Ode to Style & the Canal Saint-Martin, Paris

Canal Saint-Martin attracts sundry crowds. Model-types pose along the canal’s banks while unshaven philosophers ruminate waterside and demure couples dine at brightly colored boulangeries. Canal Saint-Martin’s conspicuous lifestyle contrasts its residential attributes—simple rectangular windows scale the neighborhood’s utilitarian apartment buildings. As a place to see and be seen, Canal Saint-Martin is especially popular with angst-ridden university students—it’s the perfect setting for finding oneself while watching others. - Airbnb

the Canal

view of the Canal from our Airbnb apartment

That Airbnb description is perfect. The area around the canal was full of students, hipsters and young families.I loved hanging out in the Brooklyn of Paris, and I would go back again in a heartbeat. What's great about the Canal Saint-Martin (and the surrounding 10th arrondisement) is that it's very close to busier, more commercial areas of the city, but it's more chill, and serves as a respite from all the city crowds. I found my favorite bar in this neighborhood, and all the folks there - rocking all sorts of styles - could've filled an entire fashion blog.

I snapped the photos below on my last day in town, on a Sunday late afternoon, while having aperitifs along the canal. (I enjoyed a few moments pretending to be like Bill Cunningham.) Everyone passing by looked casual but stylish, effortless without being sloppy or ascetic. The weather was neither too warm or too cold, but everyone looked prepared for city micro-climates, something I appreciate as a San Francisco resident. There was much to be inspired by, especially for a summer in SF, in the few examples below.

inspired to buy a sweater coat

again, inspired to buy a sweater coat

floral and sneakers

always appreciate an easy grey sweater

USA! USA! (pretty sure she was a French kid)

I didn't buy any clothes while in France (despite lots of boutique exploration), but when I came back home I felt inspired when I came across some great items (all on sale!), such as:

this embroidered top by The Kooples

abstract floral top (Vince Camuto) at Nordstrom Rack

patterned sweater coat at Anthro

I've been working them into my wardrobe already - for me they make sense both for work and for fun. It might be something about summer, but I enjoy (somewhat) brighter accents to my neutral basics this time of year. The blouses are versatile in that they work with multiple pieces in my closet - and the Kooples one is great quality. The jacket is useful especially in the mornings when I'm commuting, when it's actually kind of chilly and foggy out - it's a heavy but also loose knit so it's also airy.

I'm probably done shopping for a little while, as I work these and other new pieces into rotation and rediscover other items that have been in my closet. So who knew a side effect of vacation would be a wardrobe refresh, but it's a side effect I'm enjoying as summer continues.

Self Care and Clean Eating: a Whole30 Review

 

A couple months back I took on the Whole30 diet, which is 30 days of clean eating: no alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes or added sugar. It was a rough start, since I do love bread and cheese, but then I quickly appreciated how my body felt and how much energy I had without these foods. I kept a food diary and focused on the great meals I actually was having that were tasty and truly nourishing.

I ended the 30 days in late May, then promptly went on vacation to France... of course while there I consumed plenty of rosé, cheese, bread, and desserts (on top of the fresh fruits, veggies, meat and seafood that I love). As much as I savored those treats while on vacation, now that I'm back home I am working on going back to (and maintaining) a mostly Whole30 way of eating. Here's what I learned from that experiment that I am trying to keep in mind:

• The Whole30 made me realize that my body was addicted to sugar and grains which I did not expect. Even though I rarely added sugar to my food (sometimes to coffee), I had to start paying attention to ingredients and now don't buy anything with sugar listed. I also had to think of other things besides rice and bread to include with my meals (cough cough, veggies, cough).
• Overall I had to put more effort into preparing my own food, which is something I had fallen away from in the past year. (I still remember this Michael Pollan op-ed, pointing out how our culture is all for watching cooking shows but not actually cooking). Making sure I could make some meals myself has been as big a part of self care as the quality of the food itself.
• I want to move away from mindless snacking and grazing to having real, structured meals. (Getting away from my desk for lunch is a big priority.) Whole30 cautions you away from snacking by having bigger meals, but that was a harder habit for me to adjust. So for now I just pay attention to what I snack on, being careful to stock nuts/trail mix instead of chips or candy. 
• Finally, going through the diet was a challenge, especially since I basically stopped some of those ingredients cold turkey, but it was never impossible. I started it when I did because a couple friends were doing it at the same time, but fortunately I was already aware of the teachings around it. All that helped me be prepared mentally to take it on, knowing that I had a support system. But in the end, it felt good to know that I really could do this. 

Some further reading if you're interested:

NYmag on breaking bad habits

Vice on the myths of clean eating and wellness (such a popular blog topic these days)

Savoring Memories from the French Riviera

Cannes

When life is otherwise not-relaxing, I look back at photos from happier times. I spent part of my vacation last month in the south of France and didn't want to leave. The weather was clearing up as we arrived, and when it was nice out, it was perfect- hot and sunny but not stifling with heat, so it was perfect for sightseeing/exploring, but also tempting to just relax and have a drink outside. It's clear why the area is a big vacation spot and why Fitzgerald, Hemingway & Co. liked it so much.

For a few days, we made Cannes our home base and took day trips around the area, alternately getting a head start on the day, or deciding to sleep in. One day we headed over toward Italy to Nice (actually got a ride with our Airbnb host) and Monaco (by train from Nice), and another day, we went to Ile Sainte-Marguerite (by boat).  In Cannes itself we just wandered - through Le Suquet (up to the abbey at the top of the hill), down the Croisette, back through Rue d'Antibes... I loved seeing modern businesses like bars and boutiques in all the old buildings.  

It's easy to find gorgeous photos of Cannes' festivals elsewhere online - the ones below are the ones I could snap while walking around trying to take everything in:

locals playing petanque on the Croissette

Carlton hotel lobby - go have a drink there!

Sunday morning at Marche de Forville

They look delicious! Marche de Forville, Cannes

Vocab lesson via signs at Marche de Forville, Cannes

Marche de Forville

Marche de Forville

squash blossoms at Marche de Forville - they were delicious as fried beignets

view of Cannes from the Radisson Blu

Cannes murals

restaurants in Le Souquet

Foie gras at Le Marais restaurant

old palace (now a private home) in Cannes

Nice (Eurocup 2016 signage in the back)

Nice flea market

Nice

Monte Carlo (catch Le Casino in the mirror)

inside Le Casino

back of Le Casino

Monaco train station

looking back at Cannes from the boat to Ile Ste Marguerite

on the shores of Ile St Marguerite

Ile Ste Marguerite

Ile Ste Marguerite

Some travel tips/highlights:

• Lodging: Just skip the hotel and go for an Airbnb. We stayed just north of Le Suquet, and it was a very easy walk down to it and the water. This helped us avoid a car rental.
• Transportation: You could get away with not having a car (like we did) for a few days, but for more daytrips it would be helpful to have one. At least in Cannes most of the stuff you want to do is walking distance from downtown and the old town (Le Suquet). We were fortunate to have a very gracious and friendly Airbnb host who offered us a ride to Nice and then a ride to the train station when we were leaving town. We took the regional train along the coast, as well as the bus around Antibes, but it would have been nice to travel on our own schedule and see more towns, so if we go back and spend more than 4 days, I'll get a rental car.
• Local Must Do: DEFINITELY go to Marche de Forville, especially on Sunday morning. It's a great place to watch the locals and see the delicious offerings. We just thought we'd pick up some cheese and fruit (we did) but we also were able to get fried squash blossoms that were huge, at least versus what I'm used to back home, and different flavored varieties of saucisson (French dried sausage). 

Grief, and then Action (Orlando)

I was working on posting about my recent vacation, but I am incredibly sad over the attack in Orlando this past weekend. I can't imagine the terror that the club patrons and employees felt when all they were hoping for was a fun Saturday night out. And I shudder to think that if this were in San Francisco, my own friends and I might have been in danger.

I don't watch the news, but I do read it online, along with the reactions to it. On Twitter I heard about Teen Vogue's tweets concerning the tragedy and what we can do about it. There's not much we can control in life, but we are not completely helpless. I just emailed the HuffPo form letter to my senators and congresswoman - it took 3 minutes and a few more open tabs. Anyways, I'll share the tweets here so you can act on their suggestions:

6. And don't forget, if you're 18+, voting in this election could be crucial in advancing gun legislation. Research your candidate's stance.

— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) June 12, 2016

I took another piece of Teen Vogue's advice and spoke with my loved ones - we shared our grief while also sharing our own events of the day, appreciating the mundane parts of living. Here's another tweet that I appreciated in all the reactions (and yes, I'm a Hamilton fan):

"Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now." Definitely has new and profound meaning tonight. #tonyawards

— Rachel Sklar (@rachelsklar) June 13, 2016

It's hard to admit that we share this world with hate, terror and bigotry, but we have to remember that we can fight it with love and inclusion.

Photos from Paris

Just got back from spending a couple weeks in France and have quite a few blog posts in mind. In the meantime, here are some images from Paris:

from the hotel in Trocadero

10th arrondisement

Canal St Martin

Republique

Clos Montmarte - Paris' 'secret' vineyard