The most important fact to begin this discussion — which is directed at those who wish to live in Paris, not those who wish to buy rental properties in Paris — is that the current interest rates for fixed mortgages … Continue reading
Life in Paris
Goodbye to Living in the 2nd Arrondissement
So, here’s the thing. I never actually planned to live in the 2nd. After a year on the eighth floor in the 17th, it had come time for me to graduate to a “real” Parisian apartment instead of just living … Continue reading
The Bike Explosion Happening During the Vélib Transition
While it’s true that you often don’t know how good something is until it’s gone, you also don’t realize how much better things can be until you get to try alternatives, and during the last 60 days, as Vélib stations … Continue reading
Cobblers, Tailors, & Their Side Hustles
If you pay attention and spend a bit of time thinking through the economics, you’ll see that there are dozens of ways that people build incomes for themselves in Paris. I wanted to tell you about two of them. Cobblers … Continue reading
An Honest Locksmith
“Does anyone know any locksmiths who are not crooks?” This was a question I posed over a year ago to a Paris & France Facebook group that I help moderate that has a fair number of Parisian residents in it. … Continue reading
The “Three” Paris Airports
I promised myself for ages that I wasn’t ever going to use the Beauvais Airport. “Paris Beauvais Airport” is a farce. Not only is Beauvais not in Paris, but it’s also not even in Île-de-France! It’s in Oise, not far … Continue reading
Three Years On, Part III: Cost of Living
Next month I begin my fourth year in Paris. I wanted to use the milestone to share some reflections on how I have changed and ongoing tips on how to make the move yourself. This is the third in a series of … Continue reading
Meet Your Paris Greeters
Every now and then my readers tell me about something interesting that I feel needs to be better known and I’ll often ask them to write about it themselves. Craig Ziegler was actually kind enough to follow through. Enjoy! Before … Continue reading
The Kind of Afternoon You Want to Lose
Matt was standing outside — about to message me — but I spotted him through the window. I was working at Le Poncelet, my favorite cafe in the 17th, the arrondissement I spent my first year in Paris in. I … Continue reading
The Friend Turnover
I’m midway through my second year in Paris and I’ve begun to experience something I rarely did during my time in the States: losing people to moves. When I was younger this was because I was always the one on … Continue reading