ParisDiscovered™

30-chapter guide to moving to Paris — apartments, bureaucracy, banking, healthcare & daily life. By an American who's lived here 13+ yrs & helped 50+ relocate.

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In 2013, I quit my American life and moved to Paris. Alone. At 45. No plan. No safety net. Just a one-way ticket.13 years later, here's what I've learned about actually relocating to France:

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Square Boucicaut, 7th arrondissement. That unusual tree is an Araucaria — a monkey puzzle, native to Chile, growing in a Paris garden since the 19th century. #Paris7e #ParisGardens #ParisDiscovered

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Paris in summer is basically this. Find water, find people, stay until dark. #ParisSummer #SeineParis #ParisDiscovered

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Inside Sacré-Cœur, there's a scale model of Sacré-Cœur. Most people walk past it to look at the paintings. #SacreCoeur #MontmartreHidden #ParisDiscovered

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Two centuries apart, sharing the same wall on Rue Saint-Martin. The green mascaron has been here since the 18th century. The ceramic portrait is brand new. #ParisDetails #HiddenParis #ParisDiscovered

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The French fish counter. Whole fish on ice, handwritten tags, a man in a white coat who knows every species by sight. #Poissonnerie #FrenchSeafood #ParisDiscovered

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Place Saint-Ferdinand, 17th arrondissement. Most people in Paris have never heard of it. #Paris17e #HiddenParis #ParisDiscovered

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Place Dauphine. Built by Henri IV in 1607, triangular, almost entirely enclosed, and invisible from the street unless you know where to look. #PlaceDauphine #IleDeLaCite #ParisDiscovered

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The Petit Palais has one of the most beautiful interior galleries in Paris. It's also free. Most people walk past it on the way to the Grand Palais. #PetitPalais #ParisMuseum #ParisDiscovered

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Every neighborhood in Paris has one. A florist on a corner, flowers spilling onto the sidewalk, open until 8pm. #ParisFleursiste #ParisStreets #ParisDiscovered

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This is the view Paris keeps offering, no matter how many times you've seen it. From Montmartre, looking west. #MontmartreView #EiffelTower #ParisDiscovered

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Montmartre in cherry blossom season. The rest of the year this is just a building with a clock. In March, it's this. #MontmartreSpring #CherryBlossom #ParisDiscovered

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The balcony ironwork in Montmartre is doing something the rest of Paris mostly stopped doing. #ParisBalcony #MontmartreDetails #ParisDiscovered

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We are at the end of May. Strawberries are at the market but this is it…you really dont' find strawberries after June 1st… we just have a few days left…BUY STRAWBERRIES!. That's the whole post. If you live in France, buy your fucking strawberries TODAY! Seriously.…

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La Favoriate (@lafavoritesaintpaul) at night is trying to seduct @emilyinparis ? …looks like it belongs in a film. Right ? They were the ORIGINAL too-much-flowers-but-it's-ok-because-it's-insta. i find them working LESS on their exterior right now and more on what they serve…

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The apartment visit was amazing. It was gorgeous. Then you walk out onto the street of Ile Saint Louis. It's *crazy* how the city is OPEN to you. You just need to know where to look. #IleSaintLouis #ParisArchitecture #ParisDiscovered

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This is what a furnished apartment in a Marais hôtel particulier looks like. Not a hotel. A private mansion, converted. Lived in. #HotelParticulier #LeMarais #ParisDiscovered

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The G20. Every Parisian neighborhood has one. Ours is open late, has produce on the sidewalk, ice cubes for sale, and Julie is the boss ! You won't understand this if you don't know this owner…but, TRUST me.

always exactly what you need at 8pm when everything else is closed.…

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i was *LITERALLY* rushing to work one day in the Maris. The sun was killing my eyes for 5-10 blocks. The terrace on Rue de Bretagne (in front of the Mairie) was empty because it was early…but they were READY even before the sun came up! Just up the street… oldest covered…

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So, the trick with taking photos from the Eiffel Tower is, you've gotta make sure you KNOW what time the sun sets…

IF you are going to spend your time hiking up the ET, etc. you should make sure that you know what photos you are going to take and where. i'm serious: if it's…

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Golden hour at the Bois de Vincennes. Not enough people know about the paths. There's hardly anyone. Can you hear the birds ? #BoisDeVincennes #ParisSunset #ParisDiscovered