France Archives - Page 8 of 9

Finding Paris in Florida

July 30, 2020

Finding Paris in Florida

Dress || Wedges || Handbag || Earrings || Bracelet

Disclaimer: I had fully intended on posting this on July 14th, in honor of Bastille Day, France’s national holiday. But July has really gotten away from me, and it meant slowing down the blog to focus on new opportunities. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing lots of good news in the upcoming weeks. Anyways, when I ventured to France last year with my best friend, I instantly fell in love. Paris lived up to all of my expectations and then some. So much so, I’m constantly looking for tiny pieces locally to recreate the City of Light. This list is quick and will work no matter where you live, but here are my favorite ways to find Paris in Florida.

Start the day with petit déjeuner

On my trip to Paris last year, one of my favorite moments was starting the day with a French style breakfast. It included either fresh croissants or baguettes, butter, honey, black coffee, and a side of fruit. That’s all it takes and is extremely easy to recreate stateside. Just in case the mood strikes me, I always keep salted French butter on hand. It honestly makes a huge difference! Right now Echire is my favorite brand. Drizzled with orange blossom honey and I’m in food heaven.

Play the right musique

When I first started working from home, I quickly realized the importance of great background music. It keeps me focused and hyper productive. In the past, I’ve turned to Mo-town, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong. Now, I’ve added French oldies to that list. It instantly transports me to walking the streets of Paris. I’ll even listen to it while in the car, which gets me some strange looks when my windows are rolled down.

Eat at your local French restaurant

In recent years, I think French cuisine has become more attainable and less intimidating. Restaurants dedicated to all things French have started to pop up more. I bet you’ll find one in or near your own town. While there are a few choices locally, I think the most authentic experience would come from Left Bank Bistro in St. Pete. Not only does it offer stellar French food, but it also tries to create an atmosphere reminiscent of the 1920s, when Hemingway and Picasso called Paris home. My favorite dishes would have to be either Coq au Vin or Beef Bourguignon.

Try to dress the part

Parisienne style is equal parts effortless and sophisticated. It’s easy to identify, but surprisingly difficult to replicate. While I wouldn’t call myself an expert, I would say it comes down to simplicity. French women rarely wear flashy logos or invest in trendy pieces. Instead, they stick to high-quality, timeless items in a more neutral color palette. A good place to start would be shopping Sezane, a Paris-based answer to Madewell. It would also help to add nautical striped tees, a la Saint James, or espadrilles wedges to really capture French summer chic. Another good question to ask is, “What would Coco Chanel do?”

Have a French wine night

It’s the summer time, and I know that rosé is all the rage for the season, but I still prefer my white or red. The list of French wines is long: Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot. Either pick one type to focus on or pick a variety from a favorite region. Whatever you land on, I recommend accompanying it with a charcuterie board with French cheese and bread. Especially if you’re hosting, it will wow your guests as if you were dining on Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

Add France to your shower and makeup routine

Have you seen French women recently? There are simply gorgeous and have such a natural glow about them. A lot can be said about fantastic genetics, but it made me investigate French beauty products. Over the course of the year, I’ve been trying to swap for some Parisian counterparts and I’ve loved the results so far. I feel fresher and more confident to let my own complexion shine through. It also helps that they smell amazing. Start by looking at Le Petit Marseillais for all of your shower needs. Their shower gel leaves me smelling like Vanilla for the entire day.

Brush up on the language

My secret wish is to be a polyglot, or someone who speaks multiple languages. Daily, I play on DuoLingo, jumping from French to Italian to Spanish. Before my trip to Paris last year, I took a few months to study the language. While I was no where near fluent, or even conversational, it made a huge difference in how I was perceived as a tourist. Dang it, I tried, and I think it was very appreciated by the locals. I hope the next time I go to France, I’ll have some more advanced skills in my repertoire.

Book your trip

Nothing makes Paris come more alive and tangible than booking that trip. I know, I know, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to visit anytime soon, but pencil something in. Even if it’s the end of 2021, you’ll be floating on a French Cloud 9 and have plenty of time to prepare. You just have to check out Wit and Whimsy. Meghan is an NYC based blogger, but her heart is always in Paris. She even offers personalized itineraries for your trip and is such a great resource!

Staying in Florida for such a long period of time, and having to cancel several international trips along the way, has heightened my sense of wanderlust. While no one truly knows when travel will get back to normal, I look forward to when I can revisit Paris, hopefully with David in tow, on a much needed European escape. Until then, I’ll do my best to find Paris in Florida.

Love from Florida,
Katie

Thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Snapshots from Paris

August 5, 2019

Snapshots from Paris

Paris, France, Travel, City Guide, Europe, Travel Blogger

How I Traveled:

To make things easier, and a little bit cheaper, for myself, I decided to piecemeal my flights to and from Paris. Admittedly, paying a small fortune for flights always stresses me out. Luckily, flying from NYC gave me a whole slew of options. Newark Airport is the farthest from my apartment in the Upper East Side and wasn’t my first pick. However, I found the best deals from a lot of smaller, French owned airlines.

On the way out I took a late night flight from Level Airlines. Since I ordered the minimum ticket, it seemed pretty minimalistic. The saving grace was that this particular flight was nearly empty and I had plenty of room to stretch out and sleep for the majority of my flight.

On the way back I took XL Airways, another French airline. This flight was positively packed and a little cramped, but I nestled up next to my window. When it comes to cross-Atlantic flights, trying to sleep as long as possible is my number one piece of advice. It definitely helps the time fly by.

Where We Stayed:

I already mentioned my love for our hotel in my previous Paris blog post, here. Staying at the Hôtels des Grands Boulevards was a dream! The hotel’s simplicity and Art Deco vibe made for a unique pairing that effortlessly matched the feel of the city. Our room was small and cozy, but opened up to the hotel’s courtyard. Who needs a radio when your ambient sound is the music and chatter coming from the hotel’s welcoming bar?

Where We Ate:

In the neighborhood we stayed, the 2nd Arrondissement, I would be shocked if there was a bad restaurant to be found. The two streets we frequented the most, the Rue Montmarte and the Rue des Petits Carreaux, were filled with quintessential Parisian cafes.

Aux Crus de Bourgogne. After a long flight and case of jet lag, a good meal is just what I needed to pep up and get ready to go. Getting to this cafe right after the lunch rush, we both enjoyed a frisee salad. They are surprisingly filling and is a recipe I can’t wait to recreate here at home. The best part of eating here was the table of Parisian men sitting next to us. They were a hoot to talk with and offered us glasses of champagne. It acted as a toast to start off an amazing trip.
Restaurant des Petits Carreaux. Our first dinner in Paris was probably my favorite! I ordered the bavette d’aloyau with pommes frites, in English it’s known as a flank steak with french fries. The meal was simple, but absolutely delicious. The restaurant itself was one of those street-side cafes where we could take in people watching and attempting listening to endless French conversation.
Au Rocher de Cancale. I was initially drawn to the beautiful blue exterior of this building, but my meal will have me return again. After snacking on cheese and bread during happy hour, having another salad and glass of Hugo Spritz is just what I needed. Even better, it turns out this restaurant has been open since 1734 and is a historic city staple.

What We Saw:

Although it’s impossible to see all that Paris has to offer in just three short days, I’m pretty sure we got pretty close. While you can take the Metro system that is very similar to the subway system in New York, we opted to put in the miles and walk through the city. During the 18 miles we walked one day, we saw the Louvre, the Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tour, and the Arc de Triomphe. On my return trip to Paris, I will be sure to slow things down, visit more museums, and hopefully explore La Maison Rose in the Montmarte neighborhood.

Where We Shopped:

I couldn’t possibly leave Paris without doing some shopping. What kind of style blogger would I be? If you want to get as much shopping done in a short area, you should definitely make the Vendôme your destination. The plaza itself has many of the classic French designers in one place, including Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. From there, Christian Louboutin, Hermes, and the original Chanel boutique are a short walk away, along with many other flagship stores that you just have to visit. To take a peek of the souvenirs from my trip, be sure to check out my blog post, here.

Oh, sweet Paris! I have dreamed of visiting you for years and years. You live up to every expectations and then some. While I wish that my visit could have been much more extended, I’m so happy to have met you and can’t wait to return soon. Au Revoir is French for goodbye. It also directly translate to ‘I’ll see you again’ and is the perfect sentiment for how I feel about Paris.

Love from NYC,
Katie

For the rest of my exclusive France content, be sure to visit my page here.

French Souvenirs

August 2, 2019

French Souvenirs

Tee || Jeans || Ballet Flats || Crossbody Bag || Silk Scarf (similar) || Earrings || Watch || Bracelet

One of my favorite things about traveling, besides the adventure and food, is bringing back a suitcase full of souvenirs. Paris was no exception. Even though it’s very tempting to make it all about the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe, finding practical mementos is so much more satisfying. Having something from my vacation that I use often is the perfect reminder of a trip well spent. Last year I shared the goodies I brought back from Italy, here. This time around, I want to share my favorite French Souvenirs.

Chanel Flats

Really anything from Chanel will do the trick, especially if you’ve been saving up. If you do decide to splurge on some classic Chanel, then you must do your shopping at 31 rue Cambon. It is home to both Chanel’s Parisian apartment and her first boutique. There, they will treat you like royalty. Being the original store, they have a very extensive collection of items. To really help you stand out, your goodies will be wrapped in white packaging, instead of the traditional black. It’s the only Chanel store in the world that offers it.

Exclusive Perfume

Apart from incredible fashion, if there’s one thing that France is known for, it’s their fragrances. You can pop into so many different designer stores and buy one of their’s. Chances are, you can probably also buy that perfume in the states. Instead, why not spend your Euros on something only available in Paris? While there, my friend introduced me to Fragonard. We marched into their boutique and both came out with a new signature scent. I’ve been spritzing on Belle Chérie everyday and really wish I could have brought home a bigger bottle. They have several stores throughout France, but not one in the US.

Saint James Breton Tops

These iconic striped shirts and sweaters were originally made for the French Navy, and are still being used. Today, they serve as a preppy staple that can be worn all year long. You can’t go wrong with any of their color schemes, but I just love this royal blue long-sleeve option. Recently, new colors have been debuted and now the whole rainbow can be added to your closet. My favorite detail is the discreet St. James logo on the sleeve that helps it stand out and make it undeniably French.

Le Petit Marseillais

I have fallen in love with these beauty products. Inspired by the South of France, their shower gels and lotions are subtly scented and so clean. You will find them in nearly every grocery store and market in Paris because they are so popular. I was so happy to find a few stores in New York that sell them too. Le District is a French inspired food market, near my work in the Financial District, that carries almost their entire line. Since they are such a good deal, my entire bathroom is going to be stocked with this French brand.

Runners Up

Longchamp Tote Bags
Hermes Silk Scarves
Anything from Louis Vuitton
Dijon Mustard
Chocolate

Whichever French souvenir you pick, you really can’t go wrong. I find everything about this city impossibly chic, and that includes what’s in their gift shops. Thinking back on my time in Paris only makes me want to return sooner and hopefully bring home even more goodies.

Love from NYC,
Katie

For even more on my travel, be sure to see my exclusive content here.