Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré

This historic road is not to be missed! Located in Paris' 8th arrondissement, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is a feast for the senses. Spanning from Place des Ternes, on the border of the 17th, to Rue Royale, you can easily walk from one end to the other in less than an hour. It is home to a plethora of antique shops and high-end contemporary furniture stores. In the west end you will find one of the best Lebanese restaurants in all of Paris, called Naï, as well as the most original and talented chocolatier in Paris, Patrick Roger, whose modern boutique boasts incredible chocolate sculptures in its windows. Further down you will come across numerous, art galleries, Sothebey's and the presidential palace, in front of which tourists often gather to watch the changing of the guards. Past the palace you will begin to come across many high-end designer stores. The Comme des Garçons flagship store is located in a courtyard off the main road and is a must-see if you are visiting Paris. Fans of conceptual Japanese fashion will be delighted to find that in addition to the main boutique there is also a trading museum, full of highly unique artisanal pieces, many of which are not for sale, as well as a separate Junya Wantanabe boutique for men on the opposite side of the courtyard. Further down the road is the Lanvin store and headquarters. It is the oldest Parisian fashion house, celebrated for its often exotic and highly sophisticated designs. Another great attraction is the Hermès flagship store. Hermès creates the most extravagant and creative window displays that are attractions in and of themselves. This street is a great summation of the best Paris has to offer!

This other end of Rue Saint-Honore is, if it can be summed up, window-shopping at its most shameless. Going in requires either a posse or a bottomless credit card: mere mortals will look at the price tags and go into cardiac arrest, but if you’ve a strong heart and financially buoyant wallet, maybe you’ll be okay. Streets like this one definitely inspire you to spend money you don’t have, or develop business plans to someday spend money you do, but nothing screams capitalist chic quite like a street dedicated to the who’s who of fashion. I can’t spend too long on Rue Saint-Honore or I grow rueful, but strolling down with my fantasies is enough for me.

The only reason I ended up on this street was because I was hopelessly lost on my way back from the Champs-Elysees. I'd imagine that's true of many tourists who don't find themselves shopping at Dior, Hermes, and others that are all over this street. I'm not a fashion person, but to find yourself surrounded by such fashion heavyweights - most of whom have their flagship stores here - is pretty freaking cool. The windows were exquisite, as were the women who walked out with bags containing items probably costing more than my entire trip. It was hard not to feel a little intimidated. Next time, this will be a planned visit. (And I look forward to dressing the part!)