#20. Introducing: Month in Review: March
A peek into what I got up to in March.
I haven’t really done much around “here’s what my life is like” and since I so enjoy posts about people’s lives, I thought I’d share what mine is like as a 30something-year-old woman living and working in Paris.
If you don’t know me, hi! I’m Margaret. I’ve lived in Paris since 2017 when I came for an MBA, I speak French, and in February 2023, became a naturalized French citizen. I live on my own in a one-bedroom in the 19e arrondissement, with a cute little balcony, a real kitchen, and a bedroom with a door (before I moved here in February 2023, I lived in studios for many years, so a bedroom door feels like a luxury).
I’m a relative creature of habit: I go to a reformer Pilates class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings before I head into work (I work at a tech startup), I do yoga in some fashion every day (usually at home, though I treat myself to a 95-minute class on weekends), I love long walks along the canal and all around Paris, I cook boring but healthy meals, and my weakness is sweets. I love a good chausson aux pommes, and my favorite bakery is Boulangerie Utopie. As much as I adore my quartier, it’s severely lacking in decent boulangeries, so I will travel for the good stuff.
I don’t go out to eat a ton, but these are a few of the bars and restaurants I visited in March:
Buttes Snack Bar: Natural wine and small bites. I love the vibe. I went for apéro (pétillant naturel, natch) with a friend before we went to dinner.
Cafe du Coin: Another bar/resto with natural wine and small bites. I met up with a friend and his friends and spoke in French for a while before we went to a bar and danced till 2am.
Le Bal Cafe: My friend is the head chef here, and I love to go for lunch when I’m working from the office. I took my team here for our team-building outing, and we loved it.
Ground Control: Our team-building activity involved bowling, and after bowling, we enjoyed the lovely weather by hanging out in the outdoor garden of this train station-turned-bar. There are food stands and natural wine and it was paid for by the company so it was even more delightful than usual.
Buck: Billed as a fried chicken and natural wine restaurant, I went with several friends and pretended I was momentarily in America. I refrained from the wine, but the chicken was excellent, juicy and crispy just like fried chicken should be. The vinegar-based coleslaw was delicious.
I also had an excellent Sunday roast in Guildford where I visited a friend at the start of the month. I’ve heard The Bombardier in Paris does a Sunday roast, so I’ll definitely have to check it out one day. I’m also keen to check out the newly opened Public House, which is on the same street as my first job after the MBA. Where Public House is now used to be some very crappy looking “American” bar that was never open (see my previous post for my thoughts on this phenomenon!), so it’s quite exciting to see it turned into something beautiful.
While February involved getting on several planes to, around, and from Finland, in March, I just took the Eurostar back from London. I lived there for a few years before moving to Paris, and it’s wonderful to go back to, especially since some friends now have extra rooms for me to stay in. On this trip, I hung out with my friend at her house outside of London, hiked, relaxed, and explored. We hiked all the way to Shere, where we popped into the pub where The Holiday was filmed. I geeked out a bit.
I also caught up with a very old friend from high school, who has been living in London for a while now is an incredible artist. I have a couple of pieces in my flat - definitely check out Lana’s work!
I always make time to read, especially when traveling, and in March I read (or listened to) several books: The Great Believers (loved, incredibly storytelling, exactly what I look for in a book), Iron Flame (listened, it’s fine but I don’t think I care enough about dragons…), The Writing Retreat (too horror-y for me), Paris: The Memoir (read by Paris Hilton, that woman is tremendously privileged and has also been though a looot), and You Be Mother (I adore Meg Mason’s writing style). Follow my Goodreads to see what I’m reading!
At my last job, I made friends with some incredible women who are fellow Swifties. Since this discovery of our shared appreciation for all things TS about a year and a half ago, we’ve presented our top 10s to each other, and started a Swiftie night every month. What started as a bracelet-making event (with wine) has become a true bonding experience (with each other, and with wine). We now take turns hosting, bringing a bottle of wine and sharing a story that goes along with it. We usually just listen to Taylor Swift while eating, drinking, and catching up (the only time we made bracelets was the first meeting…!), and I’m greatly appreciative that they’ve let me stay in even though I’ve since left the company.
I had one Saturday night where I spontaneously accepted an invitation from a friend from yoga to join him and his friends for dinner, then ended up staying out until 2am. The next Saturday night, I stayed in an watched the Eras Tour as I cleaned out and organized everything in my bathroom. I contain multitudes.
I took in some culture as well: the Rothko exhibit at the Fondation Louis Vuitton was phenomenal, and I was rather shocked by how moving a painting that’s essentially a square of black can be. I loved the stories accompanying the paintings (I always listen to the details in the app!), and I am an enormous fan of visiting FLV, even if it is a hike from home.
There were plenty of coffees had out with friends (my favorite is Partisan, but I also enjoyed Fauna), an alumni event with my undergraduate university, and lots of rain. I explored a couple of neighborhoods where I haven’t spent much time (the 17e and the 20e, to be specific), and I’m keen to explore more.
It’s one of my favorite things about a city, no matter how long I live somewhere, there is always somewhere new to explore. Let’s see what April brings.