and keep visitors and expats informed of the many various goings-on in the Paris literary community. They've even created a weekly open mic night at the fab (and very cheap) Belleville bar Culture Rapide.

Cheap Art: 59 Rivoli

(Jazz Pas Grave at 59 Rivoli)

The artists' squat 59 Rivoli is always hoppin', always creative and always open to the public. Having just passed their 13th anniversary in a building formerly abandoned by Crédit Lynonnais, the now-legal squat is full of studios where artists work (some permanently, some in residence for 3-6 months) and display their art. Passing by the space, prominently situated on rue de Rivoli with massive windows into the gallery, you might find a new exhibition being opened (which happens every two weeks) or a free concert going on (each weekend).

Pro Tip: Free Wi-Fi in Paris

(Why hello, monsieur. Image via Antipodes)

Sure, lots of cafés and stores have wi-fi for you to connect easily and check your email while you're munching on that pain au chocolat. But did you know there's free wi-fi (pronounced wee-fee in French, totally adorable) all over Paris? Think parks, town halls (like the Hôtel de Ville), libraries and museums. If you've ever been out and about in the city and wanted to check your email or flight status, or ever gotten into an argument about which Bill played the president in "Independence Day" (it's Pullman, not Paxton, I promise), or if you've ever been in Jardin du Luxembourg and thought, "This day sure is beautiful but I miss my computer screen," here's how to gain free access from your cellie or laptop, via Paris.fr:

Discovering Street Art with Urbacolors

Street art is like a free gift to the world, a little something that can brighten your day, open your mind, make you laugh, or just jolt you out of the humdrum of everyday life and better notice the world around you. I'm of the opinion that there's a difference between graffiti and street art - one is a scribble that defaces a hundreds-of-years-old sculpture in a park, and the other is the expression of true creativity that adds value, beauty, humor and/or political commentary to the structures that form our cities. If you're into street art, and you have a smartphone, you've got to download the free app Urbacolors.

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.

Free Music - Your Soundtrack to Riding Trains

I love cinematic music - tunes that swell with your heart and make you feel as though you have your own personal soundtrack. Maybe that's why I also love making mix CDs, to create those moments for myself. For a recent trip to the south of France, I made myself this little mix to listen to while riding the train, and it is so swoony I had to share the list with you! It's perfect for road trips, train trips, or any kind of traveling that involves watching the world pass by your very eyes as the landscape changes and telephone poles go whipping past in rhythm to the beat in your ears.

* Note: I'm giving away copies of this collection to anyone who asks! Just email me at parischeapskate (at) gmail! 

1. Zebra - Beach House
2. Excuses - The Morning Benders
3. Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second (Strategy Remix) - Starf**ker
4. True Loves - Hooray For Earth
5. California Sunrise - Dirty Gold
6. Vocal Chords - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
7. Yeah! Oh Yeah! - The Magnetic Fields
8. Cold War - The Morning Benders
9. Om Nashi Me - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
10. Hands - Alpine
11. Random Firl - Late of the Pier
12. Don't Look Away - The Helio Sequence
13. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison
14. In the Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
15. Postcards From Italy - Beirut
16. Mahgeeta - My Morning Jacket
17. Do You Realize? - The Flaming Lips
18. California - Delta Spirit

Free Art: Portes Ouvertes

If you love art, love discovering new artists, and dig the "gallery walk" experience, step it up a notch and take advantage of Paris' periodic "portes ouvertes," where you can wander a neighborhood checking out artists' ateliers and newest wares. Read all about it over at Girls' Guide to Paris.

PS - the artist squat 59 Rivoli have their portes ouvertes Tuesday through Sunday all year!

Pro Tip: How To Survive A Free Museum Sunday

 (1/25th of the line at Musée d'Orsay)

Paris' Free First Sundays at some of its biggest museums is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have to deal with shoulder-pushing crowds of people and lines so long they eventually become hilarious. On the other hand, dude, it's free. This weekend boasts one of those Sundays. Here's how to survive the former in order to enjoy the latter.

Entendu: Great French Radio

Obviously, I love music. With online French radio, I can kill two birds with one stone: improving my French and keeping up with the best new tunes. Here are a few of my favorite internet stations to listen to:

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.