Paris Without a Schedule

I’ve been to Paris more times than I can count. Work trips, girls trips, fashion week. I thought I knew this city. But every single time I’ve been here there’s been a plan - appointments, itineraries, and places to be.

This trip was different. No strict agenda. Which shockingly led to me seeing more of the city than ever before!

My first night I landed into Fête de la Musique, a holiday I’d somehow never once experienced in all my trips here. Every street corner had a band, a DJ, just music everywhere, people everywhere, the whole city out celebrating sound. We bopped around for hours, following whatever pulled us in. One of my favorite nights of the entire summer. Maybe longer.

After that it was the Louvre at 9am before the crowds hit, a Matisse exhibit that genuinely stopped me, the sculpture garden at Rodin. Late dinners starting at 10pm, martinis, the vintage stores I’d clocked a hundred times and never actually gone inside. A full heat wave the entire time. Still managed to have the best time.

Turns out there’s a version of this city I’d never actually seen before.

I didn’t realize until this trip how much I’ve been moving through everything at full speed. Even when I’m somewhere beautiful, I’m already thinking about what’s next. The flight home, the inbox, the thing I’m supposed to be doing. Being somewhere without that noise.. actually present in a city I thought I already knew felt almost disorienting at first. And then it just felt really, really good.

When was the last time you went somewhere, or even just moved through a day, without an agenda? Not productive rest, not self care you scheduled in. Just actual unstructured time where you followed whatever felt good. I genuinely couldn’t remember the last time I had that. And I’m someone who talks about balance constantly.

Turns out the places you think you know best are sometimes the ones you haven’t actually seen yet. Might be true for more than just cities.