The yellow brick road to Paris and…

Hi! I’m Roxy, a journalist writing about art, food and travel for papers and mags like the NY Times, Condé Nast Traveller, Forbes and Monocle. I’ve also co-authored the latest Lonely Planet Paris guidebook available in stores soon, and authored the Mauritius chapter of the new Mauritius, Seychelles & Reunion guidebook out now.

I’m originally from London (with a French mother and Mauritian father - hence the Mauritius connection for Lonely Planet), and I’ve been living in Paris for over a decade. I’ve read lots of really great content about the city, but to me, coming from a mixed background, it can sometimes feel like it’s lacking in cultural diversity. I’ve been guilty of jumping on the bandwagon myself and not covering more culturally diverse topics. And as a result, somehow, along the way, I lost my voice. Being a luxury-focused writer too, I no longer knew what really appealed to me within my own budget. I found that I wanted to be able to write about and recommend more accessible places for people like me.

So, I hope that this newsletter will be a sort of yellow brick road to finding my voice again, and help guide you to the places that are truly worth their salt without breaking the bank.

Having tried my fair share of places to eat and sleep, and scoured the city for things to see and do over the last 15 years, I’ve become a bit of a go-to for Paris recommendations for friends and their friends, and their friends’ friends… They’re the ones who have spurred me on to launch this newsletter that lands in your email, now twice a month. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my special finds and the inspiring locals I meet along the way, who make Paris the big cheese of a city it is, breaking ground in so many creative ways.

If you’re not subscribed yet, you can check out some of the archives for free on my Substack site: whatsupparis.substack.com. The newsletter remains free but paying subscribers have unlimited access to the guides and hot lists of places to eat and stay that I am writing and sharing bit by bit.

So without further ado: welcome! And more than anything, a super-huge THANK YOU for being here. Feel free to get in touch with any feedback or just to say hi: whatsuppariscontact@gmail.com.

Roxy x