I just returned from spending two weeks in Paris with my husband and son. It was my first time to Paris and my first trip overseas in 20 years. The last time I was in Europe, I used an MCI calling card to call home…on a payphone. Obviously a lot has changed since then, not least of all myself.
It was such a treat to see my son, who is 11, experience his first proper trip and to be reminded of the importance of travel not only in shaping your sensibility and how you see the world, but also how it can foster gratitude for home and your own day to day life.
We ate, and walked, and saw art. I practiced my French and saw my French teacher twice, a delight after only knowing each other through the screen for the last several months.
Before we left Seattle I spent a lot of time figuring out what clothes to pack: how things could go together, how I could wear something over and over again, how I could be comfortable but also look pulled together and feel like myself. I have never planned my wardrobe quite this thoroughly and it was a really enjoyable experience. It made adjusting to the shifts in weather, activity, or mood a piece of cake.
Here I am heading to the airport doing my best layering for temp regulation, options, and depth (one of the many things I’ve learned from Amy Smilovic this year). Some of those layers became a scarf, a pillow, or a blanket on the trip over, plus it saved room in my luggage…
Speaking of luggage, we bought The Medium from Away just before the trip which was the perfect size and I used my small carry-on as well…
My favorite simple go-to tote is this Baggu crossbody duck bag (seen below) which I used nearly everyday. It has an adjustable strap and hugs close to the body, and easily fit our umbrellas and jambon et beurre sandwiches…
Also from Baggu, I usually have one of these standard bags folded up in my bag (not just while traveling but at home as well) just in case…
The most important thing I brought with me to Paris were my Brooks Ghost 15 shoes. I also packed my Nike Jumbos which are no doubt “cooler” but since I knew the primary thing we would be doing is walking on concrete, I built my wardrobe around these shoes.
I walked at least 18,000 steps every day for two weeks straight, and my body felt fantastic. It solidified what I already know, that walking is incredibly important and necessary for us humans and something I am going to double-down on and prioritize at home.
Something else that I wore repeatedly and worked well with the Brooks style-wise were a slouchy pair of trousers. I scored these Tibi Stella ones on sale (and then took them to Nordstrom to be hemmed) and they are a fantastic pant. The current ones can be found here…
I also wore this Uniqlo cashmere crew neck sweater over and over, sometimes just as a scarf…
And this Uniqlo merino turtleneck…
And possibly my favorite, this dropped-shoulder boiled wool sweater from COS (seen above with that Baggu duck bag)…
Unsurprisingly, we found lots of delicious things to eat.
We enjoyed a magnificent food tour in the Marais with Paris by Mouth. Our fantastic guide Faye (a Brit and now Parisienne for 14 years) was so delightful (she also showed up wearing a Wu-Tang beanie) that it was one of the highlights of the whole trip. And my son, who at home I’d classify as a picky eater, tried it all with gusto - the stinky cheeses, the pâté, the wine…
We had a spectacular lunch at Mokonuts, which had been on my list after reading this article about them in the NYT a few years ago…
But the front runner was our incredible Lebanese meal at Kubri…
Everything was so bright and flavorful and complex but accessible that even my (now formerly picky) son was wowed. At his request we made a reservation for lunch the following week…
Another highlight was my son searching for Invaders. I first learned about Invader through Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop, but was reminded by my friend Omar about the FlashInvaders app that tracks the Invaders you find. We would make a point of taking the long way to the restaurant so we could wind through the streets and look for them. After dinner one night in Saint-Germain it was pouring and dark but we spent some time walking around before catching the metro home and were rewarded by finding a very cool Chewbacca and C-3PO. It was fun in and of itself but as a parent raising a human in this time of constantly being cajoled into looking into your screen instead of what’s around you, I was especially proud when he said “Can you imagine if you were just walking around the street looking at your phone, you’d never see them!”
We also went to see the incredible Rothko exhibit currently happening at Fondation Louis Vuitton which is my favorite museum experience to date…
And now it feels wonderful settling back in at home, seeing my clients, and re-stocking the fridge and thinking about what to cook. I am making time for that daily walk, looking forward to seeing my French teacher once again on the screen next week, and am paying gratitude for this life I get to live.
I will leave you with this from James Clear’s always insightful weekly newsletter:
Historian and author, Howard Zinn, on the importance of what you choose to emphasize:
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”