Paris, France
We arrived in Paris six months ago today, September 01, 2019. September is a month I’ve celebrated and embraced every year for 29 years, a month that awakens my nostalgia more than any other.
Growing up, September smelled like pencil shavings as I began the school year with new supplies and sweaty palms. It felt like cool air in my lungs as I watched our high school football team play beneath the lights every Friday night. It sounded like early alarm clocks, like whistles blowing and sneakers moving across the gymnasium floor as volleyball practice began. It tasted like cinnamon toast every morning and Grandma Trudy’s homemade chili on our luckiest evenings. What I remember most vividly, though, are the mornings of the 19th. Both of my grandmothers called our landline before the sunrise to say, “Happy birthday, Chelsea Rae!” Grandma Trudy’s and Grandma Sarah’s were two of the first voices I heard that day, year after year.
September was exciting and nerve-racking, romantic and transitional. I still notice that back-to-school energy as August comes to an end and September comes again.
This is what excited me most about our visit to Paris. It fell during the month of September, a month that is already so evocative.
September now smells like a morning espresso in our Parisian hotel room. It feels like being in a 2000-year-old city for the first time with someone I love, and if I use my imagination just enough, like we recently moved there ourselves and are getting to know our new neighborhood. It sounds like pebbles crackling beneath my shoe, one of my favorite sounds in the world. It tastes like a glass of natural wine before dinner, like burrata cheese on toast, smeared with fresh pesto.
Oh, sweet September.
The recommendations below include only sites we experienced ourselves. See below for additional guides to Paris.
Recommended Eats
Holybelly | Go for brunch!
Kunitoraya | We ate at Kunitoraya the evening we arrived in Paris. It was the perfect meal for us that evening and our jet-lagged, tired bodies.
The above restaurants do not take reservations. Arrive 15 minutes before each opens in order to get a table rather quickly. If you have to wait for a table at Clamato, walk across the street to Septime La Cave to enjoy a glass of natural wine while you wait.
Judy | I recommend Judy for breakfast or lunch. It’s near Luxembourg Garden, so I recommend you wake up early, order a cup of coffee to go, walk through the garden, and end your morning at Judy. Reservations are accepted.
La Maison Rose | Eat here for an early lunch before exploring Sacré Coeur and Montmartre in the afternoon. Reservations are accepted.
Recommended Drinks
Both Septime La Cave and Frenchie Wine Bar have separate restaurants. We were not able to get a reservation at either, but both came strongly recommended. Their wine bars have excellent food no less!
Recommended Views
Arc de Triomphe | Take the stairs to the top for a 360° view of Paris. Go at sunset! This photo was taken here.
Hotel Raphael | Head to the rooftop of Hotel Raphael for a clear view of the Eiffel Tower. Again, go at sunset! This photo was taken here.
River Cruise | We booked tickets through Bateaux Mouches. We experienced Paris from the river at sunset, and I highly recommend doing this once. This photo of Notre Dome was taken from our boat.
Recommended Museums & Sites
Musée de l'Orangerie | Claude Monet’s Water Lilies cannot be missed.
Musée National Gustave Moreau | This staircase cannot be missed.
Fondation Louis Vuitton | I love the juxtaposition of Frank Gehry’s work among the quintessential Parisian architecture.
Villa La Roche | See more on Instagram here and here.
Musée Rodin | See more on Instagram here, here, and here.
Luxembourg Garden | See more on Instagram here, here, and here.
Extra Tips
Let each neighborhood guide your daily plan. Jared and I found ourselves walking across the city often because we didn’t batch our activities based on neighborhoods. Doing so would have saved us lots of time.
Wake up early. Seriously! The city is so quiet before 10:00am. We walked through Luxembourg Garden around 8:00am one morning, and we could have heard a pin drop.
Get tickets ahead of time. This ensures admission and allows you to skip long lines.
Travel by foot. Paris is very walkable, and you notice so much more when you travel by foot.
Attempt as much French as you can. We know very little French, but we tried to at least greet others in French. Putting forth a small effort goes a long way.
Small Ways to Save
Last September on Instagram, you asked how Jared and I saved money for and during our trip. Below are a few small ways we saved for the trip itself and saved day to day while there.
Plan as far in advance as possible. Jared and I typically know the city we’d like to visit and its associated travel costs six months to a year in advance. We research the cost of flights, hotels, activities, and restaurants in advance to get an idea of how much the entire trip might cost and try our best to save small amounts over a long period of time. At the beginning of each year, we love to “map out” our travel for the entire year. This gives us an exciting and realistic snapshot of our travels for the upcoming year. It also allows us to see how each city we’d like to visit complements one another. We may choose to take a weekend trip to Chattanooga and a week-long trip to Paris, and we love the overall story that creates for our year.
Be strategic with points. We use our credit card points exclusively for travel. We also book our largest travel costs (flights and hotels) on our credit card. Our card has built-in insurance, so we do not pay extra or out of pocket for travel insurance.
Explore by foot. Taxi and Uber costs accumulate quickly. Walk as much as possible. You’ll notice so much more about your surroundings and save along the way.
Save the booze for dinner. Drinks are expensive. Save this indulgence for dinner, and opt for water or a cup of coffee with lunch.
Replace shopping with exploration. Nowadays, most items are available to purchase online. There is no need to spend time or money on items while traveling if you’re able to purchase them when you’re home. This creates a built-in buffer to think about whether or not you truly want or need this item at all, and it allows you to save while traveling. Unless you see a one-of-a-kind item at a flea market, walk away! Visit a park or museum instead.
Helpful Guides
Goop | The Paris Guides
Local Milk | The Essential Paris Travel Guide & Map
Lo & Sons | A Week in Paris Featuring Alice Gao
