An Insiders Guide to the Best of Paris and Chicago! ...A Collaboration with Kendra Thornton

(view from the top of the ferris wheel)

recently i was contacted by

kendra thornton..

a chicago based mom of 3

and travel advocate and spokeswoman.

kendra asked if i'd collaborate with 

her on a project she's doing..

sharing information about my home city..

paris!

 after living here for a year and a half

i'm certainly no expert

but i will share what i have learned

about living here so far

as well as some of my favorite

things to do!

if you're coming to paris

for a weekend

a week

or a month..

i would try to balance both 

acting like a tourist

and 

acting like a parisian!

cross off the museums and 

monuments on your bucket list

and then 

just walk!

pack your umbrella and 

your most stylish

and comfortable pair of shoes

and walk this beautiful city.

pop into a boulangerie for une baguette,

or sit at a cafe with your journal 

for a rest and to people watch.

(my favorite thing to do here in paris!)

some people have asked me when is the best

time to visit paris.

i don't think there is a bad time to visit paris..but,

august is crowded and hot

and most parisians flee the city for their

summer homes. 

november is comparatively quiet,

but the weather can be iffy.

paris is lit up in december

for the holidays and 

april in paris is always a good idea

i think.

:)

SHOPPING

if someone tells me they're

getting ready to travel to paris,

i tell them to pack a suitcase inside

another suitcase.

now you can shop!

you have to bring something 

home from paris..

whether it's a chanel bag

from rue montaigne

or an eiffel tower souvenir

from one of the gazillion sellers

around the tower itself.

personally, i love shopping the 

pharmacies.

get the image of the pharmacy

in the back of CVS or Target 

right out of your head..

many of the pharmacies here 

are gorgeous! with beautiful window

displays and helpful pharmacists.

another inexpensive and sentimental

souvenir is having your (or your children's)

portrait drawn.

in the warmer months the artists

are lined up along trocadero and 

the eiffel tower.

i cherish those we had done

of our kids.

shopping the markets in paris,

flea or food

is a must in my book.

i feel my most parisian when

shopping for dinner at my local

open air market.

and not only have i learned so much

about buying the freshest food possible,

but my french improves every time i go.

FOOD

where to start?

well, if i had to choose

one restaurant i'd go to

La Closerie des Lilas.

atmosphere..check.

good service..check.

delicious food..check.

have a drink at hemingway's

seat at the bar before dinner.

honestly, i don't think i've had

a bad meal here in paris yet.

our new favorite..

Bistro Saint Dominique

in the 7th.

great food..good price

and lovely location.

the spiral staircase is made

from scraps from the eiffel tower.

SLEEP

yes you can stay in 

paris without  remortgaging 

your home.

but if you can afford to stay

at the Four Seasons George V..

go for it!

it's drop dead gorgeous inside.

steve and i like to go to le bar

for a martini..hoping to 

run in to oprah.

i would highly suggest 

that if you're in paris for more than

a week..look into renting an apartment.

you'll save money having a kitchen

and not eating out 3 meals a day

and think of how parisian you'll feel!

EDUCATIONAL FUN

visiting another country and experiencing its

culture is an education in itself.

hiring a tour guide

or joining a walking tour group

is fun and the few that we've 

been on have been fantastic!

we've met many great people

through them as well.

as a family we love

visiting the many museums

paris has to offer.

our favorite is the 

natural history museum.

 the first sunday of every

month, many museums offer

free admission.

and if you're pushing a stroller..

bypass the queue and walk right in!

another inexpensive, fun and educational

thing to do is to take a one hour cruise 

along the seine.

TOURISM DONE RIGHT

we recently moved into

a new apartment here in paris.

we have an amazing view of 

the eiffel tower.

every day i can see

the people lining up to go to the top.

yes, it's a thrill to go to the top of 

the eiffel tower, however,

in my opinion the best view of

paris is from the top of the ferris wheel!

another one of my favorite things to do

here in paris is to have a picnic under the 

eiffel tower in the evening.

stay long enough to watch the sparkles!

head to a boucherie for a rotisserie chicken

and potatoes, the boulangerie for a baguette,

and fromagerie for cheese and wine.

bon appetite!

"if you are lucky enough to have lived in paris

as a young man, than wherever you go for the rest

of your life, it stays with you, for paris is a 

moveable feast" ~ Ernest Hemingway

And if you're headed to Chicago...here are Kendra's 

tips!! 

An Insider's Guide to the Best of Chicago

It's no secret that cities in general, and particularly the country's truly dense midsize 

to large urban centers, are social, cultural, and recreational magnets. It seems as if 

every large, well-known metropolis has its own niche, its own character, and its own 

soul. Case in point: Chicago is the blues infused; Prohibition-era gangster tinged 

New York of the Midwest. While some people may snub it in favor of the Big Apple 

or other places, Chicago is a great place to be.

SHOPPING

Everyone, no matter his or her background or state in life, loves a good deal. When 

in Chicago, the fashionistas flock not the Magnificent Mile, but to Oak Street. While 

the tourists are ooh-ing and ahh-ing a few streets over, the locals and tourists 

in the know come to Oak Street (which is just a few blocks over from The Mile, 

anyway) to get their fashion fix. Interestingly, while the fashion is as avant-garde 

as it gets, many of the shops that sell it are based in historic converted houses, not 

skyscrapers. 

FOOD

Chicago is a great place to get a bite to eat. One of the best overall experiences in 

the whole of Chicago has to be Lou Mitchells diner. It isn't just the homey, cheap, 

filling food that makes this place special - it's the charm that comes along with it. 

For instance, "Uncle Lou", as the proprietor is affectionately known, will happily 

dole out Milk Duds to any women and children that happen to cross the restaurant's 

threshold. Why? Well, if you believe the legend, he and the creator of Milk Duds 

(which, by the way, are a Chicago original), are old friends. 

SLEEP

Nothing caps off a great day in the city like a great night's sleep. The hotels in 

Chicago are so numerous and so varied that to try and list the absolute best one 

here is simply impossible. I do however; recommend choosing one within the city limits. It makes it easier to explore the city and stumble upon some really cool sites.

EDUCATIONAL FUN

One of the most whimsical and just plain fun things to do in Chicago is the chartering 

of a voyage on an actual tall ship - you know, the kind pirates (and just about 

everyone else) used before the advent of steam and other modern sources of power. 

A voyage on "The Windy" blends a great day of sailing on Lake Michigan with a dose 

of education, making it a great trip for all ages, and especially for families.

TOURISM DONE RIGHT

For anyone who absolutely must do the tourist route, the Willis Tower - which loyal 

natives still call the Sears Tower - is something that's actually worth seeing. Or, more 

specifically, the view from the top is what's magnificent. The Sears / Willis Tower 

used to be the world's tallest building, and its Sky Deck is a stunning reminder of 

what that means. Guests will marvel at the views afforded by their 103-story vantage 

point, which is actually a glass pod. This gives viewers the impression that they're 

flying, and is as close to skydiving as you can get without leaping from an airplane. 

And there you have it. Now that you know the best places to go in Chicago, it's time 

for the fun to begin! Just be careful - one taste of the Windy City has hooked many a 

tourist for life. Enjoy!

Thanks Kendra!

It was great working with you!