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?

Cheap Art: Honza Hronek's Collodion Photography

(photo by Honza Hronek)

Like many before him, photographer Honza Hronek first picked up a camera in order to explore the land in front of him, foreign yet familiar, beautiful and waiting to be truly seen. Having moved to England from the Czech Republic at the age of 21, he quickly became connected with the idyllic countryside in a whole new way.

But a move to Paris a year later was the push that Hronek needed to drive him forward in his photography.

Cheap Art: Bernard Villemot

(image via Enjoy Art)

We're constantly bombarded by ads; billboards, magazine spreads and posters are in our faces all the time. Street artist Banksy said that “the thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people." This is certainly true (I used to work in advertising, and I agree). But sometimes the art in advertising outlives the ephemera of whatever is being promoted. That's when the artist behind the image becomes immortal. Such was the case with Bernard Villemot, a French graphic designer in the '50s and '60s whose brilliantly simple designs have stood the test of time, and are now on display at Bibliotheque Forney.

3,90€ Flicks Extended!

(photo via ScreenRush)

Just in time for autumn's onslaught of rainy, chilly days, the Tuesday Movie Deal has been extended! Nearly forever. From now until December 2013, you can pay just 3,90€ for one ticket at Cinéma Gaumont or Pathé - on TUESDAYS ONLY. You must buy the ticket the same day that you're going, between 9:30am and 10:30pm. Click here to buy.

You could see Pauline Détective, Taken 2, Les Seigneurs or one of many films already out, but personally I think I'll wait until November and check out Nous York, this adorable-looking film about a bunch of Frenchies who take to the Big Apple.

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!

The Other Bookstore: The Abbey Bookshop

(note: this post also appears on Paris Cheapskate's partner site, Untapped Paris)

You know I’m obsessed with Shakespeare and Company, the English bookstore situated across the Seine from Notre Dame. But did you know there’s another, tinier, equally charming English-language bookstore just a couple of blocks away? I recently stumbled upon The Abbey Bookshop and was delighted to stock up on some new reads while trying to avoid making every book around me tumble onto the floor.

Cheap Drinks: Café Des Anges

I popped into this lovely little café the other day while walking around just North of the Bastille and discovered the neighborhood gem that is Café des Anges. 

Far from a tourist hangout, you'll usually find the tables occupied by newspaper-reading locals. I haven't tried their food yet, but you can bet I'll be going back: This 25cl of rosé only set me back 5€.

Café Des Anges
66 Rue Roquette, 75011 Paris
Métro: M1, M5, M8 to Bastille

Cheap Shopping: Interloque Junk Shops

Maybe it's my fervent garage-saling background, but I love junk shops: those cluttered, disorganized places guaranteed to make you sneeze from dust and hopefully give you a kitschy knick-knack to go home with for a couple of bucks. New York is full of them, but I never thought I'd find a junk store in Paris. Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon Interloque Ressourcerie.

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.