City of Love
Paris just feels different. Maybe it's because growing up, I was so engulfed in the French culture thanks to my mom, but I feel a weird sense of comfort in Paris. While the monogamy of the city is frustrating at times, there's a subsequent sense of unity and inclusion. And yes, I know, Parisians aren't the most welcoming or friendly of people, but personally, I love the attitude. And at the end of the day, give me a crepe and I'm a happy guy.
Where to shamelessly eat the best steak frites: Entrecote
I know, it's the most touristy place to eat, but hey, it's famous for a reason. This place is damn good. The sauce is simply unparalleled, and unlimited fries is the perfect cherry on top. Every time I have gone here, I went to the one on Champs Elysee, and neither time did we have to wait. My girlfriend does not eat red meat, so she got the salmon which she loved. If you haven't tried the steak at Entrecote yet, you're missing out big time.
Where to go to gaze over the city of love: Montmarte
Getting here is a bit of a bitch, as it is far away and high up on a hill, but the views are totally worth it. There is a chapel in the center, which both times I have visited have failed to enter, but makes for a picturesque spot. Walking through the narrow cobblestone streets, lined with tourist shops and creperies, is really all you're supposed to do here. Usually, I say avoid eating at the big squares of cities, but I personally like the one up here. Our waiter was hilarious, and we had some mussels to fill my stomach which was asking for a second dinner.
Not too shabby of a city if you ask me
Where to eat when you want to avoid the crazy Montmarte crowds: Le Troubadour
Tucked away down a small, dead-end hill, this cozy little restaurant was a welcome recluse from the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of the narrow streets in Montmarte. I decided to have a local meal with escargot and French onion soup, both of which were really fantastic. Solid food, good wine, slow service-that's true France for ya right there. The environment of the restaurant is its most astonishing quality, as it is an indoor/outdoor space integrated with flowers and trees.
You wouldn't even know that there are thousands of tourists bumping into each other just up the street when you're at this cute little spot.
This is a random woman. I did not want to wait in line for my silhouette so I figured this was good enough!
Where to go when you already went to the Louvre: Musee d'Orsay
This is without a doubt one of the coolest museums I have ever been to. Situated in an old train station, Musee d'Orsay houses art just a tier below what you'll find at the Louvre. Except here, you don’t have to deal with absurd crowds and frankly, get to experience a more architecturally impressive museum. There's a beautiful balance between intimacy and grandeur here, making for a very nice museum experience.
An architectural gem housing gems-fitting for a city with as much history and beauty as Paris has. Plus, this place is not NEARLY as packed as the Louvre, so that's huge too.
Where to drink 13 euro Gin and Tonics and have a good time: Hobo
Located just off the Champs Elysee, this place was recommended to me by a friend who studies abroad in Paris. It's a small place with overpriced drinks in a good location with solid music. The crowd is what you'd expect from a club scene in LA but with a Parisian twist. Overall, the people in the club were a fantastic mix of 16-year-old French high schoolers, young businessmen from England, Italian fuckboys and trendy hipsters. Drink prices aside, I had a fun night out and would recommend it as one of the better places to party in a city that's surprisingly desperately void of a good nightlife scene.
Where to feel triumphant standing above the middle of Paris: Arc de Triomph
You'll definitely see the iconic gate of this city while visiting Paris, but climbing to the top is a must thanks to the gorgeous views around the city. High up enough to be an expansive vista point, but low enough to feel connected to the city, this is Paris' best observation point. That's right, I think it's better than the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower gives you a view of the city, but the Arc de Triomph gives you a view of the city, plus the Eiffel Tower. And not to mention, the entry line is about 1/10 the length.
Don't mind me and my man purse
Where to watch a sparkling tower mesmerize thousands: Eiffel Tower
Buy a bottle of wine, some cheese, a Nutella crepe (or two) and post up in front of the tower for hours on end. It's honestly the most euphoric feeling, seeing the Eiffel Tower, in all its structural glory, brighten the city with its somehow not cheesy glittering display.
One of the few times I have ever been content just sitting in the same spot for hours on end.
Where to eat when you meet up with your dope cousin: La Colorova
Located south of the Seine in the Saint Germain area of the city, this small, cute and unassuming restaurant serves up some seriously unique and flavorful dishes. Food here is an eclectic mix of flavors that cause raging Coachella for your taste buds. With a constantly changing menu, this place has been bringing my cousin and his fiancé, who live in Paris, back for years now, even though it is 20 minutes by metro from where they live. In a city known for its wide array of world-class food, that speaks for itself.
Where to see amazing architecture, play with animals, and ride a roller coaster: Louvre Foundation
Frank Gehry has a certain architectural language that will go down in history as the most instantly recognizable. Located at Porte Dauphine, this massive work of art is one of Gehry's most beautiful works-a stunning glass facade blanketing the massive yet subdued (thanks to the facade) building, all placed within water to give it a very exclusive feel. We did not go inside because of time and money constraints, but I am sure it is just as beautiful as it is on the outside. What surprised us about the building though it the context of which it is located. There is a whole theme park with hundreds of screaming kids running away from their parents, along with hundreds of screaming animals running away from the screaming kids. It was somewhat refreshing actually, seeing all the little ones playing in such an esteemed area, spraying each other with water guns in the shadow of one of the world's most beautiful pieces of architecture. So if you have kids or you're an architecture buff, this is a place that should definitely not be missed.
As an architecture major, this place was simply absurd.
How to destroy your legs but do so in enjoyable fashion: Walk the Seine
This is probably the best city river in the world. It is used to absolute perfection. All along the river, you can find cute little spots to enjoy a crepe (or three), have a glass of wine (or four) and sit around for an hour (or five). Summertime on the Seine is one of those environments that is truly unparalleled in the world.
One of many, trust me
What not to do: Don't wear hats or shorts. You'll be immediately profiled and subsequently ridiculed. Also, don’t stay in an AirBnB that does not have an elevator. And most importantly, do not respond to the gypsies. Whether it's in Paris, Barcelona, Rome or Athens, gypsies are everywhere, asking for money or deploying ways to distract you to steal your watch.
It doesn't matter how hot it gets here-shorts are a no no from the Parisians
Getting around (and specifically, what my experience at Orly airport was like): Metro is the way to go here, and we had no issues with pick pocketers, creeps, or anything of that nature. The only thing that was different this time around was our flight out of Paris. We were flying out of Orly, which you could in theory reach by taking the subway then a bus, but with France being France and all, there was a strike on the morning of our flight so we decided to taxi. Our flight was delayed almost two hours, and even though we were informed the night before by Vueling Airlines, we, for whatever stupid reason, still had to show up to the airport at the original check-in time. The result? Chaos. A line that went almost out the terminal door. We waited for over 30 minutes until finally a woman, speaking only in French, mind you, came around asking for those on the Florence flight to skip the rest of the line (which must have been another hour at least). So we skip the line, go up to the agent, and low and behold, this angel of a human decides to randomly give me and my girlfriend and upgrade. Granted, Vueling is a low cost European airline, meaning "first class" is nothing more than a standard economy seat with an open seat in the middle, but what the upgrade did provide us was the lounge. And that was huge. Given the delay on our flight, we had nearly 3 hours to spare, and Orly was an absolute zoo. While hundreds upon hundreds of people were running franticly around this bizarrely designed airport, we sat in a quiet lounge, sipping on free coffee and croissants. So, end of the day, skip Vueling and skip Orly if at all possible, unless you get super lucky like us, in which case, it's great!