As a self-proclaimed francophile, it seemed only fitting that I should celebrate Bastille Day on my blog! I did a post last year sharing my favorite French books, movies and food and since none of those things have changed, I'm sharing something different this time around.
I've only been to Paris once but I had wanted to go for years and even now, it's still my dream vacation. But Paris isn't exactly the cheapest destination so I have to find a little bit of France at home and luckily, New York makes that somewhat easy. Here are my favorite places to see, eat and shop at around the city!
See
The Paris Theatre, 4 W. 58th St.
I saw a movie at this theatre for the first time last year and I've been wanting to go back. What makes it different is that they only show one movie at a time (currently they're showing Testament of Youth with Kit Harington!). They tend to play indie films which I love and the whole place has a very old school feel.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave.
You could spend hours and hours at this museum and you still wouldn't be able to see everything it has to offer. But on Bastille Day, I'd recommend seeing French artists like Degas, Cézanne and Monet. All of whom have art works housed here.
Eat
Laduree, 864 Madison Ave.
I can't mention Paris and not talk about Laduree. I still consider them to have the best maracons and I couldn't be happier that they have a location in NYC. In Europe, they're really fond of floral flavors so if you want to be a little French, try the rose macaron. (I personally love it!)
L'Express, 249 Park Ave.
I've eaten here at least five or six times. It's a quaint little restaurant in the Flatiron which is probably why I've been here so often (I love this area). But the food is great. It can get busy but even when it does, you can still hold a conversation without having to shout. It's definitely one of my go-to restaurants. Especially when I'm craving escargot.
Shop
Longchamp, 713 Madison Ave.
I had owned two of their bags for a while but I didn't realize how big Longchamp was in France until I went to Paris and saw everyone carrying them. (Ok confession: I didn't realize the brand was French before that moment.) I love their main store in Soho and when I'm in the area, I like to stop by and feel tempted to buy more bags.
Idlewild Books, 12 W 19th St # 2
This is one of the more unique bookstores in NYC. It specializes in travel and what's cool is that the books are organized by country. Then within each country you'll not only find guidebooks and such but also the most popular books in that country. And they even give language lessons. Stop by the France section if you want to daydream about planning a trip!
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So, those are my favorite French inspired places in NYC!
Do you know any others that I've missed?
Let me know in the comments.
Happy Bastille Day!
Happy Bastille Day to you, too! I haven't gone to any French places in NYC but we used to have the BEST French restaurant in my hometown. They specialized in crepes. They moved just this spring to a town further away though, so I haven't been in about a year. I just moved, too, so I'm hoping to find a good French place in my new city.
ReplyDeleteI adore this post so, so much! Happy Bastille Day! I'm a little bit of a Francophile (though I'm a bigger Anglophile), so it's fun to see all these ideas for French-inspired places and things to do in NYC. I'm also pretty pleased as punch I've actually ventured to most of these - the restaurant is the only one I don't think I've ever visited. (And I should remedy that!)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS POST! I've never been to Paris, though I hope to visit one day. I was supposed to go for a weekend when I was studying abroad at Oxford, but the plans fell through and I think I ended up going to Bath instead for the Jane Austen Museum (I'm sure you're not surprised I wanted to go there) and to see Stonehenge (my friend's request, which I found supremely boring because IT IS ROCKS IN A FIELD BIG WOOHOO). Anywayyyy, I've told Nick we need to plan on a Paris trip one day... I'm hoping! Have you seen this gorgeous Paris book? http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/lifestyle/all/03419/facts.taschens_paris_2nd_edition.htm
ReplyDeleteI have Taschen's London and Paris, and they're just so cool to flip through! (Sidenote: it's cheaper on Amazon, but you can look at more pictures of the book on the Taschen website)