An American Goes To Paris

So there's this restaurant in Paris called Ferdi and they are known for having the best cheeseburger in Paris. I would go as far as saying the best in the world. Nothing beats this burger. Not even a room service one. This place is impossible to get a reservation to because they only have about ten tables and when Kim Kardashian is in town, her butt takes up four of those. I made a reservation three weeks before and was able to get a table for an hour at the prime hour of 8 pm. Usually, I like to eat dinner at 6 pm, that way I will be hungry for second dinner at 9 pm. But, eating that early is not an option outside of Denny's.

Waiting until 8 pm was so so worth it though. I'm drooling just thinking about this burger. It's perfection. They won't let you change it either, no adding anything, no taking anything off. It's a sesame seed bun, a thin meat patty, grilled onions, cheese and about three pounds of secret sauce. It's so saucy that you have to eat it with a fork and knife.

I learned from our waiter that Ferdi is open on Saturday for lunch, no reservation needed. After learning that, we went out to celebrate our lunch plans. We walked from Ferdi, right behind Hotel Costes, to the Ritz Hemingway bar. It all felt very bougie and European. The Hemingway bar has been under renovation for the past few years so this was my first time. The walls are wood-paneled and all of the seats are brown leather. All of the drinks come with a perfect white rose in it. Which they should because each drink costs like $30.

The next night Ty and I went out with friends. I drank vodka and orange juice from a plastic cup. It tasted just as good as my Ritz spritz. And I drank fifteen of them for the same price. The next morning we planned to go back to Ferdi with a Ziploc to bring back some secret sauce. I woke up cheery and ready to eat both the cheeseburger and a side of mac and cheese. The walk from our apartment to the restaurant changed my mind. Something about breathing in second-hand smoke while hungover can really make your stomach hate you.

As soon as we were seated, I excused myself and slowly walked to the restroom. I then proceeded to barf. I made sure to run the sink while this was happening, as to not disturb the other people trying to enjoy their lunch. Like a lady. I didn't get to eat my cheeseburger.

The next morning I woke up fully recovered, so we headed out at 7 am to be the first people at the brocante. The early wake-up call was worth it. No one was there, it was just Ty and I haggling with the vendors in broken French. Our broken French seemed to have worked because I brought home some incredible antiques to share.

Another amazing find this trip was a cashmere brand called From Future. I was at the Bon Marche daydreaming of affording this amazing velvet headband that cost one month's rent when I saw a new booth that was just cashmere. Sweater, sweatpants, hats, scarves. Just to be mean to myself, I checked a price tag. It was only 80 euros!! I checked a cashmere beanie to make sure I knew how to read. 30 euros!!! I bought the most amazing, 100% cashmere emerald green cardigan that I have not taken off yet. Go check out their website, they ship worldwide! Wouldn't a cashmere beanie or scarf make the best Christmas present? Stop buying your gifts off Amazon already and get something personal that says I love you enough to buy you cashmere. For the same price as a Demi Moore's book.

After returning from Paris, Ty and I immediately booked another trip. This time for a whole month. The primary reason for the trip is to have weekly antique sales. The antiques will go straight from Paris and into your home. Please send me any requests and I will keep my eye out for you!

A few items from my trip in November have now been added to havedecorum.com GO GO GO!

Ty and I decided to rent an apartment for our upcoming trip. We used the website Paris Attitude which I highly recommend. It's perfect for renting an apartment for a week or an entire year, and the places they have ready to rent are much much nicer than AirBNB and extremely well priced. We chose a great studio in the Marais with a beautiful kitchen and huge windows overlooking the street. After everything was confirmed, we recieved the address of the apartment. Naturally, I Googled it. I had to check it a few times because I could not believe my eyes. My eyes have betrayed me before, I once read my boarding pass upside down and missed a flight. Another time I set my alarm in my calculator app. But this time, I was reading the address right. It was the same apartment building that I stayed in with my mom on my very first trip to Paris!!! Is that a sign or is that a sign!?!?

In big news for me, my book Shut Your Mouth When You're Talking To Me was featured in Santa Barbara Magazine's December issue's Book Club! Thank you so much for including me, it felt so surreal flipping through the magazine and seeing my own book in it. I used to intern for Santa Barbara Magazine when I was in high school and saw how much care and research goes into each item in their yearly culture issue, so thank you!