OCCUPATION: Clinical psychologist and founder of Les P’tits Cracks
MY STYLE: Since I was 18, I’ve dressed the same: jeans, boots, oversize cashmere sweaters, and no makeup. My favorites include Zadig & Voltaire, Antik Batik, Ralph Lauren, and my mother’s vintage YSL dresses.
I LOVE PARIS BECAUSE: It’s one of the rare cities where you can truly live with children, especially in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. In Paris children are welcome everywhere—even in the best restaurants.
Le Café Parisien
The food at Le Café Parisien is fresh and flavorful, and the service is outstanding. Tourists are treated like locals, locals are treated like regulars, and children are treated like royalty. The restaurant is always packed at lunchtime, but if you can push your meal back an hour, you will have plenty of room to relax. Order the magret de canard for you and the burger Parisien for the kids.
Château de Versailles
One of the most exceptional, ornate, and iconic monuments in all of Western Europe (and perhaps the world), the Palace at Versailles is truly spectacular. A sign of the French monarchy’s pre-revolution power and opulence, its 700 rooms, 6,123 paintings, 5,210 pieces of furniture, Chambre de Roi and Hall of Mirrors make the palace unlike anything else. Equally beautiful are the stunningly maintained palace gardens, which extend to 800 hectares.
Librairie Trois Hiboux
On the mezzanine level of Paris’s famed Le Bon Marché, Librairie Trois Hiboux is a book shop and creative space dedicated to children. A box of tiny treasure, the store stocks everything from stickers and jewelry to costumes and felt cutouts. Kids can find even more great toys, meanwhile, on the basement level of the store.
Da Rosa
This chic café, with its black, white, and red motif, is also a fantastic specialty foods store—in fact, it’s one of the best in town. A fantastic selection of meats, wines, cheese, and oils are available to take home, but we prefer to eat them at cafe tables en plein air.
Happy Days Diner
Where croissants and cafe au laits comprise a typical morning meal, the classic American eggs-and-pancake plate can be hard to come by. Enter Happy Days – a diner as authentic in its menu offerings as it is in its mid-century decor. Aside from the greasy spoon breakfast, Happy Days offers diner staples like hamburgers, chili fries and milkshakes, which are much enhanced by the juke box-era classics.
Musée en Herbe
Even adults will enjoy this wonderfully sophisticated children’s museum. Exhibits are art-based and include interactive guides and activities for kids, and the staff engages with children, keeping them on their toes with cute stories and creative questions. Workshops are offered weekly at the museum for €10 per child. Be sure to call ahead to ask if the workshop will be led in French or in English.
Biologique Recherche
The flagship of the Biologique Recherche skincare line sits just beyond a serene and secluded courtyard, and fresh-faced Parisians schedule regular rejuvenating treatments. The brand’s products, meanwhile, are of notable quality. Artificial fragrances are never used, and high concentrations of active ingredients are emphasized for balanced results.
Serendipity
With its mixture of bright, often quirky, and always bold modern design and well-loved vintage items, this Montparnasse children’s furniture and décor boutique is packed with fun stuff for any kid’s room. And thanks to the recent launch of Serendipity’s E-shop, the boutique’s one-of-a-kind items are now accessible around the globe.
Mariage Frères
This French company has been in business for more than 300 years and carries 500+ quality teas originating from 35 different countries. But it will only take one cup of the company’s exquisite offerings, like Lapsang Souchong – a semi-strong, smoky black variety from China, to make you swear off your grocer’s boxed and bagged offerings forever. Otherwise, Mariage Frères makes more than 50 kinds of teapots and over 30 types of tea-scented sticks and candles.