Paris has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, if I could only travel to one place this was it. On the other hand, my darling husband had very different feelings about the city of lights. He had never wanted or entertained the idea of a trip to Paris, or any other major European city, for that matter. We both love an off-the-beaten-path, non-touristy adventure, but, BUT Paris has always held a special, mythical place in my heart. Whenever we would talk about possible trips in the future I would try to slip in a, “maybe we could layover for a few days in Paris en route” scenario, which, was usually met with a “no thanks!”.
So you can imagine my complete and utter shock one winter evening about six months ago, as I was relaxing on the couch reading some book, and Shawn was scrolling his iPad to what I assumed was some hockey blog or draft research. When, he looks up very distraught and says, “I can’t do this by myself!”...“I can’t plan a trip to Paris without your help”. WHAT??? This year was my 50th birthday and our upcoming 10th wedding anniversary, and my husband is the king of grand, romantic gestures! He may have outdone himself on this one.
And so it began, the hours of endless research, where to stay, which arrondissement is best, what to wear, how do we not look like tourists, what about pick-pockets, should we see all the sights, should we spend all of our time in Paris or take some side trips? Really, the possibilities are endless, but in the end, this was our perfect version of a Parisian trip. We wandered endlessly, ate as much as we could, and drank amazing wine, not all of it French!
Here are my Glo’s and Lo’s, Myth’s vs. Reality:
There are many opinions online about which arrondissement is the best neighborhood to stay in, but, it really is individual. You really have to decide what is important to you and your vibe. Paris is a big circle made up of 20 arrondissements, each with its own character, sights, history, and nightlife. Some are overflowing with tourists, some are much further away from all the things than others. A full rundown of the makeup of each arrondissement will be up on my Paris Travel Guide over at www.chefjenskitchen.com. For us a less tourist-infested, charming but centrally located location was key. We wanted to be near nightlife and attractions, but not in the thick of it. We chose the under-the-radar 2nd arr. From there we were within a 30-minute walk to all the main sights, neighborhoods, and museums we were planning on spending our time. The accommodations are very personal, and a lot of people choose the Airbnb option or major hotel. We like a small boutique experience, and I wasn’t planning on cooking, so a hotel was the perfect option for us. Things to consider, many older buildings do not have elevators or air conditioning. We just happened to be in Paris when it was in the 90’s so air was very important to us!
Getting around…everyone will tell you the Metro is the best way to get around Paris, and we had every intention of using the Metro, but the best way to see any city is to walk, you can go to places not accessible by car, bus, or train. So we set out each day in a general direction and because of our central location were able to walk to 95% of where we wanted to go. For the other 5% we found grabbing an Uber or Taxi was a great option for us. Usually, this was at night when we didn’t feel comfortable trying the Metro or heading to dinner in shoes that were not made for walking!
The most fun we had while researching Paris was clothes…there is a lot out there about what Parisians do and don’t wear. Some are very much true and some are the fabric that myths are made of! First off, it was so refreshing to see women dressed in real clothes, not yoga pants, not sweats, no athletic shoes, but dresses, skirts, pants, and shirts. Everywhere were chic blazers and yes of course denim! We had read that Parisian women did not wear open-toed shoes because the streets were so dirty (the streets were very clean, maybe cleaner than I am used to). This may be true in the cooler months, but if you go to Paris in the summer you will find sandals galore, BUT no flip-flops. They are starting to embrace the Birkenstock craze. Heels can definitely be a challenge in Paris, most streets are 400-year-old cobblestone and very uneven, so you see more wedges and block heels, but the seasoned walkers were impressive in their stilettos. Men do typically wear jackets to dinner, but it’s not required, and typically wear pants and not shorts in the city. The other thing to keep in mind if you will be touring churches and cathedrals some require shoulders to be covered and no shorts.
What about pickpockets? You hear a lot about this problem online, and Paris is a very large city with crime like any other major city. You always need to be alert. Especially in the most touristy areas and the Metro. We were also very cautious around cash machines. With that being said, we didn’t have any problems and the police are well stationed. I did have a Parisian woman warn me when I had hung my purse on the back of my chair while sitting at a sidewalk bistro. She said, “Be careful”, and pointed at my bag. Most Parisians keep their bags in their laps including men, as a precaution.
Can we, should we do all the things in our 10-day stay? Well, we could have, but that’s just not how we like to travel. Mostly we care about food, and drinks of course…duh! Typically, we like to leave 3 or 4 days, depending on how long our trip is, free, for spontaneous exploration. And the rest of the days only one scheduled thing. There is so much to do in Paris, you really do have to decide what is most important to you and how packed you want your days. We ended up choosing 4 museums, and one of them WAS NOT THE Louvre. I know you are all screaming at your screens right now. How could we not? Well, the Louvre is beautiful on the outside and we did wander the gardens and pyramid and we went down into The Carousel and saw the upside-down pyramid, but because the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world it is insanely busy, and we had no desire to try and jockey our way through this massive monument. I also knew what artists were most important to me. I’m an impressionist junky, Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Van Gogh, Picasso, etc. So Musée de l’Orangerie, and Musée d’Orsay were where it was at. All the details of our visit will be up on my Paris Travel Guide over at www.chefjenskitchen.com. The Eiffel Tower at night is stunning and if you have the inclination to wait in line and climb that bad boy, by all means, you should, but again just an up-close viewing was what we wanted. 80% of our time, was walking, wandering, getting lost every day because the streets do not make sense and you think you're going in the right direction, but remember, Paris is a circle and they don’t all meet up!
We did take a day trip to Versailles, which, I highly recommend, and do it with a guide for maximum effect. We took a bike tour that gave us the opportunity to see the city of Versailles as well as the grounds of the palace. The guides are very knowledgeable about the history and give you insights you would miss on your own. We considered other day trips, Marseilles, Brussels, and London, but there is so much to see and do in Paris, that 10 days barely scrapes the surface.
As a culinary professional, I had always thought Paris was the IT spot for food inspiration. The markets, the fresh impeccable produce, cheeses, meats, french chefs! We had some amazing meals while in Paris, but, surprisingly I didn’t have a lot of aha…I’ve never tasted anything like this moments. But, let’s start with the Glo’s: the cheeses ARE divine! The markets are incredible, just that every neighborhood has a cheese shop, charcuterie shop, butcher, seafood shop, and fresh produce stands. It’s incredible.
In culinary school, you learn about all these old-school French chefs that paved to way for our current cuisine, and I could have really cared less about visiting their Michelin-starred restaurants. To be honest, a lot of chefs in America have replicated what they’ve done in a very good way. I wanted to visit the up-and-comers, paving new paths, maybe turning their noses up at the Michelin guide. And, those meals were inspiring, spectacular, and worth the visit. These are places you will want to make reservations and most of them have online reservation systems that make it easy. Remember, this is Europe, dinner service does not start until 7:30 pm.
All over the streets of Paris are Brasseries and Cafes and these are open all day and late into the night, just walk up and grab a table on the sidewalk, if you are not sure grab the eye of a server and hold your hand up with the number of people and they will point you to a table. The food will be French, it will be consistent, but underwhelming. The wine is amazing, and surprisingly, they don’t always suggest French wines. We also had some amazing Pinot Noirs that tasted nothing like what I am used to a Pinot being. When we couldn’t stomach another French meal we tried and loved Mexican and Vietnamese spots.
The Lo’s, they love Italian food, I don’t think they do it well, frites are just okay, and portions are much larger than I expected. Also, I did not have one great salad the entire trip. And, I know we’re used to great coffee coming from Seattle, and I am not talking about the one that’s on every corner around the world, but French coffee is really bad. There I said it!
Lastly, you can’t pay me any amount of money in the world to drive, ride a bike or scooter through the streets of Paris. I don’t understand the rules, don’t know how hundreds of people aren’t dying every day in automobile accidents, it’s insane, but they all seem to know what they are doing. Just close your eyes and trust your driver is all I can recommend.
All in all, the City of Lights did not disappoint. It was intoxicating, slightly overwhelming, and deliciously deserving of its reputation. 10/10 recommend!
All the details of what we did, how we did it, and where we ate and stayed will be on my Paris Travel Guide at www.chefjenskitchen.com.
Thanks for reading Ya’ll