Oh Paris, you lovely place. I am no expert on Paris but I can’t get enough of visiting through photos and the stories of others. Here’s mine.

I spent 4 days in dreamy Paris last week. Here’s a look at that trip.

xo

Where I stayed– part one.

Hotel des Academies et des Arts
Paris 6 on Le Rive Gauche
I loved it. The staff was excellent and I really enjoyed staying on this side of the Seine (the left)

My first two days were spent in the 6th Arrondissement. I arrived on a Friday afternoon, checking in to my hotel just around 4pm. I was exhausted by exhilarated so I met up randomly with a photographer who also became a friend after I accidentally booked the wrong day for my shoot. We had so much fun venturing around the 6th in search of food which I found out I couldn’t actually get at any cafés until 7:30 / 8pm when they switched from drinks only (after lunch ended) to dinner. I was always hungry too early because in Turkey I was 2 hours later in the day and I hadn’t adjusted yet. My first night, I had fries and rosé for dinner and it was great, actually.

My neighborhood, part 1–

Paris 6
Close to Jardin du Luxembourg
Chill compared to part 2 (Montmartre)
My overall impression of Paris 6 was that it had a lot of upscale and modern restaurants and a lot of shopping (le Bon Marche is very close) and the shops and restaurants I found seemed less touristy then when I was in the heart of Montmartre / Sacre Coeur

Where I ate, part 1–

Lots of fries, haha.
I often ate a light breakfast in my hotel (usually in my room) and then had snacks I’d bought from a local grocer (figs, nuts, fruit, etc) in between snacks
I ate exclusively at just little cafés that I’d stumble upon close to my hotel, one day I met up with a friend and we had the best little brunch at one of these two sister restaurants next door to each other. That was one of the nicest place I went to, and it was totally charming, even though we just sidled up to the bar.

Where I wish I ate, part 1–

Sfizio (looked like amazing italian)
Evi Evane Traiteur (Greek)
just more Patisseries & Boulangeries in general
Fruttini
and a million other places ;)

Where I shopped–

Mainly, I just shopped at Le Bazar Français where I got the most gorgeous scarf (see designer Junhee Kim holding it for the photo and also read this amazing NYT article about her!)
I also met a Cleveland friend who was in town for a design show– she took me to a great shop (The Conran Shop) where I drooled over so many modern and beautiful objects

Below is the design store, The Conran Shop where I went with interior designer (and friend from Cleveland, Danielle!)

Where I stayed and ate, Part 2–

Hôtel Monsieur Aristide
Montmartre / Sacre Coeur
Overall much more lively and nightlife-y than Paris 6, but maybe that was just where I was staying. It’s close to Moulin Rouge (where we went on a Sunday night) and there was a great energy there always. The streets are also very steep (it’s the highest area in Paris) which gave it a really different feel and it helped me burn off all the extra treats I was eating!
I didn’t love the hotel as much as their sister hotel in Paris 6, but it was still charming.
I had the most charming picnic overlooking Paris from Sacré Coeur– the highest point in Paris (not counting all the buildings and The Eiffel Tour, obvi)
On my last evening, I dined outdoor at a charming little cafe, and I got ice cream from Bachir, a Lebanase ice cream shop (pistachio + vanilla with pistachio pieces)
Pain Pain– trés good pastries