Jun 17, 2013

Routine-development report


Moving from Paris to New York is an adventure. I have to say goodbye to the daily routines that I have just established in Paris such as when to do what and where. Adieu my freshly baked baguettes, adieu my metro Abbesses, adieu aroma of café and boulangerie-patisserie... Saying goodbye is a painful process and the best way to get over it is to quickly develop a new routine in a new place. With the experience in Paris, I find it not hard to develop a new living pattern in NYC. Here's my first week report:

Since WholeFoods is 2mins' walk from my home, it almost becomes my dining hall. The salad bar has a variety of salads as well as hot food (rice, noodle, meat...) and soup. I usually get a box of mix-and-match food and bring it up to the dining area on the second floor. Eating while looking at the busy Union Square is the first pleasant moment I find in the city. This is something that you cannot find in Paris because eating on the terrace only gives you a street view, whereas sitting upstairs gives you a vantage point for watching the city at dusk. 


Union Square farmers market
On friday, I took advantage of the nice weather and went to the Washington Square Park. Walking along 4th street, I saw NYU flags waving, city-tour buses passing by and students coming out of the Stern School building. I've always imagined a college life without campus - taking metro to and from the class, studying at a café with real people (non-students) sitting next to you. I can't decide which college life is better because I do enjoy both.
I sat on a park bench in front of the fountain, green tea latté in my hand. (This is very important!! My obsession with green tea latté finally got cured!!) A nice half an hour spent, and I thought I was in Paris for a second. 
Fountain, arc, pigeons... 
After leaving the park, I went to explore the Meatpacking district. If the Haut-Marais is the boboland in Paris, Meatpacking district is definitely the counterpart in NYC. Less touristic than SOHO, this area is full of hidden gems: boutiques, european style cafés, specialty restaurants... Agréable!

During the weekend, I spent two mornings having brunch and reading at Pret-a-Manger. The city doesn't wake up until 10 a.m and I feel like there's only jogging couples, shopkeepers and me in the city. How wonderful is that! 
My latest discovery is that it's better to go uptown or out of town in the weekend because I have a low tolerance for noise.

So this is what I've found in the first week. Developing a routine is really what makes a difference between visiting and living in a city and I enjoy it :)


Jun 1, 2013

Rue des Martyrs, yummy!


Thanks to my "culture theme" class, I finally pursuaded myself to walk along the long long Rue des Martyrs to discover this "boboland". The Rue des Martyrs starts at the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Church and ends near the Rue Yvonne Le Tac. Like most of the streets at Montmartre, Rue des Martyrs is steep. I started from its upper part since it's close to my home, and walked down until the end. The upper part seems more bohemian, loud and crowded, probably because it's close to Sacré Coeur. (ah! les touristes!) The lower you go, the more hungry you will be. Lower Martyrs is full of pastisserie, boulangerie, boucherie, etc. (attention! almost all of the boulangerie here has won some big prize, such as the best baguette in Paris in 2007, the best chocolate éclair, the best chocolate, the best english puff... bref, everything here used to be and still is one of the best in its own field)

I spent two hours in the café inside the Hôtel Amour (8 Rue de Navarin) and had a great time watching people come and by and observing their outfits.

After I came back, I sorted the photos into several groups.

1. People


Parisian chic or bobo style?

2. Stores

Love the reflection in the window

proud shop owner.


 The famous Arnaud DELMONTEL!! one of the best boulangeries in Paris

 I really don't get the point of putting three Eiffel Towers here as decoration. 

I do like this sort of deco better.
3. FOOD

 Actually it's the eyes who are eating the pastries..
Do you know you can present fruits like this?

4. Hôtel Amour

café bourgeois, for sure.