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.

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€.

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!

Pro Tip: MyTable Online Restaurant Reservations

(Still from one of my favorite Seinfeld scenes)

So, I have been in Paris for well over a year now and though my language skills have vastly improved, there's one occasion on which I always, always panic: making reservations at a restaurant. All my French seems to fly right out the window as I'm hunched forward, eyes squeezed shut, trying very hard to listen and understand the host or hostess on the other end asking me simple questions, like, say, my name. 

Pro Tip: Cosem Paris Walk-In Clinics

(It won't be like this... but the Google Image Search was too awesome. Illustration via Pulp International)

Here is one Paris pro tip that seemed too important not to share but one I hope you'll never need: how to find non-emergency medical help in Paris.

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.

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:

Pro Tip: Coffee For 1€ Or Less!

One of the greatest pleasures of Paris is sitting at a café, uninterrupted for hours, watching people go by for the price of a cup of coffee. I must admit it's my favorite Paris activity. Yet many Paris visitors balk at the price of a measly (and admittedly, often not gourmet) cuppa joe. Luckily, there's a handy map that's been making the rounds that easily and accurately pinpoints the cheapest places in Paris to get an espresso - namely for 1€ or less.

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.

Pro Tip: Café Gourmand

If you have a short dessert attention span, or if you like to share, or if you can never decide on just one dessert, or if you're short on cash (all of the above describe me), then here's a Paris Pro Tip: order a café gourmand. Usually comprised of an espresso and smaller portions of 3-5 desserts (depending on which size you get), these platters give you the option of trying several sweet thangs without breaking the bank. Usually they're even cheaper than a full dessert (plus you get the coffee!). It's almost too good to be true.

The above selection, composed of a delicious dark chocolate mousse and chantilly, a caramel flan, and a decadent slice of coconut-vanilla cake drenched in chocolate sauce, plus coffee, set me back 5,50€ at a pretty touristy café in Bercy Village at which all other dishes were damn pricey (hello, 14€ croque monsieur). I think the café gourmand is the sweetest secret in Paris. Have you ever had one?

On Being A Cheapskate

(photo by Rebeca Brown)

Did you ever wonder what it takes to pull up roots and move to Paris? What kind of insanity, and how long saving your money it would take? If you want to know how I did it, my story's over at The Billfold. Hope you enjoy!

Sponsored Post: French Phones Made Easy (With A Giveaway!)

 (illustration via One Day In May)

When you’re coming to Paris, whether you’re a visitor or student, you dream of all the lovely things you’ll be doing in the city: eating croissants, seeing great art, making eyes at the handsome locals. What you never dream of are the little logistics that make life in the city possible, like, using your phone. Should you pay exorbitant roaming fees? Attempt to navigate the local phone companies (which can be tricky and are always completely in French)? So many people just stick to texting because they’re afraid of the crazy fees associated with calling from their regular cell phone. Luckily, the folks at Paris Hospitality (a great resource for short-term Paris rentals) have come up with a solution that takes the guesswork out of using your phone in France.

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.

Pro Tip: The Seine as 5th Avenue

(Paris map via Plan de Paris)

When I lived in New York, I took much comfort in the grid system, a concept Paris streets laugh heartily at. Also in New York, I knew that 5th Avenue was as close to a Main Street as we got, since all parallel addresses increased in number the further away from 5th that you went. Luckily, I've learned a little tip about Paris that is equally useful:

Consider the Seine to be your Fifth Avenue. All addresses leading away from the Seine increase in number. (So, right bank: increase northward, left bank: increase southward). Also, addresses running from east/west increase with the flow of the Seine (westward). So if you ever get disoriented or are unsure which direction you're walking when you come out of the Métro, take note of the surrounding addresses and it will (hopefully) help you feel a bit more centered in the City of Lights.

Pro Tip: The Student I.D.

This might be the biggest Cheapskate move I've ever pulled, aside from putting water in the shampoo bottle to make it last. It has been... quite awhile since I was a college student. But I still have my student I.D., and luckily 1) it doesn't have an expiration date and 2) I still (somehow) look enough like my photo to still use it. A lot of people make the mistake of ditching their I.D. after graduation in a flurry of scholastic freedom, but I've been surprised at how long mine has lasted and continues to serve me! I get reduced prices for almost every museum in Paris (but be prepared to face the occasional request for proof of your birthdate).

I know it might not be the most completely ethical move on my part, but if you still have your student I.D., I would definitely recommend keeping it, and using it! After all, aren't we always simply students of life?

The Indispensable Plan De Paris

I know we live in the digital age and all, and that a lot of people have iPhones to help them out when they get lost. But what if you don't have an iPhone, or if it just isn't loading when you're in a jam, or if you're like me and love to get a little bit lost? To me, one of my most prized possessions is the Plan de Paris Par Arrondissement.