Dear Rob Ryan,

You are awesome.

(Rob Ryan papercuts, seen at Le Bon Marché)

At the Westin

Loving these quirky holiday decorations at the Westin Paris.

(And yes, I know the holidays are over, but I'm in denial.)

More Merci

I just found this New York Times article about my favorite store in Paris, Merci (and this fun illustration courtesy of the Merci website). I might need to make another trip soon...

To the library

I had to go return a few books to the library today and was lamenting the 30-minute metro ride across town until I got to the main building of the Sorbonne and was struck once again by how beautiful and how full of history this place is.

A library like this makes studying, well, still not fun, but at least less unpleasant. It gives you something to look at while you're staring off into space and pretending to think.

(Bottom image via somewhere on the interwebs - can't remember where I found it)

From above

I took these from the front balcony of the Opera Garnier when I visited with my mom last week. It was the first nice day we'd had in quite a while and it was so great to be out in the sun.

L'As du Fallafel

I was over in the Marais the other day and decided to finally make the trip to L'As du Fallafel, the much raved-over "best fallafel in Paris." 

I have to say it definitely lived up to the hype. On the Rue des Rosiers in an old Jewish neighborhood, L'As du Fallafel is pretty unassuming, just a little hole-in-the-wall place with a few tables and a noisy kitchen. I was by myself so I didn't feel like sitting, despite the ever-increasing drizzle outside. So I took my fallafel to go, stood under an awning down the street and devoured the whole thing. I then noticed several other people doing the same. Very messy, but so good.

photo via Richard Harbus, The New York Times

Happy New Year!

Edit: Apparently there were a few glitches with this post and the text was distorted for some people. I'm not sure what happened because it shows up fine on my screen, but hopefully this fixes the problem! If not, let me know and I'll try to figure it out :)


It's hard to believe we've come to the end of another year. I hope you all had a lovely holiday and are enjoying a much-needed break.

Normally I don't make New Year's resolutions but this year I am making one: get the most I possibly can out of my last month in Paris. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone, and there's so much more I want to do before I leave. So I'll see you next year for more adventures as I sprint to the finish line.

Happy New Year and here's to a great start to 2010!

(This is the giant ferris wheel at the end of the Champs Elysees at the Place de la Concorde. My mom and friends were here visiting over Christmas so I finally had an excuse to go on it! So awesome.)