Paris is intoxicating. Like a drug, she seeps into my veins, leaving me in a state of euphoria. That feeling never fully fades, lingering even after I’ve gone. When asked my favorite place in the world, Paris rolls off my tongue without hesitation. For those who have also been infected with the same Parisian affliction, no additional words are needed. While others, who either haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Paris, or probably ticked off the quintessential sites from the back of a double-decker bus, require further explanation.
Why do you love Paris?
While naming my favorite place is simple, actually explaining the allure of it is quite complex. For me, Paris has a calming effect, as strange as that sounds. But being in the city settles my soul. Absent is the nagging pull that keeps me constantly on the move. Instead, I ache knowing that with each setting sun, I have one less day in a city that couldn’t be fully discovered with a lifetime of sunrises. I suppose I’ve simply substituted one longing for another.
“And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, in dimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” –Pico Iyer, novelist and essayist
I’m fully aware of my tendency to become complacent, taking for granted the familiar. Thus, in September on a United flight somewhere between Newark and Paris, I made a conscious decision to write down all the things that I love about Paris. Not wanting to forget the most minute detail, I carried a pen and little, black notebook most everywhere I went. On the metro and in parks, I scribbled nonstop. Pages and pages were filled, some of which I now can’t decipher. Nothing was too ordinary. If it made me take notice, chances are I wrote it down. It was my sloppy, misspelled love letter to Paris.
Although I wrote this down for myself, I decided to clean it up and post it here. Thus, here is an abbreviated {and correctly spelled} version of my many things to love about Paris.
1. Café hopping in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
2. Place Vendôme
3. Men in custom-tailored suits
4. Real books and people who read them
5. Cheeky advertisements that would never fly in the USA
6. Street musicians with pets
7. Haussmann architecture
8. Walks at dusk in Bois de Vincennes
9. Green lounge chairs at Jardin du Luxembourg
10. Walking in the rain
11. Proud Parisians who know {and share} the city’s history
12. Carved doors
13. Fromageries
14. Flamme de la Liberté and the tributes to Princess Diana
15. Fresh flowers placed on World War II memorial plaques
16. Cherubs and light posts of Pont Alexandre III
17. Symmetrical gardens
18. Modern architecture of La Défense
19. Late-night Sunday strolls
20. Montmartre on a lively Friday night
21. Montmartre on an empty Sunday morning
22. Walking from Place de Concorde to the Louvre
23. Tiny elevators
24. Hermés windows on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
25. Arc de Triomphe roundabout
26. Coins that amount to substantial money
27. Specialty shops for everything
28. Parc Monceau on a sunny Saturday
29. Statues and the French who actually know their significance
30. Lazy Sundays
31. Dijon mustard
32. Fountains at Hotel Du Ville
33. Quietness of Square Jean-XXIII, between Notre Dame and the Seine River
34. Madness of Colette
35. Beef tartare
36. Angular shadows created on a sunny day on the terraces of Foundation Louis Vuitton
37. Absence of baseball caps
38. Camembert cheese
39. Meeting the ghosts of art and literature past
40. Publicis Drugstore
41. Kooky staircase outside the Centre Georges Pompidou
42. Angelina’s L’African Hot Chocolate
43. Secret cocktail bars behind pizza parlors
44. Clock at Musée d’Orsay
45. Picnics along the Seine
46. Gare Montparnasse
47. Falafel in the Marais
48. Generational family businesses
49. Writing at Place de Vosges
50. Love and the propensity to fall in it
51. Colorful sex shops along Place de Clichy
52. Long walks late at night
53. Seeing the city from the back of a motorcycle
54. Heineken sellers at Sacré-Cœur
55. Old books sold from green boxes along the Seine River
56. Black and white pillars of Palais Royal
57. Absolute silence in a packed metro
58. Rotating markets with seasonal fruits and vegetables
59. Mornings on rue Montorgueil
60. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen tiled on the Concorde station
61. Glass dome of the Grand Palais
62. Gargoyles of Notre Dame
63. Champagne just because
64. Concerts in front of Opera Garnier
65. Carousels
66. Boulangeries
67. Students smoking in between classes in the Latin Quarter
68. Polite beggars on the metro
69. Unexpected glimpses of the Eiffel Tower
70. Wine with dinner
71. Wine with lunch
72. Wine for breakfast
73. Stained glass at the American Church
74. Real butter croissants
75. Hidden gardens
76. Palace hotels
77. Artists in Montmartre
78. L’église de la Madeleine
79. Random odes to American pop culture
80. Jardin d’Acclimatation
81. The 360-degree view from the 8th floor of Printemps
82. Ever-changing metro advertisement posters
83. Velvet ropes and lines in front of Louis Vuitton
84. Marché Paul Bert
85. Learning French from the metro stop announcements
86. Windows at Galeries Lafayette
87. Cognac, armagnac, St. Germain, and calvados
88. Late mornings and later dinners
89. Unpasteurized cheese
90. :55 nighttime sparkling Eiffel Tower shows
91. Beautiful and historically significant cemeteries
92. Dogs in cafés
93. Men in scarves
94. Corner florists
95. Buskers in the metro
96. Glistening streets after the rain
97. Gourmet yogurt in glass jars
98. Flower boxes
99. Café terraces on a warm any day
100. Windmills in Montmartre
101. Goats in the Jardin des Tuileries
102. Bullet holes along rue de Rivoli from the Liberation of Paris
103. Red light in the Louvre pyramid
104. Weathered wooden and mosaic floors
105. Ornate iron drinking fountains
106. Croque-madame
107. Stairs in front of Sacré-Cœur
108. Eating a hamburger with a knife and fork
109. Vintage postcards of Paris
110. Skateboarders at Palais de Tokyo
111. Pierre Hermé white truffle macaroons
112. Flowers at Four Seasons George V
113. Quiet, well-behaved children
114. Park benches
115. Nutella crepes
116. Electronic cigarettes
117. Canal St. Martin
118. Traditional baguettes
119. The sound of your name with a French accent {Leee-ahhhh–so very sexy}
120. Illuminated Arc du Carrousel on a pitch-black night
121. Soccer freestyler, Iya Traoré, at Sacré Cœur
122. Neon green crosses above pharmacies
123. Saint-Honoré pastry at Le Meurice
124. Melodic sounds of French being spoken
125. Butter sandwiches with ham
126. Giant bottles of Badoit sparkling water for the table
127. Statue of Joan of Arc during the golden hour
128. Awe-struck people on Champ de Mars
129. Double cheek kiss
130. Technicolor skies
131. No discernible painted traffic lanes
132. Crossing Pont Neuf from the Right to the Left Bank
133. Busy bookstores
134. Rooftop view of Notre Dame from the Arab World Institute
135. French onion soup
136. Cheese for dinner
137. Dreamy and picturesque Villa Léandre
138. Flat listings prominently displayed in real estate office windows
139. Cobblestone streets
140. Post-meal espresso
141. Boutique shopping in the Marais
142. Artisan chocolate shops
143. Quietness of Île Saint-Louis after dark
144. An empty Trocadéro
145. Sound of police and ambulance sirens
146. Rolling hills of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
147. Window shopping in Galerie Vivienne and Passage Jouffroy
148. Standing in the immigration line at Charles de Gaulle
149. The intoxicating euphoria felt when discovering something new
150. The welcoming, thoughtful, and all-around beautiful Parisians who have consistently taken in this stray American
I limited myself to 150, but could have waxed poetically for ages. Tell me, what do you love about Paris?
kathy Rowe
December 15, 2014I’m taking this with me in the Spring. It’s as good a travel guide as I’ve seen. The Museums are one thing, the everyday life is something else and you’ve captured the emotional connection that wandering can provide. This is a magical city and the best thing is if you just let it unfold rather than expect. Thank you so much for compiling and sharing.
Leah Walker
December 18, 2014You’ll have to give me some of your favorite things so I can check them out next time I’m in the city.
Lawrence Koenig
December 16, 2014That was a wonderful list for someone that has never been to Paris and for somone that has been there many times. The pictures were also particularly good, and I was able identify most of them while scrolling down slowly to avoid the caption until I made my guess. Thank you, if was delightful.
Leah Walker
December 18, 2014That’s so great to hear. Thank you!
Michela of Rocky Travel Blog
December 16, 2014What a great article and yes your list is intoxicating inspiring! I have only been once to Paris and one thing I loved most was Place des Vosges with its amazing art galleries! 🙂
Leah Walker
December 18, 2014Place des Vosges is a great spot. I’m happy you found it on your first trip.
Anne
December 16, 2014Our children are well-behaved, and our beggars polite? Wow, you must really be in love 😉
Anyway, always nice to be reminded by others what a great city we got: thanks!
Leah Walker
December 16, 2014I am always shocked at how well behaved and quiet the French children are, especially compared to the USA and a couple of other countries that will remain nameless. And the beggars on and in the metro are so much more polite than in the USA, though not as creative/funny. I was called a “white bitch” in downtown LA more than once because I didn’t hand over my money. And in Houston and Austin, I’ve gotten the finger more times than I can count. 🙂
noel
December 16, 2014Wow, I loved reading this and all the cool and kooky places to visit in the city – I need to go back soon and you shared some wonderful places to revisit in Paris, C’est Magnific!
Leah Walker
December 18, 2014Thanks, Noel! There’s so much to see and do. I’ve still got a list a mile long.
Clare
December 16, 2014I’m smiling. And dreaming of Paris. That’s all I can say!
Leah Walker
December 18, 2014Dreaming of Paris…yes, I know how you feel.
Traveling Ted
December 16, 2014Great list. I agree with some, and I don’t know about a lot, which means I need to return to Paris toute suite.
Leah Walker
December 18, 2014Me thinks that’s a great idea for you to bring your fanny pack to the City of Light.
craig zabransky (@StayAdventurous)
December 19, 2014what a great idea, so many of these made me smile….I need to return to Paris one day…. as for this exercise…i am not sure if i need to do this for New York or for Mexico or both….but it is magical all the things you can be thankful for… thanks for opening my eyes to another level of gratitude. merci.
stay thankful, Craig
Bradley James Cooper
December 21, 2014Great list and a solid reminder of our 6 days back in May (first time). I’d like to add (or maybe I missed them) Le Bastille, drive in courtyards that would only fit a small car or horse and carriage, stand-up coffee, bateau mouche and the Gare de Lyon clocktower. And, as you mentioned, so many more.
J. Daniel
December 24, 2014Thanks so much for this! We recently went back to Paris for the first time since 1998 and I fell in love all over again. It was my fourth trip but definitely not my last. I’d add the moment you hit the top step at Sainte Chapelle and the stained glass comes into view. Never gets old.
#22 made me laugh because, thanks to me, we made that exact walk which made us late for our wine tasting. I thought my wife would never speak to me again. Since it had been so long since we’d been I forgot that getting off the metro early and walking the rest of the way isn’t always a great idea.
Francesca (@WorkMomTravels)
December 24, 2014I had a conversation just today with co-workers about Paris. On the surface (and according to many of the items you’ve listed here), I would LOVE Paris (that’s right, I’ve never been). However, I just have not felt drawn there. I can’t explain it. I know I’ll get there someday; just not in any hurry to do so.
Mariza
January 7, 2015That is such a complete list! wow!! nailed it.
Melissa Paul Milcetic
April 27, 2015Leah, loved this list! Sadly, I found it AFTER returning this week from a fast trip to Paris. But what it tells me, quite clearly, is that I will be returning, over and over again as there is so much to LIVE in that beautiful city. Luckily, I only live 2 hours away now in Croatia and the journey is not so far… wishing you better health and glorious days.
Renate Flynn
May 9, 2015I find myself on a solo trip in Paris as I come upon this fantastic list. It is beautiful inspiration. The Trocadero certainly won’t be empty right now, but a nighttime photo of the sparkling la Tour will more than make up for it! Bon soir e merci a vous!