Wanderlust – Page 15 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

City Guide August 23, 2013

Paris City Guide

There is definitely no city in the world I love more than Paris. Growing up, it was always my dream to move there and spend my time strolling the bustling streets, speaking French with strangers, sipping coffee at a bijoux-cafe and wine on the Seine. In 2010, I got an internship in the City of Lights, and after a two week stint at the Cannes Film Festival, I made my way up north to Paris, where I spent the next three months adventuring (and blogging every day). I was fortunate enough to have one of my best friends, Andrew, also working there – by complete chance. We made a pact to adventure every single night – never to waste a moment in the most exciting city in the world. I honestly did not want to leave, so in 2010, after I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, I went back with my family. Again, in 2012, Sasha and I made our way to Paris, at the end of our vacation to Turkey and Greece. I genuinely think that being a tour guide in that city, which was once my home, is my favorite thing in the world. If you haven’t gone, you must. And when you go, I suggest you try some of my favorite things to do.

Food

Best Falafel: L’As du Fallafel (Le Marais)

Best Mediterranean: Chez Marianne (Le Marais) and Beytouti (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Romantic Dinner: Le Cafe de l’Homme (Trocadéro)

Best Casual Dinner: Le Pause Cafe (Bastille)

Best Lunch Cafe: Cafe Le Buci (Saint–Germain–des–Prés) and Le Restaurant (Luxembourg)

Best Dinner with Views: Restaurant Georges (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Dinner for People Watching: Le Bonaparte (Saint–Germain–des–Prés)

Best Frozen Yogurt: MyBerry (Le Marais)

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Drinks

Best Coffee + People Watching: Les Deux Magots

Best Peaceful Coffee: Telescope Cafe

Best Smoothies: Le Paradis du Fruit

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Sightseeing

Best Neighborhood to Get Lost In: Le Marais

Best Walking Tours: Paris Walks

Best Boat Tours: Bateaux Mouches

Most Extravagent Gardens: Le Palace de Versaille

Best Peaceful Park: Les Jardins de Luxembourg

Best Views of the City: Sacre Coeur

Most Iconic: Eiffel Tower (obviously)

Most Gorgeous “Square”: Les Places des Vosges

Best Way to Get Around Town: Velib

Best Church: Eglise Saint Germain des Pres

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Museums

Best Indoor Museum: L’Orangerie

Best (Mainly) Outdoor Museum: Rodin Museum

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Shopping

Best Boutiques: Le Comptoir de Cotonniers and Kookai

Best Department Shopping: BHV

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Accomodation

Best Hotel: Hotel Bel-Ami

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Nightlife

Best People Watching Bar: Le Petit Fer du Cheval

Favorite Night Activity: Drinking Wine on the Seine

Other Favorite Night Activity: Sitting on the Champs de Mars, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle

Favorite Bridge To Sit on at Night: Pont des Arts

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Some of my favorite pictures below from 2009, 2010 and 2012… time for another trip soon, especially as I’m reading The Paris Wife and am so nostalgic!

L’Arc de Triomphe, 2009

Le Petit Fer au Cheval (favorite bar!), 2009

Sacre-Coeur, 2009

Versailles Gardens, 2009

Le Louvre, 2009

Cars Rouges, 2009

Chez Francis, 2009

Le Jardin de Luxembourg, 2009

Paris Plages, 2009

Notre-Dame, 2009

Le Creperie Suzette (love this wine bar), 2010

Eiffel Tower, 2010

La Duree, 2010

Le Paradis du Fruit, 2010

Montmartre, 2010

Hotel Bel-Ami, 2010

L’As du Fallafel, 2012

Notre-Dame, 2012

Le Louvre, 2012

Arc de Triomphe, 2012

Eiffel Tower, 2012

PS What a difference a camera makes! Glad I finally got my DSLR.

PPS Illustrated map of Paris via Rifle Paper Co (love it)

Food August 20, 2013

Burrata Cheese, Please

As mentioned here yesterday, I ate the most delicious burrata salad while in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. The first time I ever ate this creamy, melt-in-your-mouth cheese was at our menu tasting. We chose that salad for the wedding, and numerous people commented on how amazing it tasted. Burrata is definitely a guilty pleasure, as it’s made with fresh mozzarella and cream. It sort of resembles an egg, which made me nervous at first, but after my first bite, I was sold. Sasha and I decided that we’re going to try the burrata dishes at the following amazing Houston restaurants. Some of these are even on my Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee list, while others we haven’t tried yet. I’m so excited for this endeavor. Have you ever tried burrata cheese?

Da Marco: Burrata di “Puglia”, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Mockingbird Bistro: Local Tomatoes and Burrata Mozzarella Tian

Rainbow Lodge: Heirloom Tomato Salad (with burrata cheese)

Coppa Ristorante: Burrata, campari tomatoes, coppa (order without for veggies!), arugula, olive oil, sea salt

Tony’s: Burrata Carbonara

Backstreet Cafe: Heirloom Tomato Salad, Burrata, Kalamata olives, Basil

Up: Buffala Mozzarella Caprese

Ciao Bello: Burrata Caprese

Sparrow: Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad

Photo from A Nutritionist Eats blog

USA August 19, 2013

Florida Snapshots

What an incredible weekend. We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale airport Friday afternoon and spent the remainder of the day on the beach – drinking Acai Mojitos (consumed far too many…). We ate at Hollywood Prime, then headed to the Justin Timberlake and Jay Z Legends of the Summer concert. It was honestly the best concert I’ve ever been to, by leaps and bounds. It was at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, which is uncovered, so we were super hot (thank goodness I chose a black romper – nice and breezy), but danced like fools the entire night. The set list for the concert is here. Could you pick a better compilation of songs? We slept in on Saturday, then lounged at the pool all day (handstand contests for hours), then showered and met Sasha’s cousins for dinner at Sardellis. I got the burrata salad (which we had at the wedding), and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Sunday was a relaxed morning – we headed to the airport in the late morning. It was truly the perfect beach getaway weekend.

Sasha’s outfits

Gray J. Crew shirt // Turquoise J. Crew Factory shorts // White J. Crew slim fit shirt // Brown Cole Haan shoes (Similar here)

My outfits

Striped Equipment Blouse (Similar here)// White J. Crew Peplum top // White J. Crew Chino Shorts // J. Crew necklace // Kendra Scott necklace // Kendra Scott bracelet // Blue J. Crew suede shoes // Tan Tory Burch sandals // Blue J. Crew blazer // Tucker for Piperlime Maxi (Similar here and here)

USA August 16, 2013

Bienvenido a Miami

And we’re off again! This weekend, we’re heading to Miami for the Justin Timberlake and Jay Z Legends of the Summer concert. I’ve seen JT in concert a few times now, and he is amazing. I could not be more excited about this concert. And beach time. Much needed.

images via fourth lake

Snapshots August 12, 2013

Tour de Texas

Sasha was in Austin all last week for class, so I drove to meet him on Thursday. We spent Friday eating breakfast at Kerbey Lane, working from the AT&T Conference Center (where we were staying), then getting lunch at the flagship Whole Foods, going paddle boarding on Town Lake (so much fun!!!), getting drinks at Abel’s on the Lake, then cleaning up and meeting some of my favorite people for dinner at G’Raj Mahal (amazing). After dinner, Sasha and I walked back to Town Lake to watch the sunset on a dock, then trekked across downtown Austin to go back to the hotel (via the Capitol and TCBY, naturally).

On Saturday, we were back at Kerbey Lane for breakfast (it’s that good), then headed to San Marcos to visit one of Sasha’s fraternity brothers. They live on this amazing 100 acre ranch with the most gorgeous Restoration Hardware inspired house. They have two gorgeous blonde girls of their own and have adopted three beautiful kids from Africa. I honestly did not want to leave.

Afterward, we went to Gruene for lunch at the famous Gristmill restaurant, next to Gruene Hall (Texas’ oldest dance hall). We walked around this quaint Texas town after, then got in the car and drove to San Antonio (hence, the Tour de Texas post name). I met two of Sasha’s high school friends and their precious three kids – a newborn who I didn’t want to put down. We went to eat at Scenic Loop Cafe and Bar, which was delicious – great outdoor dining spot with live music and gorgeous strung lights.

We woke up early on Sunday and headed back to Houston. We arrived home to the West Elm storage bench we ordered ages ago. Hoorah! Not many more pieces to go until The Manor is complete. The busy weekend ended with family dinner at Indika (one of my favorites, as expressed in my ‘Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee‘ post). It’s Houston Restaurant Weeks – my favorite time of the year.

Happy Monday!