The Art, the Food, and the People of Paris

Paris, although filled with life, history, art, and culture is also a booming international city. When in Paris, I met people from all around the globe. People from all over London, Ireland, Italy, Israel, and a few groups of other American students! Whether you are traveling to Europe in a group or solo, make sure to be social, after all, Paris would not be what it is without the people that made it what it is today. My group of fellow students would hang out on the Seine (the river) and eat our dinner, and socialize with the Parisians who we had met along the way. 

Here is a video of moments from each day we spent in Paris.

The class consisted of morning meetings in the Luxembourg gardens, which we also often picnicked in, along with daily trips to, museums. The gardens are full of activities from tennis, basketball, and soccer games, to vendors and picnickers like us. We also learned about some of the beautiful architecture and the fantastic chapels we visited. A full list of the museums I personally attended is below.

1. Musee d’Orsay
2. Musee Picasso
3. Musee du Luxembourg 
4. Musee de  l’Orangerie
5. La Cinemateque Francaise
6. Centre Pompidou
7. Foundation Louis Vuiton
8. Musee Marmottan Monet
9. Musee Rodin
10. Palais de Tokyo
11. Maison Europeennee de la Photography

My personal favorite museums were Musee Marmottan Monet because it’s in a beautiful old villa. It is filled with many famous artists’ personal collections and has different levels, each with its own vibe and it feels like you are at different museums. I also really loved the Pompidou which is France’s modern art museum and is full of wacky exhibits and the view from the outside staircase is better than that even from the top of the Eiffel tower.

The food in Paris, as you would expect is on a totally different level. Although we went to fancy restaurants a few times, doing that for every meal isn’t the way to go. As I said in my previous post, in Paris, be prepared to buy as you go, if you see the food you want, get it and eat it later. Maybe 60% of my meals were street food or picnics. Their grocery stores are always stocked with salami and baguettes, macrons, and even stations to squeeze your own orange juice at the local Monoprix (the one-stop shop for anything you need). Every crepe stand is a must, my favorite was Culture Crepes which guarantees gluten-free crepes, and they were also just the superior crepes. Strawberry-Nutella was my go-to flavor.

I often indulged in sweets while in Paris. Around what felt like every corner stood some sort of boulangerie filled with pastry or a gelato stand. Keep in mind, if you pick up a baguette from a bakery you can’t wait a day to eat it, they are always best the day you get them. I often got gelato from my favorite shop Amorino and hot chocolate from Cafe De Flore (which you simply have to dip a croissant in).

Overall, I found the best moments in Paris are not found in forcing yourself to get to all the monuments but in taking the time to see what is around you, what the locals are doing, and really taking the time to find the places that you actually want to visit. Let yourself eat the eclair and get a fancy dinner, stay out with the late-night crowds of people and you will find yourself feeling at home in the booming city of Paris, France.

Au revoir

SU Faculty-Led Short-Term Program - American in Paris - Paris, France - Summer 2022