Happy Bastille Day!

Happy (early) Bastille Day! It's officially tomorrow but I'm celebrating on the blog today. Every year I let my inner-Francophile out and share a little bit of my love for all things French. In the past I've talked about: books, movies, and food; places to eat, shop and visit in NYC for a little bit of France; memories of my first and only trip to Paris; and how certain books inspired wanderlust in myself and other travel-loving friends. 

This year I was inspired by The EveryGirl's list of "The Best French Spots in New York City" and spent a beautiful day in the city with Alexa going to a bunch of the places mentioned, trying our very best to pretend we were just two Parisian friends enjoying some delicious food and shopping. 

Our first stop! We went to Claudette for brunch and this place has been on my radar for quite some time. We lucked out and managed to get a table without reservations but if you want to go, definitely plan ahead. Soon after we were seated the place was bustling with people. The restaurant itself is so charming, the service was great and the food? Even better! We both got eggs benedict and shared a plate of French toast. I can't wait to go back to try their dinner menu!

Next, we went to L'Appartement Sezane which was gorgeous! The minute we saw the storefront, we immediately stopped to take like a dozen photos. Between all the bright flowers, the cute bench and the vintage bike on the side, it was so picturesque. Same went for the interior! When we walked in Alexa commented that if I ever had a apartment in France, she thought it would look exactly like this store. (She's totally right.) I expected everything they had to be super pricey but it was a surprising mix of high-end and affordable. I ended up getting a straw bag and a mug that says "Paris mon amour." They also had a mini-cafe in the front and a photo booth in the back, which we took advantage of. 

Marché Maman is part restaurant, store and bakery (it's particularly known for the latter) and we stopped here for more shopping and desserts. Again, their aesthetic was on point aka right up my alley. We got cute matching bracelets that I've basically worn every day since. And the pastries were delicious! I got the pistachio loaf cake and a latte while Alexa got pain au chocolat and a cappuccino. Like every other place I've mentioned so far, I want to go back.

An all-day outing with Alexa wouldn't be complete without stopping at a bookstore. I thought I had most of the indie bookstores on my list (because I want to visit them all) but I had never heard of Albertine. It's inside the Payne Whitney Museum and is the only New York bookstore to stock French books! I immediately looked for Anne of Green Gables but unfortunately they didn't have it. Luckily, Alexa was able to find a copy of Harry Potter in French so I'm glad at least one of us was able to add to our collections! It's a truly beautiful store that's worth going to just to see their constellation ceiling.  

Then our last stop of the day was Longchamp. It's a staple brand in France and I remember seeing almost everyone wearing their bag when I was in Paris (which made me glad that I brought mine along by coincidence!). We both fully intended to buy something which is why we went but we both decided to be good and walked out empty handed. Of course we tried on and admired at least 5 different bags before we did. 

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So that was our French day in NYC!

Have you been to any of these spots?