It’s pretty obvious from the blog that I’m kinda crazy about Paris. No denial on that. But New York is home for me right now, and while it’s also great in its own way, it’s a completely different experience than the Parisian day to day. It’s much faster, more in your face, and all in all, just a bit more stressful. So I figured why not hop on over to Paris for an afternoon, just to hang out and relax. Perfect, right? Only I’m not quite privy to a private plane just yet, so I did the next best thing, and spent the day at the Met and Laduree.

You can easily spend weeks at the Met and not see everything, but one of my favorite parts are the Wrightsman Galleries, which house the museum’s extensive collection of French decorative arts. A series of rooms whose interiors have been collected from palaces, residences, and mansions throughout (mostly) France, this is the quickest way to feel like you’re living the haute life in Paris. And museum admission is much cheaper than airfare (Don’t miss my Airfare Tips post!). The lighting in the space is rather dramatic, which makes it that much more surreal of an experience, as the dark and moody light plays perfectly against all of the the moldings, crystal, and gold gilding.

The perfect follow up to the museum is Laduree, the Parisian confectioner that opened its Upper East Side outpost just last fall. Macarons are what this place is known for, so go ahead and try a few — the blackcurrant cassis is my favorite, but also be sure to try out the cherry blossom.