Is “Paris Syndrome” a Real Thing?
When you don’t have sky-high expectations for Paris to begin with, the disillusionment you find in the City of Light is much more nuanced.
Kate Gavino is the creator of the blog and book, Last Night's Reading. Her work has been featured in Buzzfeed, The Guardian, O Magazine, Rookie, the Paris Review Daily, and Brooklyn Magazine.
More by this author
Learning to Live in France With(out) The Nose Wrinkle
My relationship with my French teachers became more like the ones I had with my therapists: I desperately wanted them to like me.
Living in Paris, I’m Just Another American—and the French Don’t Seem to Mind
My life as an American in Paris is a far cry from what the glamorous direct-to-DVD movies make it out to be. Still, that’s the story I tell.
My Parents’ Cemetery Selfies
“It’s jarring to scroll through and see a cemetery selfie.”
More in this series
Montrose, the Neighborhood That Gave Us Everything
Montrose was unofficially codified as the nexus of queer life in Houston. If you held a map to the wall, I could tell you how we came to be on those streets.
Burning Your Mouth to Spite Your Heart
I need something that is going to tingle, tell me the food is alive. Because I want to be alive, too.
Sheltering in Place in My Backyard Garden
This period of social isolation is, I’ve told my child, an act of love for others. We are, whether we want to admit it or not, part of a herd.
