10 Days in Paris off the Beaten Path
Where to stay, what to do and how to capture the city on film
A trip to Paris. Ten days in the city with my daughter who was about to be 17 and about to leave for college. So we decided to do something wild. Something to celebrate. Something that would saty in our bones; a send off for her and a celebration as we transitioned into a new adult chapter.
Was ten days too long to only be in the city? I worried that we should have booked a few days somewhere besides Paris or done something to mix up our time there but it turns out ten was was almost not enough. Turns out I could have stayed there for ten days more, drinking up all the energy and art and food and music this city has to offer.
If you are considering going to Paris, stay for as long as possible.
Find a neighborhood and settle down; get to know the streets; find your favorite coffeeshop and go there every morning to grab a cappuchino and a croissant.
The city got better with everyday we were there and by the time we were supposed to leave I really did not want to come home.
Here is a little journal of our ten days in Paris, and all the little moments that I captured on 35mm film
PARIS ON FILM
The Cameras
I brought several film camera to Paris, including:
A version of the Holga but with 35mm film—you can make double exposures and the images are dreay and otherworldly.
I love this camera—its one of my all time favorites because you can do double exposures AND you can shoot in square or half-frame format that allows the user to shoot twice the amount of exposures for any 35mm film roll (36 vs 72 exposures)
This is a straightforward little plastic camera that needs lots of light
The Film
In terms of film. I love playing around the lomography film and seeing what happens. I aslo love kodak gold or ektar as its cheap. Kodak Portra 400 is always good when its a cloudy day. The best part about using these cameras is just waiting to see what you get…
DAY 1: GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Our first full day in the city: we had arrived the night before, found our apartment in Le Marais: an adorable little light-filled studio with a view of Parisian rooftops.
DAY 2: WANDERING AROUND LE MARAIS
We set out on a free-walking tour of Le Marais on a tour with Guru Walk and wandered around this incredible and iconic neighborhood, seeing Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, Place des Vosges, Victor Hugo's House and ending up in the Jewish Quarter where we feated on huge plates of falafel and hummous from L’As du Fallafel and it was maybe some of the best food i’ve ever eaten. And across the stree from the fallafel shop is the famous Sacha Finkelsztajn bakery—with its yellow exterior, it’s hard to miss. And then just around the corner is one of my favorite bookshops in Paris, Smith&Son.
We had Chinese food at a great spot in Belleville and saw the grave of Edith Piaf in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.
We bought perfume at my all time favorite perfumerie that happens to be located in Paris Etat Libre D’Orange
DAY 3: ADVENTURING AROUND MONMARTE
We set out on a free walking tour of Monmarte through discover tours where we checked out the eccentric and artsy little neighborhood of Paris where Amelie was filmed. We saw the Moulin Rouge and its windmills; Sacre coeur church and artists’ square – icons of Bohemian Paris; and an incredible view of Paris from the tops of Monmarte.
We sat at a little outdoor cafe, watching all the Parisians take long luches with large glasses of wine and packs of cigarettes; we bought a fresh baguette and ate it on a bench in a plaza; we took photos in an vintage photobooth across the street from the Maison Collignon grocery store where Amelie was filmed; we wandered around and bought art and watched people getting portraits drawn and we stared up in awe at the Sacre Coeur.
DAY 4: A DAY AT THE LOURVE
In the morning we stopped by our favorite neighborhood bakery the headed out to wait in the line for the Lourve. The inside of the museum is vast and overwhelming and personally, and although its definitely a bucket list item, there are many other museums that i loved seeing more. One of the best parts of our museum day was hanging outside the museum, people watching and taking photos in the sun.
DAY 5: A DAY IN THE LATIN QUARTER
For our day in the Latin Quarter, we did a free guided tour through Guru Walk—we had a wonderful guide and even though we were in the rain, the tour was fun and informative. After the tour we waited in line at one of my favorite bookstores in the entire world Shakespeare and Company. Only a few people are let in at one time so the store isn’t overcrowded but its worth the wait.
DAY 6: A COFFEE AT OUR FAVORITE BOULANGERIE & BOAT TRIP ON THE SEINE
DAY 7: EXPLORING THE ORSAAY & A PERFUME WORKSHOP
We loved seeing at the impressionist art at Musee D’Orsay—it was a little less overwhelming than the Lourve and one of the best parts about the Musuem was our long walk along the Seine: we stopped to buy art prints and a tote bag and watched all the boats floating down river.
DAY 8: MONTPARNASSE & RUE CREAMIEUX
Rue Creamieux is a sweet little colorful street that is a visual treat.
DAY 9: FOUNDATION LOUIE VUITTON & SAINT CHAPELLE
The Foundation Louis Vuitton was having a Rothko exhibition when we were there, so we got to wander around big blocks of color for hours. In the evening, we got tickets to go see Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Sainte Chapelle and it was such a special night, listening to music in that cathedral .
DAY 10: ARC DE TRIOMPHE & THE EIFEL TOWER
We saved these two for last: The Champs-Élysées, which is a famous avenue in Paris, France, known for its luxury shops, theaters, and the Arc de Triomphe. The Eifel Tower was so fun to see for many different angles, then we ultimately chose to walk up the tower staris in the evening to see Paris from above at night.
