This Gustave Caillebotte painting is one of my all time favorites. It shows a unglamorous side of my favorite city, but it’s still so magical. I love how you can feel the wetness. If you’re ever in Chicago, go visit this piece at the Art Institute…I could stand in front of it all day. 

Aside from the absence of cars and the top hats, Paris is just the same in the rain now as it was in 1877. It’s grey and wet, but you still feel the magic of the city. Les grands boulevards are actually that grand. Dirt and cigarettes get trapped in between the cobblestone, but it’s still Paris cobblestone and it has so much history. Rainy days were some of my favorite while living there. Maybe because I was outside no matter what every day. No retreating to a couch and a TV. I walked every arrondissement in the rain. Stopped for an espresso or a book store. Crossed bridges. Went through several cheap black umbrellas. Faced fears and learned it’s lovely to be alone.

Even if it’s raining the whole time, I’d go back right away. Paris is my favorite in the fall. In the rain. Allons-y.

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