Paris Guide: Part One

The first time I went to Paris, I was 13 years old. I remember having a Sony Discman and two CDs; the Titanic soundtrack and something by Savage Garden. I remember visiting the Musée de l’Orangerie and the feeling of being absolutely enveloped by Monet’s waterlilies. Seeing the Mona Lisa before she had her own room and a social media frenzy around her is another memory of that trip that I cherish. But going somewhere at 13 doesn’t really count as having been there. So when I had the chance to go back last year, at the ripe of age of 32, I could not wait to see the City of Lights in a new light. I shared a great AirBnB with a friend in Le Marais and enjoyed walking around the neighborhood so much—it’s filled with great shops and cafés such as Études, Boot Café, Merci, Maison Kitsuné, Yvon Lambert, Blend Burger, Breizh Café and so many more. If you’d rather stay at a hotel, check out the Hotel Amour and Le Pigalle Paris, they’re not in Le Marais but they’re lovely options. Another great thing about Le Marais is that it’s very close to Le Centre Pompidou, where I got to see David Hockney’s massive traveling retrospective in a much broader and well lit space than I did this year at the Met. Right in front of the Pompidou is the Atelier Brancusi, a museum that houses a collection of Constantin Brancusi’s modernist sculptures in a space made to replicate his studio. One thing I didn’t get to cross of my list was having a drink at the Bar Hemingway in The Ritz. To my disappointment, it was closed when I tried to go. On the bright side, that just means I have a very good reason to go back to Paris. As if I needed one anyway!

Maristella in Paris' Le Marais neighborhood
The Seine river in Paris
Place Vêndome in Paris, France
The Ritz at Place Vêndome in Paris
Maristella at the Ritz in Paris
Ritz hotel in Paris
Terrace at the Ritz Hotel in Paris
Paris rooftops
Seine river in Paris
Rue Saint Honoré street sign in Paris
Maristella in Le Marais
Maristella wears a brown teddy coat with contrast blue sleeves and yellow collar from Mango, white Chanel vintage bag, Loeffler Randall silver boots, yellow pleated skirt and Ganni lemon t-shirt
Maristella wears a coat from Mango and vintage white Chanel bag in Le Marais Paris
Paris windows
The Études boutique in Le Marais Paris
Vintage car outside of the Merci store in Le Marais Paris
Boot Café Coffee Shop in Le Marais Paris
Atelier Brancusi in Paris
Atelier Brancusi in Paris
Atelier Brancusi in Paris
Atelier Brancusi in Paris
Le Marais
Corner in Paris
Paris buildings
Maristella at the Louis Vuitton showroom in Paris
Hotel Amour in Paris
Hotel Amour in Paris
Maison Kitsuné boutique in Le Marais Paris
Marmoreal in the Maison Kitsuné boutique in Paris
Marmoreal in the Maison Kitsuné boutique in Paris
The Sézane boutique in Paris
Claus restaurant in Paris
Blend burgers in Le Marais, Paris
The Sézane boutique in Paris