I did it! What, you ask? I planned an epic three-week tour to two of Europe’s most beautiful countries, France and Italy!!
As co-founder of the travel, hospitality, and lifestyle brand Urbanity Lush I, along with my twin sister, have had the privilege of hosting some of the most wonderful people you would ever want to meet from some of the most stunning countries and cities around the globe.
Over half of our guests come to stay with us from Europe. Guests love their time with us in our Philadelphia home so much that many have invited us to visit them in their home countries. Our Parisian guest Adrien extended one such invite to us back in 2014.
Adrien came to stay with us as a young intern at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. When Adrien left our home, he never forgot our hospitality and promised to return the favor!
Fast forward years later, Adrien, now married to his lovely wife, Adelice, made good on his promise and served as the perfect host and tour guide for the first leg of my trip in the majestic city of Paris, France!!
My experiences included a whirlwind immersive cultural stop at the most fantastical museum, Les Pavillons de Bercy, and a dinner cruise on the river Seine to see everyone’s bucket list item, the Eiffel Tower!!
Before I departed, I made sure to thank Adrien and Adelice for their stellar hospitality and for inviting me to create beautiful memories with them that will last a lifetime!
However, I couldn’t leave the City of Light without spending some time immersed in an “Emily in Paris” scavenger hunt where I tracked down some of the most iconic venues of this wildly popular American show.
In case you haven’t heard of the Netflix hit show “Emily in Paris,” it follows the life of a young American marketing executive who moves to Paris from Chicago to work for Savoir, a French marketing firm.
She is charged with helping to bring an American flare to Savoir’s marketing campaigns and quickly learns her new French colleagues aren’t here for it.
While Americans are obsessed with Emily, from her French-influenced fashion to her gorgeous yet elusive love interest, chef and restaurant owner Gabriel, I quickly learned that the show is less popular with the Parisians.
According to Adrien and Adelice, the French aren’t fans because they believe the show pushes negative stereotypes about the French and contributes to what they call Paris syndrome.
In my humble opinion, the show is witty, chic, comical, and romantic all at the same time and displays French culture positively.
I don’t want to dismiss Adrien’s critique because he would certainly know better than I do! That said, I certainly did not develop Paris syndrome; Paris did not disappoint!
Hopefully, the Parisians will fall just as madly in love as we Americans with Emily over time! lol
Now back to my little scavenger hunt! I made sure I stopped and had lunch at Gabriel’s, which is Emily’s, might I say, main love interest, restaurant Terra Nera, which is located in the 5th arrondissement section of Paris.
I spotted its trademark red awning two blocks away, and I swear my heart skipped a beat!! Before I entered to devour one of the best pasta dishes I had during my entire three weeks in Europe (Sorry, Italy, but France’s pasta is better than yours. lol).
I frantically flagged down a stranger to take a picture of me in front of the restaurant. When I entered, I imagined that I was Emily taking my seat, waiting for the gorgeous Gabriel to exit the kitchen to come and take my order—him! Lol
From there, I ventured to Savoir, Emily’s fictional place of work, where I daydreamed that Emily’s flamboyant and comical co-workers, Luc and Julian, were exiting the building to greet me with a kiss on the cheek and a ‘bonjour, beaute.” They didn’t, of course; it was just my vivid imagination running free and wild! Lol
Finally, I strolled to the lovely, pretty pink La Maison Rose in a village I discovered nested behind the second most visited site, outside the Eiffel Tower-The Basilica of Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre.
This is Emily and her friend Cindy’s favorite lunch spot. I tied to get a table, but of course, because of its popularity, I learned you must book weeks in advance!
You may have better luck! If you are planning a trip to Paris and looking for a quick and easy guide to help you plan your own scavenger hunt of the City of Lights, including a bonus section listing famous Emily In Paris locations, grab our Experience Paris, France guide here.
If you are ever in the birth city of America, Philadelphia, consider booking accommodations with us here. We would love to be your home away from home and add you to our long list of some of our favorite guests, like Adrien!
Sincerely,
Lola in Paris 🙂