10 Ways to Fall in Love with Paris (Again) on a Boat

Parisians are drawn to the water. But so, too, are tourists. Boatfuls of them are ferried north, south, east and west throughout the year, with a steady soundtrack of tour guides indicating “to your left, you will see…”. Give the “Bateaux-Mouches” a wide berth this summer and experience the Seine and Napoleonic canals like a…

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The Underdog Dining Club of Paris

They’re not hip, they’re not sexy and they’re certainly not in the Michelin guides – they are the underdogs; the restaurants that call out to us for some reason or another. They might be hiding away in an unpopular neighbourhood, serving cuisine from a conflict country or just unwilling to keep up with the times.…

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Paris is Removing its Iconic Kiosks. So What Will Become of Them?

I woke up one morning in Paris, headed to the boulangerie, when I noticed a strange new structure had been installed on the sidewalk overnight. It took me a moment to figure out what it was. One of those self-cleaning public toilets? A construction crew’s cabin for yet another roadwork about to begin? And then…

Goth is Not Dead: 5 Notre Dame Alternatives to Seek Out in Paris

On 15th April 2019, millions of people around the world watched as Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames. Masses gathered on the banks of the Seine to sing hymns to Our Lady as a reported 500 firefighters battled the 15-hour blaze. That evening, as first the roof and then the spire fell to…

The Lost Floating Pools of Paris

Once upon a time, the banks of the river Seine were lined with giant floating swimming pools. In the 19th century, one could take swimming lessons next to the Pont Neuf and in the 1970s, sunbathe topless on the upper deck of the Piscine Deligny, which was moored in the 7th arrondissement right in front…

Did the Rooftop Bees of Notre Dame Survive?

It took me several days to think of the bees. After the smoke had cleared and the heartbreak settled in, I remembered: they kept beehives up there. So you might be wondering too: were the honeybees spared from the fire that ravaged Notre Dame and left the world in disbelief on that black Monday evening…

Thoughts for Our Lady of France

I wish I had taken your picture a thousand more times, my beautiful neighbour. For all the history lovers, architecture lovers (who feel that buildings have souls), Paris lovers: we are all no doubt feeling the same helplessness and sadness for Notre Dame. I think of the artisans who have spent the last decade tirelessly…

We’re Soon to be Dining in an Abandoned Metro Station in Paris

It’s finally happening. A sleeping ghost station in Paris’ revered 6eme arrondissement; just a few steps from iconic French cafés and the world’s first luxury department store; a forgotten metro stop is finally going to be transformed, slated to become the city’s hottest new underground restaurant. If this all kind of talk rings a bell, it’s because…

A Tale of Two Cities & Beyond with MessyNessyChic in 2018

In 2018, MessyNessyChic became a tale of two cities. We’ll always have Paris, but now we have New York too. In preparation for Don’t Be a Tourist in New York, book number 2 (touching down in 2019), this year our rabbit hole led us across the pond in search of a sleepless city’s secrets. Armed with a…

Reviving the Real-Life “Middle Earth” Maps in a Secret Paris Museum

Maps and Miniatures — these are a few of my favourite things (along with Paris and all its secret places, of course). But you might be wondering what secrets I could possibly find at one of the most recognisable landmarks in Paris, Les Invalides? So big you can’t miss it, built four centuries ago for the invalids…