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Jay Swanson

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France
Paris
Jay Swanson

I vlog about the best things to see, do, and eat in Paris. Grab my guide for hundreds more.

Grab my guide to Paris at https://parisinmypocket.com

Find all of my videos about Paris and more at https://youtube.com/c/jayswanson

Or find out more at http://jayswanson.me

13/07/2025

I’ve explored numerous sections of the Petite Ceinture at this point but the 14e is where I keep going back. It’s more photogenic, has great street art, and is generally the least visited in my experience. It’s also consistently open. Just don’t forget you can’t get out of it for Parc Montsouris so don’t accidentally go too far (and take a flashlight if you opt to jump any fences… not that you would… I totally am not advising that you do).

13/07/2025

So… yawwwwn… sleepy. Excuse me. The 14e has a real appeal to me for its quiet charm. I haven’t found anything to draw me on the food side, and the coffee scene almost exists here, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be a draw. It’s got straight access to a lot of the city via multiple metro lines and some solid bike lane options. And it’s got some really fun hidden streets that are overflowing with vegetation and… what’s that noise? Silence? Sign me up. I’ll put the 14e right in the middle of my list to live.

12/07/2025

There are only a few sections of metro line that run above ground and the portion of Line 6 here has to be my favorite. Everyone knows the Eiffel Tower view when Line 6 crosses the river, but so many people miss the incredible murals that stretch to the tops of the highrise buildings lining the rails. Massive Space Invaders, dancing zombies, and even a touch of French pride all adorn the blur of this section of your commute. Even if I don’t see myself living here, I’ll be back time and time again to check in on the evolution of the street.

12/07/2025

The luckiest neighborhood, the 13e is also by far my most conflicted arrondissement. On the one hand it has some fantastic architecture, the kind of stuff you don’t find anywhere else in Paris, along with amazing street art, a vibrant Asian food scene, and some solid hidden gems for parks and coffee shops. It is also SO FAR AWAY. I love it, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be of it. Sorry Fox and Goran.

11/07/2025

During COVID I joined a run club for a bit and we took the Coulée Verte all the way out of the city more than once. It’s a fun park to get lost in, somewhere between the old rail line, Petite Ceinture, and Parc de Vincennes. It’s not hard to get turned around. Then I got a puppy and my long distance runs came to a halt for a bit. And then I got a trainer and he brought all of my running to a halt (save for the 1km run to and from the gym). I think its the memories like that which really make me feel like I live in Paris. There was a pre-COVID chapter, and then these different long distance running chapters… a dog… how have I been here this long?

11/07/2025

I used to think of the 12e as nothing but trains - whether active train lines out of Gare de Lyon or the ghost of one wandering through what is now the park known as the Coulée Verte. It seemed long, narrow, and sure, it claimed to have the Parc de Vincennes hanging off its side… but my neighborhood has a park hanging off it too and I’m not impressed by this kind of urban annexation. Then I found the cozy neighborhood surrounding Marché d’Aligre and I was won over. While it feels too far away to be a top pick of where I’d want to live, I wouldn’t complain if I found myself in the right part of the 12e.

10/07/2025

I was just reminded of how I used to post a photo every day on here. I did it for 11 years I think… I’d have to check. But it seems like a fitting memory to come up when thinking about one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. Makes me want to start documenting life with the same level of discipline all over again. Almost. Until then, we can stick with the parties, drinks, coffee, and good conversations. Let them come, go, and we’ll remember them for as long as we do; no photos necessary.

10/07/2025

Are you hungry? Because you won’t be by the time you get across the 11e. This is really high on my list of places to live partially for all of the food, and partially because half of my friends live here. One of the great challenges in living in the 16e is the required commute just to see my favorite people - it’s a major motivator to want to move east. It’ll happen. But until then, I’ll dive into all the great food and drag myself west at the end of the night.

09/07/2025

It’s hard to imagine when the canal wasn’t a familiar, comfortable place for me. But I remember early introductions, back when it was still considered a sketchy neighborhood. I was mesmerized by the ancient lock system, still transporting boats and barges through modernity. I remember watching them dredge it, piling up the Velib's they found scattered across the bottom. I remember lots of long coffees and terrace drinks over the years. If they ever scrape me off the bottom of the canal, I hope they skip the pile of broken bikes and bury me in Père Lachaise (but we’ll get to that).

09/07/2025

The 10e is absolutely top of my list for where I would want to live in Paris. It doesn’t have the same level of activity as the 9e, nor does it have quite the same heights along the food scene as the 11e, but it is the center of the Golden Croissant in both geography and charm. It’s got enough of both, it’s close enough to everything, and it’s where I’d happily anchor myself for the foreseeable future. All the things listed already plus my favorite park are all only a stone’s throw away. Doesn’t get better.

08/07/2025

I remember being introduced to KB Coffee back in 2014 by friends who were just discovering specialty coffee, back when I was still looking for some sugar to add to mine. I didn’t know what I’d found, nor how much of a staple it would become in my Parisian life. The 9e has a lot of little memories like that for me. Happy reunions and awkward run-ins. And lots of deep conversations. At least they were deep to us.

08/07/2025

Ah, the beginning of the Golden Croissant. The left nub. I would definitely live here for a spell, though I’m not sure if I picture this as forever-home material. The combination of nightlife, great restaurants, and cozy corridors make for a really enticing mix. I’ll happily take the early coffees and late drinks in an endless cycle.

Adresse

Paris

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http://www.parisinmypocket.com/, http://jayswanson.me/

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