Search Results for “unglamorous paris”
Ways to beat the Paris heat wave – “la canicule”
Paris is an incredible old city, but one thing it’s not equipped for is the heat. As an American I grew up around a lot of air conditioning, but to be honest, I often found it too much. I have childhood memories of being miserable running an errand with my mom at the grocery store after going to the pool. As an adult I remember seeing a movie in LA where the most memorable thing about the movie for me was how cold I was in the theater! It’s the... Read The Rest →
From Paris to the Moon
Ever dream of a night swim under the light of the moon? It’s possible right now in Paris. Every summer the city of Paris puts together events around town to encourage people to get out and have different experiences, particularly if they can’t afford to go anywhere. Someone on Instagram asked how is Paris so cool? Answer: significant social charges and taxes. 😂 But money well spent if you ask me. Festival Paris l’été (été= summer) is just one of the organizations hosting events around the city. (Paris Plages the Paris “beach”... Read The Rest →
{Un}Glamorous Paris: Chambre de Bonne
Nothing irks me more than when people say I live a charmed life because I live in Paris. Really, there’s a lot of unglamorousness behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to living in Paris apartments. My life is definitely not like you see in the movies! This month marks 7 years I’ve called Paris home since moving here for grad school in 2009. In June I moved into my first “real” Paris apartment. For the first time in 7 years I have my own mailbox and can check my... Read The Rest →
Secrets to Finding an Apartment in Paris
My last couple posts about finding an apartment in Paris have erred on the depressing side (see here + here), so now that I’ve officially moved and am happily installée in my new place, I thought it was time to share what worked – and didn’t work – for me. I’m still standing by my old posts, and would rather go to the Préfecture than to have to find another flat, but let my story be a story of hope. Also, realize my 4 month search for a Paris apartment... Read The Rest →
First Paris Apartment
Over the weekend the latest group of students attending the American University of Paris arrived in town. Hard to believe that was me three years ago. Also hard to believe that since first arriving here I’ve only graduated 2m2 – from 10m2 (110sf) to 12m2 (129sf). My friends here have long bonded over our small living, and I have to say it’s one of the most empowering exercises to have to go through (especially when your age is closer to 30 than to 20). I remember having that naïve dream... Read The Rest →
Paris à la Nage
If you haven’t noticed, I love having new experiences. Swimming has long been a passion of mine (I’m a picsces afterall), and I keep myself entertained – and sane – in Paris swimming pools by writing about said experiences (see here and here – talk about a cultural experience!). So I’m excited to announce that I’ll be swimming my first long distance, open water swim in the Seine on September 2nd. I kind of love telling people because I either get a “that’s awesome” or “eww, that’s disgusting” response. At... Read The Rest →
{Un}Glamorous Paris: Finding an Apartment, part deux
The truth about Paris: it’s all a façade. Here’s why. Over the past few weeks I’ve started looking for a new apartment in Paris. At first it’s a really exciting task, but quickly becomes daunting and painful, and just plain depressing. For instance, there are plenty of unexpected surprises along the way. You waste your time visiting places where when you sit on the toilet your feet are in the shower, or that “courtyard view” that was advertised is in fact a white wall that is 3 meters away... Read The Rest →
{Paris Practique} : French Swimming Pools
The more I say things like “so I was talking to this guy in the shower at the pool,” the more I realize that going to the French swimming pool is a cultural experience I take for granted. The response to this sentence is always, “What!?! The showers are co-ed?” To which I then respond, “Yes, always, and in some cases there are not private showers, and unfortunately you witness some people washing their privates, and even some showers face the swimming pool.” Since my first piece on la piscine... Read The Rest →
Where to Sleep in Paris
Despite the seemingly glamorous life I may lead on the surface online, the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day, I still come home to my beloved 12m2 shoebox. While every now and then I have visions of having a home with more than one room, or my own toilet, I’m amazingly content where I am. However, the part that I hate in my apartment hardly large enough to hold me, is that it doesn’t work for hosting guests. My next line up of visitors... Read The Rest →
{Un}Glamorous Paris: Visitors
If you don’t like being a hostess, you shouldn’t move to Paris. More than anywhere in the world, I’d venture to guess that Paris is the #1 place people will go out of the way to visit you (or even those people you don’t really remember – but who are suddenly your new best friends – will find a way). I’ve stopped counting how many visitors I’ve had pass through Paris in my various stints here. However, I can tell you that in 2003/4 when I lived here, during the... Read The Rest →
