Author: Elise Marafioti

Elise was born and raised in New York where she pursued a career in classical and modern dance. During a hiatus from performing, she moved to Paris and attended the American University of Paris. After living in more than six different arrondissements over the years, soaking up as much of Paris as possible, she returned to New York. Throughout the years, Elise has taken every opportunity to return to Paris and has also traveled extensively throughout Europe.

With an expired visa and packed boxes, I sat in my beautiful Parisian apartment. I told myself that I would surely find a way to return to Paris. I never once imagined that eight years later, I’d still be fighting passionately to maintain une vie parisienne in New York City. …read more

On Sunday, January 12 at 3pm, a curious group of Parisians gathered together in front of the Arc de Triomphe to coordinate their collective metro ride to Bastille. While moving across the city en mass is a common occurrence in Paris, (the city streets are regularly paraded on in protest), it is rare that such… …read more

Imagine: it’s 1pm in Paris. It’s lunchtime, you’re hungry, and you really need to take a break to unwind from a stressful day at work. Where do you go? The answer will soon be, to Le Café des Chats. The concept of a cat café is nothing new. Wikipedia tells me the first cat café… …read more

One of my favorite things about visiting Paris is taking as much of it as possible back home with me. After filling a suitcase with gifts, souvenirs, and an assortment of my favorite products collected at Monoprix, I always squeeze in a bottle or two of good French wine. But the next time I visit… …read more

The famous Café Procope, Paris’ first café, was serving this new, caffeinated beverage to the likes of Voltaire – rumored to have consumed 40 cups of coffee a day – among a star-studded cast of other enlightened historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin, Rousseau, Diderot, and Robespierre. …read more

As I parked my Velib on a rare sunny afternoon in Paris, just steps from the Canal St Martin, I could already tell I was in for a treat.  I made my way up charming rue de la Grange aux Belles to the narrow storefront of Ten Belles, snuggled next to a lush, overgrown plant… …read more

Vacation Rentals for Those Who Don’t just Travel, they Experience. they Experience.

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Although the trend is nothing new stateside, the French have been a little slow to hop on the artisan & craft beer bandwagon. This could be all set to change, however, with a new opening in Montmartre that has serious beer drinkers rejoicing. -Geneviève Paris, a city known for being the wine-imbibing capital of the… …read more