la vie à paris: fête à pa-ah-ree!

Well everyone--it's officially party time! The sun is out, the air is warm and I JUST FINISHED MY FINAL PAPER! Woohoo! (Let's just pretend that I don't still have to find a summer job, an apartment, and book those damned hostels in Spain!) But hey, it's not like I didn't start this Paris party this weekend--which is exactly what I did.

{vin et soleil sur la seine}

The entire weekend consisted of hanging with my friends, drinking wine, sunbathing on the Seine, eating crêpes and Berthillon ice creams, exploring the city and sitting at the tea room of the Mosquée de Paris smoking hookah. Needless to say it was probably one of the best weekend ever.

Now that I'm officially done and am still only working four hours a day, this party can continue. On the agenda? Pre-work museum and neighborhood excursions and post-work drinks and dinners with friends. Yea baby!

I'm going to start today by going for my first jog (cough cough powerwalk) through Parc Montsouris, the lovely park across the street from my building.

What else in on my agenda, you ask?

PRE-WORK

FINALLY make it to the YSL exhibit at the Petit Palais. I've put this one off for long enough.

Rediscover the Marais for the 984383th time. (No matter how many times I visit the Marais, I always seem to find something new. Some restaurant, some store, some bar, some sight. I usually end up there when I bring visitors to get fallafel for lunch at L'as and often have to cut short my wanderings around the neighborhood. Therefore, I promise to dedicate one morning to doing some Marais things that I have yet to do: Musée d'art et d'histoire de Judaïsme, try gelato from Pozzetto, and scour Les Archives de la Presse for vintage fashion magazines.)

Check out the ginormous new Ralph Lauren store and wander Saint-Germain-des-Près

Visit the Musée Rodin on a sunny day

Check out the furniture and other funky stuff at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Return to Père Lachaise and finally leave love letters for Jim

Explore the Middle Eastern and Oriental art wings of the Louvre


POST WORK

Paris is known for having awesome happy hour (here called "after work") deals with cheap drinks and sometimes even food!

I am planning to return to:

Courtyard tea room at the Mosquée de Paris for more tea, Middle Eastern sweets and hookah

Curieux Spaghetti bar for flavored mojitos and SPAGHETTI

And I would also like to try out:

Chez Georges- a rowdy Jewish bar by Odéon recommended to me by my friend and floormate Sanni

Hotel Costes- as shmancy and fashiony as you can get- planning to stop at 1 expensive drink

La Perle-a happening bar in the Marais recommended to me by my friend Alex who spent her Junior Spring semester here two years ago

Le Baron Rouge-low key authentic French wine bar

There's so much more and I'll add it as I think of it....

But for now, time to start my partying!

Paix, Amour et Néon,
Marisa