Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Emily Cooper, the fictional lead of NetflixsEmily in Paris, occupies a very real apartment in Paris.
I arrive late and hung-over for the 10 a.m. experience.
(The stranglehold Aperol has on the continent of Europe and those who visit cannot be underestimated.)
our guide, Natacha, says, consoling me.
Today is going to beNicole in Paris,Kaya in Paris, andZach in Paris!
My tourmates are a mother-daughter pair from Switzerland.
The mother seems eager; the daughter seems 14.
Is this Emilys bakery?
You are one step ahead of me, Natacha says.
Next door is a more important site: the burgundy-fronted restaurant run byGabriel.
We begin our journey to Emilys workplace across town, but Kaya has already hit a roadblock.
She switches to crutches.
I dont correct her.
Who are your favorite characters from the show?
Sylvie, the daughter, Kaya, says, referring to Emilys stern French boss.
Because she is mean.
(Ice cold, Kaya.)
The downstairs neighbor, I answer.
Oh, you mean theHot.Chef.Gabriel, Natacha says with a grin.
Gabriel is my favorite too, Nicole adds.
But for different reasons, she says with a wink.
No, I say.
For the same reasons.
Id only just binged most of the first season on the flight over.
I was catching up, withsimilar aspirations.
Does anyone know what happened there?
This is where Doug tells Emily he is not coming to Paris, Nicole answers.
Yes, Natacha says with a performed frown.
There are things in life that seem like bad news but end up being good news.
Emily had to be dumped by Doug so she could commit to Paris.
I did not expect philosophy on theEmily in Pariswalking tour.
Next were going to the poshest toilet in Paris.
At the Samaritaine department store, it’s possible for you to drop a deuce and thousands of dollars.
Sorry, Zach, forthe spoiler!
Natacha apologizes, two fists in the air.
I must do it for the tour!
Nicoles in the market for a new scent.
It is how you know youve become old, she says.
Your perfume is discontinued.
And where is he?
Working out with my son.
Kaya was getting a workout, too.
I wondered how much of this tour was for mother-daughter bonding and how much was for mother.
Do mostly women take the tour?
There he is, she says.
My BFF: my Best Fashion Friend.
I laugh as a courtesy, an act of international diplomacy to keep Franco-American relations intact.
Ill be here all week, Natacha adds.
We pivot to competition.
Do you know what this place is?
Whoever gets it first wins the Bragging Trophy.
It is invisible, but it isfabulous.
You know it, Natacha encourages.
Nicole, against all odds, says nothing.
Eventually, I spot a triangle on a sign in the distance.
I say, The Louvre!
Take that, Nicole.
The Invisible But Fabulous Bragging Trophy will not be surrendered to Switzerland.
We have to get to the opera!
After a few days of self-directed sightseeing, its nice to be babysat.
Nicole poses a hard-hitting question: What is going on politically in France?
Natacha tells the tough truth: I dont watch French TV.
I have Netflix, Disney+, and I loveHallmark.
Does anyone know what this place is?
Id already identified this location, but it seems important to Nicole to get every question right.
Again, Kaya doesnt speak; Im not sure if shes shy about her English or just 14.
This is where Emily meets Mindy!
Where the universe sent her a guardian angel, Natacha says.
Suddenly, Nicole and Kaya eliminate themselves from the amazing race with only a few stops left.
Alone with a Parisian Im paying, I seize the moment for validation.
When I attempt to speak French, everyone answers in English, I moan.
Do the French hate me?
That is a cliche.
Parisians answer in English because they are eager to practice their English, she says.
Its a very nice thing to say.
Its also probably a lie.
I am going to do a bit of community service, she says.
Natacha walks over to a clerk at the mall.
I understand a bit:mon ami … parlez … anglais … americaine.The clerk nods.
Yes, Natacha says.
And is the American accent okay?
The clerk looks at me and nods.
We accept, she says, like my accent is American Express.
I ask you to look at my feet and wait for the full effect, Natacha says.
Opinions were clear across my trip thus far.
It is a very princess-y view of Paris, said the baker who taught a croissant class I took.
Natacha doesnt mind the fantasy either.
The show is a fiction, she says.
It is not reality.
For a moment, it feels like Natacha has become my Mindy.
But that would make me …
