Kati Marton's Guide To Finding Paris In New York
In her new memoir, Paris: A Love Story (Simon & Schuster), award-winning journalist and distinguished author Kati Marton brings us a remarkably candid love letter to Paris, to the famous loves of her life, newsman Peter Jennings and diplomat Richard Holbrooke, to her family, to her children, and to life itself.
Here, Marton shares the New York City spots, shops and eateries that transport her to her favorite Parisian places and invoke the fondest memories of the City of Light.
Central Park Reservoir
85th Street to 96th Street, from East to West
New York, NY
Jogging around the reservoir is even better than my morning run in my Paris neighborhood, as the people I pass tend to smile more than my sometimes grim-faced Parisian neighbors. What I love about running in Paris is that it's the only time I don't have to worry about what I look like. It's obvious that I'm a runner so the usual strict rules about dressing in stylish Paris are not operative. Even in my fairly Bohemian Latin Quarter, neighborhood, you just can't go out on the street if your hair is not fairly well coiffed and you look a certain Parisian way. Even elderly couples in the park look like they're dressed for a date. As a runner, I have the freedom to wear any un-stylish thing—a freedom I enjoy both in Paris and New York.
The Frick Collection
1 E. 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
(212) 288-0700
www.frick.org
Walking around this small, hyper-elegant museum in the late afternoon, gazing on their Impressionists. Of course, Claude Monet is my favorite—however unoriginal that is, the way he captures the play of sunlight on the Seine is actually how it looks to me first thing in the morning and right before sunset.
The High Line
519 W. 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
www.thehighline.org
The High Line transports me to the canals of St. Martin neighborhood in Paris. The St. Martin neighborhood is an up and coming part of Paris, very much like the High Line area in New York, with lots of very cool, funky boutiques and cafes whose customers spill out onto the street, and always have a celebratory vibe, even first thing in the morning—that feeling of aren't we lucky to be having coffee on this amazing place, which is not yet on most tourists' radar.
Five Leaves
18 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 383-5345
www.fiveleavesny.com
This small and bustling Brooklyn bistro puts an American twist on French classics. They have a delicious version of steak frites with heavenly truffle fries and delicious cocktails. The crowd is young, fashionable and full of energy. There's often a wait to get a table, but once you do, it's well worth it.
La Petite Coquette
51 University Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-2478
www.thelittleflirt.com
A special downtown lingerie boutique which reminds me of sexy Parisians. I really love lingerie that is comfortable and pleasing to the eye--lacey things you can wear all day. It always makes me feel good to have a sexy secret beneath my everyday clothes.
Riverside Drive
72nd St to 181st St.
Parallel to Hudson River
New York, NY
The serenity of the river flowing by reminds me of the Seine, and the little kids and their moms playing in the park transports me to the Luxembourg Gardens. I love to sit at the Boat Basin Café (W. 79th St., 212-496-5542) with a glass of Pinot Grigio and a good friend.
Le Pain Quotidien
494 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10024
(212) 877-1200
www.lepainquotidien.us
Sitting and reading The New York Times on the terrace of Le Pain Quotidien at Amsterdam and 84th Street, watching the colorful traffic of Upper West Siders. My favorite meal is the buffalo mozzarella salad, which is also my favorite dish at the Café Rostand from where I often write in Paris.
Kati Marton is the author of Paris: A Love Story, is a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and the subject of an upcoming motion picture. Her other books include The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World and the New York Times bestseller Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our History, as well as Wallenberg, The Polk Conspiracy, and A Death in Jerusalem. She is an award-winning former NPR and ABC News correspondent. She lives in New York City.
