TRAVEL — Lauren Mossberg

BONJOUR! I have been looking forward to this trip all year! Two coworkers (friends) and I headed to Paris to work from there remotely for six weeks, as part of a work travel program. We nestled the timing of this trip right between the NYC Marathon and the holidays. And as a bonus, we convinced a handful of family and friends to come with us for the first week in Paris. The whole group was twelve people!

We booked an Airbnb in the 11th Arr., right off the Place de la Bastille. It was a fifth-floor walkup (87 steps to be exact) but it was a true three bedroom with a giant kitchen, living, and dining space. We needed a comfortable apartment because we would be working from there during our trip.

Sat Nov 11

We all landed at CDG on Saturday morning, collected our bags, and Ubered into Paris. The schlep up to the Airbnb was tough, but we reminded ourselves that we’d only have to do this once with all our bags. After settling in and showering, we headed out to explore our new home. We sat down at Café des Anges for lunch (onion soup and burgers), then continued on to the cemetery with Jim Morrison’s tomb. We made some pit stops for homewares and groceries on our way back to the Airbnb before a quick rest.

We started the evening at Le Bar Botaniste at the Sangri-La hotel. The name of the game was eat and drink and stay awake! We all had crappy sleep on the plane, but we wanted to do our best to adjust to the new time zone. We walked to the Trocadero Gardens to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 9:00pm, then grabbed one last drink at Monsieur Bleu before heading home.

Sun Nov 12

Everyone woke up hungry, so we all gathered at Au Bouquet Saint Paul for breakfast, near the Charles V Hotel where our parents/friends were staying. The food was delicious! After breakfast, we parted ways. I, along with my friend Caroline, Mom, and friend Patty, went on a Citroën 2 CV tour. It was so fun. We passed a couple big monuments like Hôtel de Ville, Notre Dame, and the Pantheon. But the tour guides also drove us to the square where Emily in Paris was filmed: Emily’s apartment and Gabrielle’s restaurant. The restaurant’s name in real life is Terra Nera, and apparently, it’s a nice Italian spot.

In the evening, all twelve of us family and friends went to Moulin Rouge. Unfortunately, we sat in smaller groups of four based on booking, but fortunately for me, we were dead center in the front. We chose to dine at the theater before the show. The food was pretty good! And we’re confident that diners get better showtime seats.

Mon Nov 13

Monday was our first workday, working Paris 9:00-5:00. We had to sneak out a smidge early because we booked a private Seine River cruise for all twelve of us, via Paris Water Way we reserved Le Buci. The boat was beautiful, with plenty of room inside and out for folks to take pictures. We left from the Louvre and went as far as the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty (yes, Paris has one, too!). The cruise was about two hours. After docking, we walked through the Louvre courtyard to see the pyramid all lit up in the dark. I had made a reservation at Vaudeville for all of us to dine together.

Tues Nov 14

Us working girls played a bit of hooky in the morning to visit the Palace of Versailles. Caroline and I navigated the Metro to get there. We were so proud of ourselves, but it really wasn’t that difficult coming from NYC and the Subway.

After work, we met Mom and Patty by the Arc de Triomphe. We saw the Publicis office, walked to the Flame of Liberty/Diana Memorial, and then went to dinner at Chez Andre. We shared oysters and escargot, and each got an entrée. We started to notice that good food in France isn’t that expensive.

Flame of Liberty & unofficial Diana memorial

Wed Nov 15

Another working day for me, while Becca and her family headed to London. In the evening though, I met my family and friends at Jules Verne, the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.

It was one of the best meals and experiences of my life. You start at a specified entrance to the Eiffel Tour base, where you’re guided up the glass elevator to the restaurant. You rise through one of the legs of the tower to the restaurant floor and you can see all the different metal workings of the tower. The dining space was rather intimate, with rooms facing each direction. The views are spectacular.

I did the 5-course menu as is, but a couple folks in our party adjusted the selections. We started with two amuse-bouche: a chestnut panna cotta and a foie gras. Then the five courses consisted of crab, scallop, langoustine, venison, and a chocolate dessert. But wait, there’s more! There were tiny dessert bites: one almond and one passionfruit. And we were sent home with chocolate.

Thurs Nov 16

After work, we headed on the Metro to Palais Garnier, the opera house, which happened to be covered in scaffolding. Bummer! We walked towards Place Vendome, window shopping along the way at Maison Goyard, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. The square was decorated for the holidays already, though not all of the lights were lit. We stopped into Laduree for a cappuccino and a macaron snack.

Then I went off to dinner at Les 110 de Taillevent. Their wine menu was separated into four categories: classic, international, aged, and secret. With the secret menu, there was a short sentence or phrase that described something about the wine, and that was all that you ordered from. It was like a riddle. And the wine was served in a black tinted glass. Before you smelled and tasted it, you didn’t know whether it was a red or a white, or where it came from, unless you specifically understood the clue. For example, one mentioned the Wairau River which we knew was in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. On the stem of the glass was a card you could flip over after you had the wine to see what it was. That was such a fun and unique experience. As far as food, I ordered the poultry vol au vent and it was divine. It was comforting like a French chicken pot pie.

Fri Nov 17

Our last Parisian day of the week! Did some light work, but it’s Friday, c’mon! We went out for a walk around noon because the sun was shining, and the sky was blue. We found ourselves walking along the Seine, both along the water and through a couple tunnels. We popped out near the Louvre, so we turned around, grabbed coffee and a bite from a café, and some groceries before heading home. Before we knew it, we hit five miles!

View of the Eiffel Tower from the Louvre

We had booked a wine tasting at Ô Chateau. Due to traffic, we showed up almost 30 minutes late, UGH! Vowed to only take the Metro from now on. The good thing was we only missed the intros and the first half of the Champagne spiel. The tasting was in a cellar room below the wine bar. It was so lovely. The host was so entertaining and knowledgeable. And the wines were great. We had booked our tasting with charcuterie/cheese, so we were nibbling along the way. It was two hours well spent!

Then we were off to dinner Bofinger, a classic French restaurant very close to our Airbnb. The food and the atmosphere were perfect. The waitstaff were very kind and prompt. I got mussels and it was under 20 EU, which coming from NYC felt like a steal.

And that wrapped up our first week in Paris, because we were off to London in the morning!