Leaving Paris is never a good idea. But that’s life. As one of our friends told us as he was saying goodbye, “The day you leave Paris, you’re one day closer to the day you’ll return.” Which means this morning we’re a couple of days closer and not quite over the jet lag, but that’s […]

“Haute couture is one of the last repositories of the marvelous, and the couturiers the last possessors of the wand of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.” — Christian Dior “When Maison Christian Dior first opened, it had three workrooms in the office of 30 Avenue Montaigne, a tiny studio, a salon in which to show the dresses, a […]

When it comes to busy shops in Paris, there’s Hermès, and then there’s the rest. Every time we go into the corner store on St. Honoré, it’s mobbed with shoppers picking through scarves, trying on shoes, and laying down their credit cards. The money side is all so discreet as you’re whisked away to the […]

You know how to go big and not broke in Paris. Let’s continue that thread. But first, a quick recap of our epic lunch at Le Bristol’s Epicure. One, it is epic. Two, you can go broke, especially at dinner, which is why the three-hour lunch was right for us. There comes a time in […]

In all the years Your Survival Guy has been coming to Paris, political talk has not been a favorite pastime here. On Saturday night however, that all changed when, for the first time, I encountered locals who were speaking the praises of Marine Le Pen. The obvious takeaway is the populist streak continues gaining traction […]

In my conversations with you, my Parisian friends, we talked in May about the upcoming Olympics. Your city of Paris would be hosting, and there was some mixed excitement like butterflies before a big performance. Back home, watching them from the comfort of our living room sofa, I can tell you we thoroughly enjoyed them. […]

Our son and his best friend from our neighborhood, where they grew up together, visited us in Paris last weekend. Both are studying abroad for their fall semester: Our son, who is studying at Babson, is in Milan, Italy, and his friend, who is studying at Boston College, is in Barcelona, Spain. When you think […]

Your Survival Guy learned long ago from his mother: you need to prior plan. This is how I want you to think about your next visit to Paris. Prior planning. The other night, we had dinner at Allard, as mentioned to you here, which is also in the 6th, and we walked by Le Relais […]