Another very long text message
On Google Maps, Paris being a city of mirrors, and the usual article recos
Sometimes writing this feels like writing a long, detailed text message to a friend. Perhaps this was the tone of voice I was going for all along. Also: if you want to skip to the article links, just scroll until the end.
Edito
Despite temperatures dropping, Paris is blessing us with a little sun this week. And, as many of you know, when the sun casts its light on the city, every corner is prettier, making you forget about administration-related tasks like refreshing the préfecture website to find a time slot. Everyone seems nicer too. Recently, for example, when I was finishing a run around my neighborhood and stopped to text a friend, a man came over to ask, Vous cherchez une rue? (Are you looking for a street?) It is embarrassing to admit that my very first thought was Omg, pickpocket—living here for a few years does that to you…and, to be fair, he surprised me by suddenly appearing beside me. I quickly realized that I was being stupid; he was just being kind. We exchanged a few pleasantries and I told him I knew the area pretty well. When he walked away, I wondered if he realized that many people would probably just pull out their phones to look for directions on Google Maps. It was still nice to be reminded to be more neighborly.
Personally, I am obsessed with Google Maps. When I’m extremely bored in bed, I find myself browsing the app for more places I have yet to discover and how far it would take to get me to these places, as if it were a foolproof way to find only the best, to avoid wasting time on ‘mediocre’ ones. While I’m still the type who likes to be surprised with an unexpected discovery, either by stumbling across a place completely by chance or though word of mouth, my encounter with the neighbor made me question my dependency on the app. Would I be able to navigate Paris without it? If you were to ask me what some of my favorite cafés were, I would immediately send you Google Maps links to places like Yorgaki along Rue des Martyrs, the Dose branch in Batignolles or the new one in Lamarck, or Le Nemours by Palais Royale, where I recently had a drink with a few dear friends. In a moment of introspection that night, one of my friends asked about our lowest points since moving to the city, starting a discussion about the realities of living here vs. our idealistic expectations when we first arrived. We’re no longer at that stage where we are living in Paris for the vibes—a term I am growing a slight aversion to the more I hear it, probably because I’ve encountered a few people whose aspirations depended a little too much on this, on how other people saw them and the vibe of the carousels they posted on Instagram.
If anything, Paris is humbling. It is a city of mirrors. After that encounter with the neighbor post-run, I walked back home to enjoy the sun, taking a street I walked many times before, my sweaty existence reflected back to me by the mirrors I passed and the gazes of those enjoying coffee on a terrace. I got jealous and grabbed coffee à emporter to accompany me on the way back. Sure, I was much more idealistic when I was new, but these mirrors also made me self-conscious. I wanted to portray, at least online, that I was living my best life here. Three years later, I am learning to celebrate the days that are not so photogenic. While it is true that my friends are I are slightly more jaded, maybe it is only after going through certain obstacles when you appreciate what the city really has to offer and the reason why you are still there, which is much, much more than just a vibe.
P.S.
New York Magazine recently explored the question, Can the media survive? Insights include blurbs on topics ranging from the state of news media and print publications to AI to Gen Z journalists.
Speaking of print, new publications are still coming out: kinky dating app Feeld just launched a biannual magazine called A Fucking Magazine, which aims to document and celebrate the “many dimensions of desire, humanity, sexuality, and relationships.“
Moving on to another favorite media format of mine, podcasts—a new favorite is Fashion People, hosted by Puck’s Lauren Sherman, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite fashion journalists.
I am currently reading All Fours by Miranda July. What made me even more excited to read it was this article on the New Yorker describing an influx of a certain kind of book centered on women of a certain age: “In short, these women want a room of one’s own, and they want to have a lot of sex in it.” Annie Ernaux was mentioned, of course.
On our first date, an ex once judged me when I told him my guilty pleasure was watching RHONY. Because I am an advocate of consuming both “high“ and “low“ culture, I wrote him an essay about why it was culturally important. In that amateur essay, I discussed the original cast. Initially, I wasn’t sure what to make of Jenna Lyons joining the new lineup, but she brings a calming, self-assured presence, much like Carole Radziwill did in earlier seasons. Plus, her apartment and her graying hair that looks like it was expertly blended (a hair color I aspire to have in the future) are always eye candy!
Tyler the Creator just announced the dates of his world tour. Does anyone want to watch with me in Paris next April???
xx