Paris 2013

Oooooohhhh La La…..

I FINALLY made it to Paris!

Russ and I found a sweet Air B’n B in a quaint neighborhood in Paris.  We had an awesome view of the Eiffel Tower AND we had a cat named Zoe for the week!

We did alot of research for this trip as well as getting some helpful tips from friends.  Of course, the first thing we did was climb the Eiffel Tower!  We hit Musee d’Orsay (an old train station that is now an incredible museum), Hotel de Ville, Versaille (day trip), Opera Garnier, Arc de Triomphe, Centre Georges Pompidou (be sure to eat at the restaurant up top..the views and the playlist…unreal!), Ponte Alexandre III, Marche aux Puces (Flea Market…so many great finds), Le Palais de Tokyo (modern art museum that stays open til midnight), Chateau de Malmaison,  Notre Dame, walked the Seine River….this city is SO full of SO many incredible experiences!  It’s endless…I can’t wait to go back!  Just walking around the neighborhoods, it feels like nowhere else but Paris.

We stumbled upon Shakespeare and Company Book Store…a must, if you love books.  The cafes, the wine, the bread, the fashion!  I will tell you, while I was there I saw a coat that I loved but held off on purchasing it.  Thinking I could find something similar at home.  Paris fashion is so ahead of the game!  I wasn’t able to get that coat until 3 years later.  I kid you not!  So, if you fall in love with something over there…BUY IT!  You will be a trend setter here.

Being in Paris slows you down, it encourages you to take it all in and appreciate everything around you.

Russ and I own a music venue, so we like to make it a point to see music wherever we go…I still can’t believe we saw  Lady Gaga in Barcelona on my birthday….SCORE!  The Local Natives were playing at The Bataclan Theatre while we were there.  Our talent buyer knows their manager so he put us on the list…which was super cool!  Thanks Jeff!  It was a great space, it reminded us of our club times 2.  Great show and great crowd.  The one thing that we noticed was that as soon as the band started EVERYONE was silent and TOTALLY into the show.  There was no chatter, there weren’t people  at the bar talking…it was SO respectful to the musicians!  Again, we still have a long way to go!  We’ll get there! Thank you to the Bataclan for having us and thank you to the Local Natives for an incredible show!  How lucky were we to be there!

The subway system in Paris is AWESOME!  Just be sure to hold on to your tickets.  The police check tickets at random.  We got “pulled over” to show them our tickets.  It took Russ a few minutes to find his, which was a bit stressful, because they seem to take it very seriously.  Once he found his ticket…we were ALL good!

We were there in November, again, off season.  The Beaujolais Nouveau Day takes place on the 3rd Thursday in November.  It’s a HUGE celebration!  The wine is released at 12:01am, just weeks after the grapes have been harvested.  Russ navigated through the most incredible neighborhoods to find this particular celebration that was completely off the grid!  It was located behind gates in an alley.  They were serving bean and sausage soup with the new release.  It was SO COOL!

One last thing before I let you go….the food!  We ate at alot of amazing restaurants. You can honestly stop at any cafe in any neighborhood and it will be one of the best experiences you’ve ever had.  Spring was high on the list, be sure to make a reservation well in advance.  The other stand out we actually stumbled upon on our last night.  While we were cruising the streets, we saw this inviting hip bar/restaurant full of beautiful people with a DJ spinning.  We figured, let’s just see.  We went in and it DID NOT look good for us; we didn’t have a reservation, our french isn’t that great AND we are not that hip.  BUT it happened!  The best host ever made everyone move down at the bar so we could squeeze in.  I felt like  I was in a movie, no kidding.  The bartender was so calm, cool and collected..and handsome ;). He made us their signature cocktail, which was divine!  We had an array of seafood platters, including the best ceviche I have ever eaten.  It was the perfect top off to our last night in Paris.  The Seafood Co.