A Date with Myself 🥂

Dating Myself in Paris 

Back in Mumbai, I used to eat in restaurants by myself. Sometimes I got coffee alone, perched on a bar-stool scrolling through my phone, hoping I looked like a harried freelancer and not a loser with no friends.

But in Paris, about a week after I’d moved here, exhausted by my apartment search and tired of microwaving in my Airbnb, I decided to get a proper lunch. I’d just clutch my phone and not make eye contact with anyone.

As I approached the picturesque brasserie, with wicker chairs and tiny tables and heat lamps, I realized I didn’t know how to say “A table for one, please.” We’d never covered this in my beginner's French class.

Une table pour un? Too clunky. I’m too shy socially to ask if i pronounced right!!! No, doesn’t sound right. Juste moi? Seulement moi?

I was sure the waiter would get it, but I really didn’t want to sound like an idiot. Or a singleton loser. I stood in the doorway, and the waiter approached me and said Bonjour. Then, the dumbest thing imaginable flew out of my mouth:

C’est moi!

After my C’est moi! experience, I began to enjoy going to cafés alone. I’d pick a table outdoors (La Terrace) under the awning, facing the street, sometimes reading or writing, sometimes not. People-watching in Paris is now one of my favorite pastimes, with the sleek businessmen in dark suits and white shirts, or the shoppers with baguettes under their arms who munch the crispy end of the loaf, or the parade of dogs. My favorites, though, are the old ladies in heels and lipstick, tapping a cane every other step.

When you’re alone, you have space to think, “What was this woman’s life like, that she wears heels instead of casual slip-on loafers? She’s old – did she see World War II? Was she in the resistance? Maybe she’s not that old, maybe she a student during the 1968 revolution, building barricades and waving signs? Has she had lovers that she slapped and then kissed, like in those black-and-white French movies?” When you’re people-watching in Paris, you can let your thoughts wander. Just your thoughts, no one else’s. 

Paris is a very romantic place. And that romance is not limited to couples – it’s available for everyone.

Here are a few of my favorite places in Paris, to go with a friend or by yourself:

Paris is full of bookshops and stalls, I love atmosphere of being engulfed by books. Get a cup of coffee for self, and probably some friendly English-speakers if you’re up for conversation.

I love sitting on the terrace of a cafe, watching the neighborhood happen.

The "Petit Palais" is a great place to visit. The permanent collection is free, so you can spend as much or as little time as you want and be on your way. There’s nothing like a glimpse of a Monet or Courbet to brighten your eyes.

Then I go shopping at Monoprix or Castorama or Auchan. BHV shows you what’s possible.

So, if you find yourself alone in the Most Romantic City in the World, for an afternoon, a season or indefinitely, don’t worry.

You’ll always have Paris – and Paris has got you, babe.