10 French Words that are Now Part of My Everyday English
They said it would happen but I didn’t believe them. Back when I was just visiting Paris, I’d heard some expat friends tossing random French words into their English conversation […]
Category Archives: Learning to Live Parisian
Dinner in the Park with 17,000 of My Closest Friends
I just had dinner in the park. With 17,000 of my closest friends. Okay, so the park was the Esplanade des Invalides near the Eiffel Tower. And the dinner was […]
It’s Always No Before It’s Yes
I was having lunch with a friend in a café in the 3rd arrondissement, and she wanted a fruit salad but it wasn’t on the menu. Still, we were regulars […]
Keeping House (In French)
This was originally written for my memoir, My (Part-Time) Paris Life: How Running Away Brought Me Home, published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, but didn’t make the final edit for reasons of story flow. In this […]
5 Parisian (& French) Habits to Adopt This Year
Living in France has expanded my life—and my thinking. And while, for this American in Paris, there are plenty of causes for eye rolling, like the bureaucracy and constant strikes, […]
Drying Out in Paris
No, I’m not talking about that kind of drying out. In fact, after the intense month I had in Paris, I think my wine consumption may have ticked up a bit. I’d […]
The (Re)Renovation
Well, here we go again. And a mere four years after what was supposed to be the one and only. But a leak in my neighbor’s shower—a leak he refused […]
Fixing a Leak in Paris Takes Only 18 Months
Well, it’s done. (I think.) The leak that leaked all over my Paris apartment has finally been repaired. I’m pretty sure, anyway. You can’t blame me for feeling dubious. This has been carrying […]
A Nomad in Paris, Part V: What I’ve Learned
Five months in the City of Light have come to an end. These last months were just the latest along this road I’ve taken, one where being uncomfortable and unsure […]
A Nomad in Paris, Part IV: Bright Lights, Loud City
Welcome to the third apartment in my journey as a nomad in Paris. And what a difference a few blocks makes. To catch you up, I’m scrounging around Paris for […]
A Nomad in Paris, Part III: A Tiny, Happy Place to Belong
Not caught up? Read Part 1, and Part 2. The last few days are winding down in apartment #2 on this nomadic journey of three Paris apartments in three months. The first […]
A Nomad in Paris, Part II: My Patch of Heaven
If you’ve read Part I of my nomadic journey, you know I’ve been kicked out of my apartment by a leak in a neighbor’s flat that has rendered my home unfit. […]
A Nomad in Paris, Part I
Back in August of last year, I wrote about a leak in my building that rendered my little Paris home uninhabitable—mostly because of high levels of dangerous mold. I had […]
The Path of the American
If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been having a tough time with an unresolved leak in my building that is damaging my dream home. Toxic mold has grown, forcing me […]
The Dead of August
August: when everyone flees for the seaside. I’ve never been in Paris during this time of year; I usually come just before la Rentrée, or “re-entry,” when everyone is coming home to […]
Evicted from Chez Moi (Temporarily)
I came to Paris for two months to finally live like a local, spend a long stretch of time in my neighborhood, in my little Paris nest. Up to now, […]
Paris, In Long Strides
I passed by BHV today and for the first time, I didn’t run inside with a list. I can go to BHV tomorrow. Or next weekend. Whatever. I’ve got time. […]
Counting in French (Or, Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered)
I’m in a long queue at Monoprix Nation, which is the biggest in Paris, and overwhelming on a slow day. But this is a Saturday, last call to buy food […]
The Loudest, Tiniest Street in Paris
In New York, my apartment faces 7th Avenue in the bustling Chelsea neighborhood, so I expect a certain amount of street noise. And it is New York, after all. I’m […]
Ou est le Feu?
These things always happen just when I’m about to leave Paris. In August, it was a flood in my bathroom. This trip? Fire. On the morning of my departure to […]
(Parisian) Life, Interrupted
I’ve just returned from a brief stay in my Paris place, hence the silence. Seems I only write about my Paris life when I’m in New York. Maybe that’s how […]
A Tale of Two Cities
Today, in the subway station in Rockefeller Center, I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out two objects: my New York MetroCard, and a ticket for the Paris Métro. […]
Under Water (Part Deux)
During my first stay in my new Paris apartment, my main water pipe, located in my bathroom, sprang a leak. My contractor, who was on vacation, left it to me […]
Under Water
It was my first stay in my new apartment after nearly three months of renovation. I arrived to find a perfect little gem. Everything was exactly as I dreamed it […]
Leaving Left, Turning Right
A creature of habit, I stayed in the same hotel in the Left Bank every time I visited Paris. I grew very attached to the quartier, and to the hotel staff […]
My (Parttime) Paris Life 