This Saturday, August 15, 2015 is the tenth anniversary of my arrival in Paris. Even though it has flown by, my life in New York seems such a distant memory.
Vincent and I arrived on one of the quietest days of the year, Assumption Day, a national holiday, where almost everything is shutdown. We rented a temporary apartment, sight unseen, in the 11th arr. off of Oberkampf. The neighborhood then was a little funky/East Village like and the apartment was small but simple but home for a short period. The rue Oberkampf was a mix of mom and pop shops and food shops and some run of the mill cafes. Now the area has become hipsterville, a haven for new chefs and restaurants.
What was I going to do in this new unclaimed city I now called home? What adventures would I embark on? What kinds of friends would I have and how would I meet new people?
Little did I know what was in store for me over the next 10 years.
Vincent already knew what he came here for: he was going to make art and films. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I knew I didn’t want to be a chef or a caterer anymore, as I had done that for 21 years in New York before arriving in Paris. I had no idea how or what I was going to do but I had a clean slate and was looking to reinvent myself.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a tour guide, blogger/travel writer and photographer. These were things I had no knowledge or training in and never even thought about pursuing. (Except for travel photographer. I knew a few travel photographers in NYC and I was always in awe of them, as they got to travel the world. I fantasized about being a travel photographer but had no clue how to go about it, never mind even how to take a good photograph).
The last ten years have been nothing short of miraculous. I couldn’t think of a more rewarding, productive, creative, and enriching way to have spent the last ten years and the cherry on the cake is I get to live in Paris, the most beautiful city in the world.
Click here to read more about my Paris story.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 195 euros per person (about $210)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
Congratulations to both of you.
George
Posted by: George Vye | August 12, 2015 at 07:44 AM