It’s one of the cool things about living in big cities, the awareness that at any moment one of the people you know by name and face- but have never met before- might be just around the corner.
I’ve got a few people that I’m thinking of reaching out to when I return to Paris, in the hopes of meeting. It’s a short and eclectic list, but true to me.
If you’re familiar with me (or my Instagram habits) the lack of ‘French Girls of Instagram’ might surprise you, but they’re really more people whose style I admire- it’s hard to want to meet them knowing relatively little about their interests and personality (beyond shared tastes in bathing suits, jeans, and sweaters).
But I wouldn’t say no to a patisserie with Sabina Socol, any day.
So who’s on the list?
- David Lebovitz: I recently finished reading L’Appart and the story of the author’s harrowing journey to owning a Paris apartment really resonated with me, in terms of expatriate growing pains. And as a big fan of home renovations, I’d love to hear more.
- Rosie McCarthy: Speaking of expatriate growing pains, Rosie’s youtube channel, Not Even French, is a recent favorite discovery of mine. In her videos, the native New Zealander discusses the surprises (both good and bad) of life in Paris. She seems like such a lovely person, and I can only imagine how interesting (and informative) a talk with her would be.
- Paul Taylor: I may have shared one of Paul Taylor’s videos in the past, because they’re quite funny. He’s a British comedian responsible for the What’s Up France?/What the Fuck, France? series.
- Jessie Kanelos Weiner: Jessie Kanelos Weiner is the writer and illustrator of Paris in Stride, a gorgeous book for the dedicated flaneuse (me) who wants to explore Paris. It’s currently hiding in my Mom’s closet for my July 25th birthday. Sometimes she holds watercolor classes. And I really want to attend one!
You may have noticed that this list is super expat-heavy. This isn’t because I have no interest in native Parisians… so much as I think expats subconsciously strike me as being much more approachable. Parisians have notoriously close social lives and with expats, I have the benefit of a shared language (frequently) and similar experiences.
List Mimsy 