Paris

PARIS TRIP + TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS

03.18.2018

As you all know from my instagram, I just got back from Paris! I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Paris for my job, which also happened to be during Paris Fashion week. I have been to Paris one other time, where I ran the Paris marathon but I was SO happy to be back. Paris is an incredible city, and quite possibly my favorite city that I’ve ever been to. I’m in awe of every little corner of the city, its SUPER romantic and the Parisian way of life is A DREAM!

I’m excited to share where I stayed, ate, visited, and SHOPPED while in Paris! If you have a trip coming up, I hope this helps! And if not… I think its time you book one 😉

OUTFIT DETAILS: DRESS / COAT (BELOW) / BOOTIES / HAT / BAG

OUTFIT DETAILS: PUFFER JACKET / TRACK PANTS / BOOTS / HAT

OUTFIT DETAILS: SWEATER / DENIM / HAT

The Flying Poodle Photography

WHERE I STAYED

We stayed at Le Tremoille Hotel, which is a boutique hotel in the 8th arrondissement, in the heart of Paris’ golden triangle. It was a smaller hotel, but the location was perfect. It was blocks from both the Champs Elysee and the Eiffel Tower. While it is a 5 start hotel, it was not a big ‘scene’, very quaint and “old school Parisian” I would say. The pictures above are from my balcony at Le Tremoille! I definitely would recommend it and would stay there again. Our last visit, we stayed at the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel which I would recommend as well! I beleive its in the 4th arrondissement (I could be wrong) and closer to the Louvre Museum. Paris also has your hots spots, a Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and the Hotel Plaza Athenee is another celebrity spot.

HOW I GOT AROUND

Walk or UBER! I prefer to walk all over Paris. One of the days we walked from the Eiffel tower to the Louvre which are basically on opposite side so the city and it took us a little over an hour. It wasn’t bad at all. Walking enables you to really get the full experience. I love it! Paris also has many ubers, which are all actually really nice cars. Its pretty easy to get around.

WHERE I SHOPPED

Since this was a business trip, I only had one day to shop. So I made it count. 🙂 There are SO many designer stores in Paris its like your constantly surrounded by gorgeous designer. handbags, shoes, etc etc. Since Paris holds a special place in my heart, I like to make one special designer purchase. I have been eyeing these Dior slingbacks forever and I decided to pull the trigger! When in Rome 🙂 Shopping on the Champs Elysee is a MUST in Paris, there is almost every store you can imagine. I also just discovered Massimo Dutti while shopping the Champs Elysee and I’m obsessed! I bought these wide leg trousers from this post while there.

WHAT I WORE

It was raining the entire trip, and actually snowed the day before I got in so I packed a lot of layers. I brought a ton of different jackets which I paired with either black or blue denim. I also brought a lot of business attire, and dresses for dinner parties. Lets just say that I DID NOT pack light! These boots were a LIFESAVER, and I wore this hat often to avoid the rainy day frizzy hair vibe. Here are a few other items that I packed:

WHERE I ATE

To be honest with you, I am terrible with restaurant names (especially French names), but I can tell you that I ate a lot of bread! My diet consisted of bread, crepes, ham and cheese sandwiches, croissants, macaroons and a small amount of protein here and there! It was not great, but worth it. They have these plain ham and cheese sandwiches in almost every cafe and they are TO DIE FOR! The crepes are on every corner, and I’m convinced Parisians live off carbs. I couldn’t find a veggie to save my life. The food was incredible though! Here are a few restaurants to check out:

Brasserie Flottes, Cafe de la Paix, Loulou, the iconic Laduree, Angelina and Cafe de Flore

WHAT I SAW

These recommendations are in combination with my last trip, but there are SO many things to do and see in Paris! The Eiffel tower is a must see of course. You really cant miss it though! Its really cool to be able to spend a few hours making your way to the top. Super touristy but worth it. Vising the Louvre Museum is also a must, at least once. Its iconic, and one of the best museums in the world. It takes a long time to get through the entire museum, but a few hours were enough for Jeff and I when we went a few years back. You also need to add a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Its another gorgeous, iconic spot. Doing a Seine River Cruise was one of our favorite things we did. We went on a night tour and it was so incredibly romantic, I loved it. We also took a day trip the Champagne Region of France which was a few hours away from Paris which was so much fun! Also, the Luxembourg Gardens are stunning in the Spring. A great spot to walk through and take photos. Next time we visit, I would love to go see Moulin Rouge, and maybe even take a French cooking class!

I like to plan out everything before a big vacation so I made an extensive itinerary. Happy to share if you would like more info! Just leave a note below or send me an email!

Have you been to Paris? If so, what did you most enjoy? xo

SHOP THE POST:

CURRENTLY CRAVING: WIDE LEG TROUSERS

03.12.2018

Bonjour friends! Sorry I have been MIA on the blog lately, I just returned from an amazing trip to Paris. I was there for work, but was able to squeeze in some shopping, site seeing and shooting blog content as well. Paris is my favorite city of all time. It’s simply stunning. The architecture is breathtaking, the food is TO DIE FOR, and the romance is off the charts. I’ll have more Paris posts to come soon!

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite trends at the moment: WIDE LEG TROUSERS. I saw them all over Paris, and picked up this gorgeous pair from Massimo Dutti from the Champs Elysees store. I think Im also going to snag the linen baby blue version here, and yellow version here.

OUTFIT DETAILS: TROUSERS / TURTLENECK / JACKET / BAG / HAT / BOOTS

The Flying Poodle Photography

It was a rainy day in Paris, but that didn’t stop us from exploring (and shooting!) I wore a hat most days, because with the rain my hair was a little out of control. I also packed lots of coats, and picked both this and this up from Zara while there. But, one of my favorite purchases from the trip were these wide leg trousers. I have never shopped at Massimo Dutti before, but I found out that they also have stores here in the US! Super excited about this new find.

Wide leg pants are such a statement piece. I love that this pair has a high waist with attached belt, and not to mention this blue color is perfect. I wore them 2 days in a row, both paired with a black turtleneck and different jackets. The white jacket for a bit more of a polished look, and the plaid for an oversized relaxed look. Which is your favorite?

So, Ive been on the hunt for more wide leg trousers since my trip….

These are the perfect black pant which I’m snagging. They would go with everything! I LOVE this pink belted pair from Revolve, as well as this black and white striped pair which are only $35! And a few more I have my eye on…

SHOP THE POST:

Paris Marathon 2014

04.16.2014

Greeted at the finish line with these macaroons, thank you Jeff!

(Some photos taken by myself, others by Jeff and a few professional shots as well.)

The Paris Marathon was truly an unforgettable experience. Just being in this beautiful city alone was spectacular. We ran a slow 4 hour and 30 minute pace, which was perfect to actually take in our surroundings. The course was flat, and the first half was pretty easy, but the last got difficult approaching mile 20 or so. I think you can see with my expressions that I was struggling a bit! But most importantly we made it, had SO much fun and would do it again in a heartbeat. Actually, day of the race I told myself this would be my last marathon, but as time has gone by I’ve had a change of heart and searching for another! Running is quite the addicting sport. The feeling of accomplishment easily replaces any negative thoughts. Going through the finish line and getting that medal was actually a little emotional. We did it! This was easily the best feeling in the world.

That day we went out to celebrate and once that post-marathon feeling of needing food and water went away we were ready to explore the city. Surprisingly walked out of it not sore at all! It just so happened to be Luba’s 30th birthday which made the race that much more fun. Can’t wait to share more photos from the trip in an upcoming post. 🙂

Paris Marathon Training

01.09.2014

Hi there! I have gotten a couple requests to share my Paris Marathon training schedule so here it is! I’ll be training and running the marathon with a friend of mine so she has set up our miles and route for each Saturday. Yikes!!! I have never trained for a marathon before (although I ran the SF Marathon), so this is going to be extremely challenging. Along with our long Saturday training runs, I plan to run 3-4 miles about 2-3 times a week.

If you are in training mode, one of my biggest suggestions would be to find a running buddy. I would not be able to get through this training without a friend running with me, and pushing me along. I am an extremely motivated person, but 26 freaking miles, is much easier with someone by your side.

Also, here is the Half Marathon Training Schedule I have used in past races for those of you looking to run a half.

I am SO ready to step outside my comfort zone and accomplish something as exciting as a full marathon IN Paris. What a dream!!

Do you have a race coming up? Or would you take a leap and sign up for one?

For more marathon related articles:

17 things running teaches you about life / Tips to fuel before a race / Marathon must-haves

How To Speed Up Your Metabolism / Paris Marathon!!

09.17.2013

If you’ve been following the Facebook page, you’ve probably already heard my big news…but I am more than excited to tell you guys that I will be running the 2014 Paris Marathon in April!! This has been on my bucket list ever since I can remember and I am so excited to visit Paris for the first time, AND run my 2nd full marathon!! Have any of you been to Paris? If so, your recommendations for restaurants, shopping or any place to visit would be much appreciated! Can’t wait!!

(photo sources: unknown)

————————————————-

“How do you eat so much and manage to stay fit?” “How is your metabolism off the charts?!” Aside from a hearty workout regime, building your metabolism takes time, but in turn allows you to constantly eat and burn fat while at rest. Sure, a teeny percent has to do with age and genetics, but it is in your control to increase metabolism and shed the extra weight that you’ve been dying to get rid of! Here’s how to speed up your metabolism:

Build muscle. Get in the weight room and lift those weights ladies and gents! The more muscle you gain, the faster your resting metabolic rate. Burn calories while sitting? Umm, count me in!
Eat every 3 hours. If you eat more often, the faster your metabolism. Strange, but true. Make breakfast your most important meal and add protein! If you want a faster metabolism think protein. Here’s why. Your body burns twice as many calories digesting proteins than it does carbs. Think eggs or greek yogurt for breakfast and chicken or fish for lunch or dinner.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. (and no not with alcohol). Dehydration leads to a slow metabolism! Studies have shown that cold water does the trick. Cold drinks force your body to work to warm up, which builds more energy.
Use spices. Think cayenne, chillis, red pepper. Anything that makes you sweat means your metabolism has increased.
Green tea, full of antioxidants and contains a plant compound called ECGC which promotes fat burning.
Coffee. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system and increases heart rate. Gotta love your cup o’ joe.

It’s important to remember that you can grab control of your future! Stop the I can’t and go with I can do this! Even when it comes to your metabolism, take control of it. Try these tips and don’t use your age, weight or genetics as an excuse. Speed up that metabolism, get moving and get healthy. MUAH!

Paris

Latest from Instagram