Paris Is Always a Good Idea...

I had absolutely no plans to travel for Spring Break. Nope, none at all. I was going to save my money for my big birthday blowout weekend in New York City this summer. Then it happened. A friend posted on Facebook that he would be in Paris the same weekend of my break. It took me about one one hundredth of a second to decide I would meet him. After all, Paris is always a good idea...

Highlights:

• This is going to sound crazy, but getting a chance to visit Paris without visiting all the museums and big tourist attractions. For the first time ever, I didn't have to go to the Louvre and fight the crowds to see the Mona Lisa, or stand in line for hours to tour the Palace of Versailles, or visit the Eiffel Tower. Don't get me wrong, I've thoroughly enjoyed all the times I've gone with friends (and invite my friends and family to meet me there!), but it was nice to just live in the city for a week, enjoy local restaurants, shop, and SLEEP IN. 
• Staying at the cutest boutique hotel, in a FANTASTIC location.
• Visiting the city with someone who loves to shop, stroll the streets, drink champagne, and eat fries just as much as I do. 
• Spending my final day in the city at the most relaxing rooftop bar atop the Galeries Lafayette department store, taking in the view.
• Finding THE PERFECT bag at Fendi on the rue Saint Honoré.
• Cocktails and dinner at Maison Lautrec with old and new friends. 

Lowlights:

• Trying to figure out the air conditioning and hot water in my hotel room. I was sweating at night and burning myself in the shower for a couple of days! (I eventually figured it out.)

Today's lesson: When you have a chance to go to Paris, you go! No, seriously, when given the chance to travel to a city you LOVE, you need no excuse. If it's within your means, you pack a bag and go. There are memories to be made, and they can't be made sitting on the couch. 

My dear friend Preston and I at a quaint little café.

I found this little passage on one of my daily strolls through the city.

The lobby of the Maison Athenée, a small, cute, boutique hotel near the Opera. The staff here is wonderful!

This bathtub in my hotel room??? Amazing. 

Got my morning coffee and my comfy shoes. Ready to hit the streets!

This scene is perfection.

Waiting outside Claus. The breakfast was absolutely delicious.

Patiently waiting for a free table at Claus.

Goodies at Claus.

Paris has some of the most amazing "passages," or shopping arcades.

Near the Louvre Museum.

When in Paris, you MUST relax in the park.

The weather was so beautiful, it called for a walk through the Tuileries Garden.

Rue de Rivoli: Parisian architecture is beyond beautiful. The symmetry, the balconies, the tiled roofs. 

Thank you for your help Minna! 

My new bag (Happy Birthday to me!!!) comes with its own rain poncho. You know... for when it rains...in the desert, where I currently live. 

Bar situation at Maison Lautrec.

Pulled up to the bar at Maison Lautrec, on my phone, as usual.

Marché Noir, a unique vintage find.

Montmartre. 

Resting on the infamous steps in front of the Sacré-Coeur. 

Fondation Louis Vuitton. An amazing work of art by Frank Gehry.

Stopped for a café crème at Hermès, Rue de Sèvres

Picked up a little something...

Preston was in HEAVEN at Hermès! It's like Disney World, but for adults...who love to shop!

This view...

...and this charcuterie platter, from Cube Bar (Galeries Lafayette).