Far-Flung Local Gems

In the tone of summertime travel, we’ve asked immoderate of our writers surviving extracurricular New York City to stock a fewer of their favourite section spots. Read Lauren Collins connected an irresistible Parisian artifact store; Hannah Goldfield connected her hunt for a prized effect successful Hollywood; Rebecca Mead connected a beloved religion grounds successful London; Inkoo Kang connected a quirky hyper-local perfume depository successful Berkeley; and Ian Crouch connected a mid-Maine quality sanctuary, with pie.—Shauna Lyon

Local Gems

Lauren Collins, successful Paris

Toy stores—do those adjacent beryllium anymore? I tin vouch for astatine slightest one: Le Bruit du Papier, a tiny but mighty wonderland successful the Ninth Arrondissement, strategically located straight crossed the thoroughfare from the rec halfway wherever the kids successful my vicinity spell to bash judo oregon larn however to play the violin. This is fundamentally the aforesaid conception arsenic putting a barroom crossed from a play course. No kid tin locomotion past the gleaming, apple-red storefront without pressing a chemoreceptor to the solid and begging to beryllium allowed to spell in. What I emotion astir Le Bruit du Papier is what I hatred astir Le Bruit du Papier. Its proprietor, Myriam Arthaud, knows precisely what her inferior customers want. They travel successful packs, bearing old-school pouch money. (Coins! At Le Bruit du Papier, those are inactive going strong, too.) They spree connected iced-tea-flavored “soda spray,” gelatinous candy eyeballs, capybara-shaped smooshies, One Piece branded Métro-card holders, and—most important—all things Legami, a Milanese shaper of animal-topped pens, cutesy erasers, and different adorable crap that is each the rage with tiny Parisian shoppers. This being a French artifact store, Arthaud does connection the occasional sop to adults. “There volition beryllium brushed drinks for the younker and the much sober,” an invitation from the store read, inviting patrons to travel illustration the caller Beaujolais 1 caller evening. Dream on, Amazon.

Inkoo Kang, successful Berkeley

The perfumer Mandy Aftel’s clasp of earthy ingredients makes her an anomaly successful the fragrance industry, which relies overwhelmingly connected synthetic concoctions for its wares. Aftel, who has authored fractional a twelve books connected the art, history, and uses of scent, shares her passionateness for olfactory anticipation done the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, the lone depository successful America dedicated to perfume. Operating retired of the store and backmost gait of her Berkeley location (a artifact implicit from Chez Panisse), it is simply a cozy, family-run affair; connected a caller visit, betwixt chats with Aftel herself, I was greeted by her hubby and regaled with stories by her son. The museum’s postulation includes centuries-old books and a vessel of ambergris (a substance produced successful the digestive strategy of sperm whales), arsenic good arsenic elaborations connected perfume’s agelong history. There are dozens of jars filled with essences that visitors are encouraged to sniff for themselves; my favorites included civet, cassia, and oud. One smelling presumption presents the past and modern extracts of the aforesaid works for comparison. And, due to the fact that smells are almighty but fleeting, guests tin instrumentality location samples from the much than 2 100 scents successful Aftel’s enactment station, or, arsenic it’s known successful the fragrance world, perfume organ. With the Archive, Aftel has created a treasure trove of fragrances that whitethorn different beryllium hard if not intolerable to find—and, much important, she has created an accidental to reorient one’s senses to the world.

Ian Crouch, successful Maine

Look retired from atop Table Rock, a wide perch connected the bluish extremity of Grafton Notch State Park, successful occidental Maine (less than 2 hours northwest of Portland), and you mightiness succumb, for a infinitesimal astatine least, to the foolishness of reasoning you’ve got things figured out. It’s a bully spot, nicer than most, and you’re lasting connected it. Then again, having climbed astir a 1000 feet of way successful little than a mile, bosom inactive pulsing astatine your temples, possibly you won’t beryllium reasoning astatine all. Even better! The achromatic flies pierce the reverie done precocious June, but by July (real summer) you tin linger to ticker the clouds glide along, casting chill brushed shadows connected the distant ground, wherever a bladed enactment of pavement snakes done the trees. And then, successful the fall, astir apt having to marque abstraction for immoderate neighbors up there—fellow-peepers—sit connected the stone and hug your knees arsenic each astir the leaves spell yellow, orange, red, and purple. Return to the car, caput southbound a fewer miles, and propulsion disconnected astatine Screw Auger Falls, oregon someplace quieter, to lavation the mud disconnected your calves successful the icy Bear River. Change into the cleanable other garment you remembered to pack. Back connected the road, inactive heading south, marque 1 last stop, connected the right: the Puzzle Mountain Bakery, successful its 3rd decennary and nether the stewardship of a 2nd generation, named aft a highest you conscionable passed (more ledges, much views). It’s a pastry stand, or, really, a pastry hutch—a reddish woody enclosure afloat of homemade effect pies, maple-cream cookies, whoopie pies, and jam. They bash their baking successful a gathering down a adjacent driveway, but the hutch is unmanned, and hours, Thursdays to Mondays, are flexible: currency goes successful an aged cast-iron vessel (or Venmo if you must). There’s nary atrocious clip for pie, but determination are fewer amended times than this, sitting connected the backmost bumper, passing tins of strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, and pome backmost and forth. Fingers, oregon possibly 1 fork. It’s getting late. Wipe the crumbs disconnected your lap, wrapper immoderate leftovers for later, and commencement the long, or, for the lucky, shortish thrust home.

Rebecca Mead, successful London