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.

Paris Cheapskate Tours

 

I know you love Paris Cheapskate, but do you wish you could just have a cheapskate to show you around town? Kinda like your very own portable cheapskate guidebook, except alive and warm and witty? Good news: Paris Cheapskate tours are now available, during which you can benefit from my Paris expertise on a variety of topics.

Choose from:

- The "Amelie" Tour of Montmartre

- Best Thrift Stores in the Marais

- Macaron Hunting

 

If you're interested in participating in one of the above Paris Cheapskate tours for your next trip to Paris, contact me for pricing and availability at: parischeapskate (at) gmail (dot) com and let's set up a cinematic walk around Montmartre, a cheapo shopping excursion or a sugar-filled bounce around town.

JOUR DU MACARON 2013

(A transcendant experience from last year's Jour du Macaron, the chocolate-foie gras mac at Pierre Hermé)

Okay you guys, I'm trying hard to contain my excitement, but my anticipation for the annual Jour du Macaron is just too awesome to stifle. Thanks to genius (and my favorite macaron maker) Pierre Hermé, every year on the first official day of spring, macaron shops all over Paris celebrate the little pastry by giving them away for (basically) FREE. By (basically) I mean you are required to donate to a charity, but come on. 1) As if that's so bad and 2) You can just give a few coins if you like.

Cheap Eats: La Muraille du Phenix

It's an unfathomable thought: a three-course meal in Paris for 6€? A three-course meal anywhere for 6€? It just couldn't be possible! But when heard whispers of the incredible deal available at La Muraille du Phenix, I knew I had to try it for myself. And, it turns out, this may be the cheapest meal in Paris.

Cheap Shopping: La Petite Boutique

Wandering around the 6e arrondissement the other day, I stumbled upon the most adorable little shop on rue St. Andre des Arts - La Petite Boutique. This place has tons of great and well-priced cards, postcards, jewelry and knickknacks that would make equally great souvenirs or general additions to your home or office.

Sponsored Post: Parlez Le Français With EasyFrench

("L'Information Scolaire" by Robert Doisneau via Blogzoom)

*Note: This post was written on behalf of EasyFrench

If you’re planning a trip to France, you might be wondering how best to learn some French language skills in order to make your time here more pleasant (not to mention easier when that cutie asks you for directions). In the age of the Internet, there are tons of ways to learn a new language, but nothing compares to the tailor-made experience of a real class. Language classes used to be inflexible things around which you had to build your life, but not anymore. Who has time for that? If you choose your class method wisely, learning French can be both fun and easy. That’s the goal of EasyFrench, which tailors its teaching methods to fit your lifestyle.

The Museum of Everything

(image via Museum of Everything)

The Museum of Everything. Sounds pretty all-encompassing, right? This traveling exhibition started in London but has popped over to Italy, Russia and now Paris with its exposition of "undiscovered, unintentional and untrained artists from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries." Which begs the question:

What the hell does that mean?

Cheap Art: "Correspondances"

(Stephen Antonakos, "The Package Project," via Artyficielle)

I am a true sucker for mail. I love getting it, I love giving it, I love all its inherent proof that the world is small and traversable. I love the look of it, and the beautiful surprise of finding a note of hello in my little mailbox when I least expect it.

But there are people who take mail to the next level. People like my friend Stephanie Land, an incredible artist, photographer and printmaker who hand-makes stationery and writes the most wonderful and timely notes, and whose mail is regarded amongst its recipients as true art. I thought of her this weekend as I visited Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton's Correspondances exhibit on the Champs-Élysées.

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.