American teenager Maya Merhige withstood thousands of jellyfish stings during a 14-hour swim across the Cook Strait
At this point, Merhige was already several hours into her 27-mile swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand and had slowly become immune to the small, burning sensations that covered her body. By the end, even her face – her nose, ears and lips – had been peppered with them.
'Constantly, like 25 times a minute – over and over,' is how often the 17-year-old Californian estimates that she was being stung. That equates roughly to once every third stroke – an aggressive form of exposure therapy for someone who claims to be terrified of jellyfish.
'Even when I was getting in the water, I was already like: 'I'm so scared. I don't want to see jellyfish,'' adds Merhige. 'So the entire time I was just fighting myself mentally to kind of get over that fear.'
Confronting her greatest fears is something that Merhige has done time and again while swimming in some of the world's most challenging and unforgiving waters.
Crossing the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand's North and South Islands, last month was another step towards her goal of becoming the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven – a series of brutal open water swims around the globe.
Merhige has now successfully traversed the Cook Strait, the Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii, the Catalina Channel off the coast of Los Angeles, and the English Channel between England and France – all before graduating from high school.
Still on her to-do list are the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco, and the Tsugaru Strait in Japan.
'I'm hoping to be the youngest, which means that I have to do them by January of 2028,' Merhige says. 'I am hoping to finish them all. I'm really excited for the ones I have left.'
In line with Marathon Swimmers Federation guidelines, only swimsuits – not wetsuits – can be used by those undertaking solo, unassisted marathon swims in open water.
Merhige is guided by a support boat and pauses to receive a feed from her crew every half an hour. The Cook Strait crossing, she says, was her hardest swim to date – which became clear the following day when she struggled to lift her arms above shoulder height.
The physical toll of taking stroke after stroke for more than half a day was compounded by choppy seas and strong currents, meaning Merhige swam 27 miles instead of 13.7 and was in the water for more than 14 hours instead of the planned seven.
But it was her mental resolve that was tested most of all, especially when the large wind turbines marking the end of the swim never appeared to be getting any closer. The best solution, Merhige thought, was to stop obsessing over the distance and just keep swimming.
It's one of the reasons she prefers tackling her marathon swims at nighttime, unable to fret about how far she has to go or what sea creatures might be lurking in the ocean below.
'If I can't see them, I really just tell myself: out of sight, out of mind,' says Merhige – referring, of course, to those much-feared jellyfish. 'They're not there if you can't see them, so I just pretend it's not happening, which does help me shut my mind off a little bit.'
Another perk to crossing the Cook Strait at night – which Merhige did for almost the entirety of the swim – was catching a glimpse of shooting stars and avoiding the heat of New Zealand's punishing midday sun.
And no sun exposure means no risk of sunburn. That's useful, Merhige points out, if you have your high school prom in a few days' time and want to avoid arriving with a swimming cap tan across your forehead.
As obstacles go, a poorly-timed tan line is a relatively minor one when it comes to swimming in some of the world's most dangerous waters.
When swimming the length of Lake Tahoe in 2022, Merhige struggled so much that she started to get hallucinations – 'I thought that I had been kidnapped for part of it, thought I was swimming with human-sized stuffed animals,' she says – and had to negotiate sharks, seals, whales and dolphins during her Moloka'i Channel crossing the following year.
But for all the many challenges she encounters during her swims, Merhige still insists that she is happier in the water than anywhere else. It is, she explains, a 'safe place' in which she sees herself as a visitor to an environment which isn't, and will never be, entirely hers.
'It's become this great relationship,' says Merhige. 'I love being in the water so much, and I'm definitely loving it more and more; I have much more respect for the ocean and for the water than I did when I started swimming.
'I've done so much mental gymnastics in the water that I can adapt myself to deal with whatever situation occurs. Even if I'm scared, I know I can get through that fear. That's what keeps me safe, and that's what makes me feel safe.'
Merhige has now completed 10 marathon swims, which by definition measure at least 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) in length.
With nonprofit Swim Across America, she has raised more than $130,000 for pediatric cancer research, a cause motivated by some of her close family friends who have been affected by the disease.
The thought of those living with cancer is what motivates Merhige during some of her darkest, most grueling hours in the water.
'There are kids in the hospital, literally right now, who are going through chemotherapy and going through radiation, and if they can get through that, then I can keep swimming, and it's nothing,' she says.
'I'm just telling myself that over and over and thinking: 'This is bigger than me. There are people cheering me on, and there are people going through cancer that I'm doing this for' … I know that this is making a bigger impact outside of just me, and that's really important.'
Merhige, too, has faced her own recent health challenges. In March 2023, she ruptured a benign tumor on her pancreas during a skiing crash, causing intense pain and requiring surgery.
She was back in the water two weeks after the surgery, and then last year, two months after she was in and out of hospital for further treatment, Merhige completed her crossing of the English Channel.
More surgery is on the horizon this summer, meaning another Oceans Seven swim isn't on the cards this year. That will have to wait until 2026, when Merhige hopes to complete two, maybe three, of the remaining swims during her first year at college.
She's currently on a pre-med track and hopes to be at a school on the East Coast – the opposite side of the country to her hometown of Berkeley.
'I don't think any of my top schools are remotely near water,' says Merhige, 'but I'm going to find lakes, I'm going to find rivers. I'm going to make it work.'
The water, Merhige adds, is the place where she feels 'the most myself,' and she has no intentions to wave goodbye to that part of her identity while at college. But one bonus of being on the East Coast? The jellyfish will be very, very far away.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Military wife says American Airlines charged her $3,600 in ticketing error — and refused to refund her: ‘Huge weight on my chest'
This sky-high charge was hardly fare. A traveling mom says American Airlines bilked her out of more than $3000 following a ticketing error — and initially refused to refund her the money. The peeved passenger, known only as Katie, took to TikTok to tell the ticketing tale, publicly pleading for the carrier to make the situation right. 3 Military wife Katie claims American Airlines bilked her out of more than $3000 following a ticketing error. 'American Airlines accidentally charged me thousands of dollars, and now they're refusing to pay me back,' the Californian claimed at the outset of her viral video, which clocked up X views. Katie explained that her husband was in the military, and that she and her five-month-old baby had traveled to Japan to visit him there. Rather than obtain a return ticket, crafty Katie decided to book her flight back to America using airline miles gained through a credit card. 'I'm pretty savvy with using credit card points and airline miles, so I'd been checking the American Airlines site daily for an award ticket to open up,' she subsequently told the Daily Mail. 'When one finally became available, I booked it and immediately called American Airlines to add my five-month-old as a lap infant.' An airline employee informed her that she would have to pay an additional $386 fee for her baby, which she paid for over the phone. However, a receipt revealed that Katie was charged not just $386 — but also an additional $3,674 for 'a second full-price ticket under her name.' Katie called back and an American Airlines rep allegedly assured her that she would be refunded the $3,674.11 within a week. 3 Katie was allegedly informed by American Airlines that they could not refund her $3,674. Getty Images Upon check-in at Okinawa Airport, a Japanese gate agent was 'confused' by the fact that there were two tickets in Katie's name — the one purchased with credit card points and the $3,674 one processed in error. 'I had two tickets in my name, on the same flight, under the same confirmation code,' the mom said. Despite the gate agent 'assuring' the mom that she was using the award ticket, a refund never came through when she arrived back in the US. At home, Katie claims she spent close to '50 hours' on hold with various American Airlines staff who were unable to resolve the situation. After weeks of chasing up the airline, she was purportedly informed that she was ineligible for a refund because the Japanese gate agent had checked her in with the erroneous $3,674 ticket. 'I had this huge weight on my chest knowing a massive corporation had taken thousands of dollars from me, and it would keep me up at night,' Katie said — but saying she turned to TikTok in a last-ditch effort to try and get her money back. The public pleading worked — with the mom's video instantly going viral and eventually attracting American Airlines' attention. 'Boosting this for you! Never flying American Airlines after hearing about this,' one supporter vowed. 'You deserve your money back.' 'Not very 'American' of American Airlines to do this to a military mom who was traveling solo,' another said. 3 'Boosting this for you! Never flying American Airlines after hearing about this,' one supporter vowed. 'You deserve your money back.' AP Soon after, Katie received a call from the airline saying she would be getting a refund for the charge as well as a 7,500-mile bonus as an 'apology.' The 'vindicated' mom said it spoke to the power of social media to pressure companies into acting ethically. 'It's incredibly disappointing that such a large corporation can fail its customers this badly,' she stated. American Airlines told The Post in a statement: 'Our team has been in touch with this customer and offered her an apology, refunded her in full and offered her a gesture of goodwill.'
National Geographic
7 days ago
- National Geographic
8 of the best things to do in Newport Beach
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Set between long stretches of the Pacific Ocean and the rugged San Joaquin Hills, Newport Beach embraces the same laid-back lifestyle as its neighbouring Californian beach towns but is set apart by a distinctly upmarket feel. It was the setting for The OC, the early 2000s cult series about a well-to-do Orange County community, and you'll find stately mansions, boutique stores and restaurants serving seafood towers. But there's also whale-watching in the Pacific, a legendary surf break creating 30ft waves and a bohemian district of driftwood homes. The city is set a little over an hour's drive from both Los Angeles and San Diego, making it an ideal stop on a Southern California itinerary. Go whale-watching in the Pacific Ocean Newport Beach is one of the best places in the US to go whale-watching. It lies along a key migratory route for several whale species, as well as near the Newport Submarine Canyon and continental shelf, which fuel a rich marine ecosystem and make for ideal feeding grounds. Newport Coastal Adventure offers high-speed rigid inflatable boat tours into the open ocean for small groups, led by expert guides. Depending on the season, sightings may include gray whales (winter to spring), blue whales and humpbacks (spring to autumn) and even the occasional orca (year-round). Common dolphins are frequently spotted racing alongside boats in large playful pods, and bottlenose and Pacific white-sided dolphins make regular appearances. Cruise along Newport's harbour The harbour is one of the city's defining features, stretching more than three miles from the Pacific Ocean into the calm waters of the Upper Newport Bay Nature Reserve, known locally as the 'Back Bay'. It's lined with elegant homes, many with private docks, and several artificial islands, including village-like Balboa Island and exclusive Lido Isle. Explore it with an electric boat rental from Duffy. You can picnic aboard or dock at waterfront restaurants such as Lido Bottle Works, which is run by locals and serves craft beers and a tapas-style menu. For something more exclusive, Balboa Bay Resort offers a two-hour sunset cruise aboard a 42ft yacht, complete with a captain, seafood and Champagne. Step back in time at Crystal Cove Park Just down the Pacific Coast Highway is Crystal Cove State Park, spanning 2,400 acres of backcountry and three miles of shoreline. Along one of its most scenic waterfront stretches lies the Historic District, 46 beachfront cottages built between the 1920s and 1940s. It was once an enclave for artists, surfers and free spirits, who constructed homes from salvaged wood and even discarded film set materials. To preserve the area, the State of California purchased the land in 1979 and led a decades-long restoration project. Stays are available through the Department of Parks and Recreation; don't miss the warm beignets at Beachcomber Cafe or the daily, 5pm hoisting of the 'martini flag'. The Historic District was built between the 1920s and 1940s. It was once an enclave for artists, surfers and free spirits, who constructed homes from salvaged wood and even discarded film set materials. Photograph by Crystal Cove Conservancy Go shopping at Fashion Island Located a 10-minute drive from the harbour, Fashion Island is an open-air retail centre that's home to high-end boutiques and department stores. A standout is the multi-level Restoration Hardware Gallery, an exhibition-like space for luxury home furnishings, with a rooftop terrace offering sweeping views of the coastline. Alternatively, explore the Lido Marina Village, a waterfront neighbourhood where narrow streets are lined with stylish cafes and independent boutiques. Clare V is known for effortlessly chic clothing and accessories, while Aloha Collection — a Californian brand with Hawaiian roots — specialises in splash-proof travel bags. The marina-facing restaurants here include an outpost of Nobu and Malibu Farm, a Southern California-founded spot that celebrates organic, farm-to-table ingredients. Cycle the Newport Beach boardwalk For a front-row look at the city's beach culture, follow the boardwalk, a three-mile paved path along the Balboa Peninsula south of the main harbour. With its flat terrain and scenic views — stretches of sand on one side and beach cottages, surf shops and cafes on the other — it's ideal for exploring on two wheels. Rent an electric bike from 20th Street Beach and Bikes, then head south towards Newport Beach Pier. Just beside it, Dory Fleet Fish Market — operating since 1891 — sells black cod, lobster and spider crab straight from the boats. Before looping back, veer off to the Balboa Fun Zone for a ride on the vintage Ferris wheel and a frozen banana from Sugar 'n Spice. Dine on the catch of the day With its Pacific location, Newport Beach is home to exceptional seafood dining. Set in a historic fishing building, The Cannery serves the likes of blackened wahoo tacos and lobster rolls, plus meats like Wagyu beef. Set Steak & Sushi at the Pendry hotel attracts a sophisticated crowd with dishes like bluefin tuna pizza on a crisp tortilla base with ponzu aioli, while RH Ocean Grill at Fashion Island also impresses, serving seafood towers in a glass-roofed garden. Alternatively, The Mayor's Table at boutique Lido House hotel delivers sophisticated dishes such as Dungeness crab pasta with wild mushrooms and garlic cream sauce, or Wine Country lamb with carrot puree and dukkah spice crumb. After your meal, unwind with drinks at the rooftop bar, a popular weekend hangout. With its Pacific location, Newport Beach is home to exceptional seafood dining. Photograph by Visit Newport Beach Watch legendary surfing at The Wedge To witness some of California's most legendary surfing, visit The Wedge at the southernmost tip of the Balboa Peninsula. This famous break was created accidentally by a 2,000ft jetty, and it can produce waves that are up to 30ft high thanks to a wave reflection phenomenon: when a south or southwest swell hits, water pushes off the jetty and collides with incoming waves, forming soaring walls of water that attract skilled surfers from around the world. Visit in late spring or summer for the best conditions, and check The Wedge cam for updates. Inspired to get into the water? Surf schools along the Balboa Peninsula like Endless Sun offer beginner-friendly lessons and board rentals. To witness some of California's most legendary surfing, visit The Wedge at the southernmost tip of the Balboa Peninsula. Photograph by Visit Newport Beach Los Angeles and San Diego international airports are both a little over an hour's drive away. Although some neighbourhoods are walkable and bike-friendly, Newport Beach is a spread-out coastal city, so renting a car is advisable if you want to make the most of your visit — whether you're heading to nearby beaches, shopping districts or scenic hiking trails. Stay at Lido House, a chic boutique hotel on Lido Isle, steps from Lido Marina Village and close to the Balboa Peninsula. Designed to resemble a stylish beach house, the hotel's 130 guest rooms reflect its laid-back waterfront setting, with nautical touches and bright, modern interiors. There are also five cottages, each individually furnished by a Newport Beach designer. Rooms start from $393 (£293) and include perks such as beach gear, a local shuttle, surfboard and bike rentals, and a chauffeur service within a five-mile radius. This story was created with the support of Visit Newport Beach. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Los Angeles Times
09-08-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Headed to Paris soon? Our restaurant critic has a dozen standout dining suggestions
I'm recently returned from two weeks in Paris for vacation (planned for the window right before so many restaurants close for a break in August), and I didn't even pretend I intended to give myself a break from the business of dining. It's Paris. Of course I was going all in, particularly since I hadn't been to France in over a decade. The research — the brooding over all the possibilities — is always part of the fun. Beyond suggestions from Parisian friends, there was much triangulating of recommendations, especially among the Paris By Mouth newsletter, Lindsey Tramuta (who writes for many English language publications and wrote the 'Eater Guide to Paris' book released in April) and David Lebovitz's very popular newsletter. Nothing about the following list is complete, but as inspirations for your own travels I pared two weeks down to a dozen Paris suggestions, plus thoughts on a few of the city's geekiest coffee bars. Over the year and a half I traveled through our state to write the 101 Best Restaurants in California guide, I kept wishing to experience a tasting-menu restaurant that thrillingly centers vegetables on the plate. Excellent places like Kismet and RVR include intricately composed dishes on their menus that roll with the seasons. I'm thinking, though, of a kitchen with a revolutionary streak, where the emphasis on plant-based cooking not only feels unapologetic but galvanizing, rattling diners awake to the delicious, sustainable-minded possibilities of decentering meat in one of the world's great growing climates. That restaurant doesn't exist yet in California. But it does in Paris. Manon Fleury opened Datil, a 33-seat railroad-style space in the 3rd arrondissement, in September 2023. Her restaurant's website details commitments that will sound familiar to Californian restaurant obsessives: how the staff (predominantly women) foster close relationships to producers, how the menu strictly reflects what's coming from the meals, the low-waste approach. So maybe, in my jadedness, I was caught off-guard by the lyricism of the five-course lunch. Beautiful in its garden colors and juxtaposing crunchy and yielding textures, but not showy or pushy. The kind of food where I found myself leaning toward what I was eating, like bending closer to catch what my smartest friend was saying at a party. To describe the heart of the meal: After crackery nibbles, and a lovely flan whose flavors brought to mind white gazpacho, came porridge made using white rice from the coastal southern region of Camargue, where the grain (including a famous red strain) has been grown since the 13th century. It was crowned with an improvisational arrangement of tomatoes and other summery fruits and vegetables, and a gloss of herb oil. It was filling and comforting and also, given all the pointy vegetals flavors, enthralling. Then came a stunning savory play on a mille-feuille formed from sinewy, perfectly salted blanched zucchini. Its layers hid flaked morsels of skate wing — the kitchen is roughly 85 percent plant-based but seafood or meat might be used sparingly — with a brunoise of zucchini, parsley and shallots. Servers swooped in with two sauces poured from metal carafes: a warm beurre blanc tensed with juiced kumquat and cider vinaigrette, and a cool sorrel sauce that clung to the butter in swirls. Another sauce made from plums already lurked underneath. So many harmonies to discern. Lastly, some straight-up indulgence: a boozy, plush savarin, about the size of a Krispy Kreme doughnut, domed with half of a poached and lightly charred apricot. All the reasons to travel — to know a place while better seeing ourselves, and who and what we might be — came to bear in this emotionally intelligent meal. Chefs in California could, and should, be cooking like this. Two fantastic bistros: Friends urged that while Le Bistrot Paul Bert has become a de-facto option for visitors over the last decade (and I have, in the past, sopped up its île flottante until I indeed floated away), I should check out Bistrot des Tournelles in the 4th for a more intimate, relaxed but still bullseye bistro dinner. They were right. Surprise hit? The gushing, textbook chicken Cordon bleu. Harder to book but worth the effort: Chez Georges at 1 Rue du Mail. (I mention the address specifically because there other similarly named restaurants, but this is the one you want.) Jean-Gabriel de Bueil leads a suave cast of characters in a rowdy, cramped, exhilarating room. Squint at the menu written in tiny handwritten cursive and pick out salade frisée, ris de veau, cote d'agneau grillé and the must-have tarte tatin. My favorite Lebanese meal: If you read my work, you know I'm looking out for Lebanese restaurants wherever I go in the world. Part of my time in Paris was with my Lebanese crew, and among several meals we agreed hands-down the best was Kubri, the deservedly lauded draw in the 11th run by Ingrid and Mayfrid Chehlaoui and chef Rita Higgins Akar. So, so rarely does a Lebanese kitchen find balance between the traditional dishes (many of which have simple ingredients that demand technique) and innovation (which often produces aberrations that have no relation to the original). This one nails the midpoint, with wonders like a charred wedge of cabbage rubbed in Aleppo pepper butter and pummeled with diced pickled apricot, shanklish (crumbly aged cheese) and salty-sugary peanuts modeled after a snack in Lebanon called Cri-Cri. The only restaurant to which I circled back for a second meal. Seafood for a casual lunch: Septime, the modern bastion of bistronomy, rides on its fame and is so difficult to book. Show up for lunch at its next-door seafood restaurant, Clamato, which doesn't take reservations. I'd been warned about long waits, but we managed to walk right in on a summer weekday at 1:15 p.m. Beautiful plates of fish and shellfish from the French coast, most seasoned with restraint and a nod to Japan here and there. Loved the take on the bountiful Provençal grand aioli with a slab of pollock and big hunks of blanched fennel, carrots and zucchini. (I was continually reminded that Parisians could teach us how to blanch vegetables to just-tender, properly seasoned deliciousness.) Seafood for a fancier night out: Restaurant Le Duc, in the 14th and around since the late 1960s, personifies midcentury Parisian elegance: rich wood paneling, career servers with sly humor, simple and impeccable seafood. A lovely crab salad, cleaned entirely of shell, segued to a gorgeous, finely textured sole meunière presented in a copper pan before filleting. Among desserts displayed on a roving cart, home in on crunching, gorgeously proportioned mille-feuille. The three-star blowout: Plan half a year ahead to score a reservation at Plénitude, the ne-plus-ultra splurge (as in €345 per person) in the Cheval Blanc hotel, with its almost comically scenic perch at the edge of the Seine overlooking the Pont-Neuf bridge. Arnaud Donckele is a chef of the moment; Plénitude has all the global accolades. For fine-dining devotees, I say it's worth the investment. Much has already been written about Donckele's mastery over sauces, and I love how servers present both a side of the sauce to taste on its own — which I sometimes prized even more than with other elements on the plate — and a booklet that details the dizzying number of ingredients they contain. (So many wild vinegars!) The staff move as one, with the synchronized precision of a Rolex. As is expected during the loftiest modern tasting-menu dinners, a little fun comes into play: Diners might move location for one course, and those who opt for a cheese course rise from their chairs to make selections from a walk-in cabinet that opens at the end of one room. The whole experiences feels at once very worldly and very Parisian. Speaking of cheese: Plenty of people visit Paris for the patisseries. I'm with y'all (the apricot tart at Du Pain et Des Idées forever), but I come even more for the fromageries. A group of us signed up for a cheese tasting experience, via Paris by Mouth, with Jennifer Greco, an American who has lived in France for decades and dedicated her curiosity to all things fromage. We begin at Laurent Dubois, her favorite cheese shop in Paris, and Greco is excellent about adapting a selection to the group's interests and knowledge levels. I like bloomy rinds (like Brie de Meaux and the runnier, funkier specimens, and she obliged — while steering us towards the sublimely nutty Comtés the shop is known for carrying. We walked a few minutes to a space where we slowly tasted through our loot, with plenty of bread and appropriate wines. What an incredible afternoon, and believe me, it counts as a meal. France meets Japan: Japan has been a major influence on aspects of French dining for over 50 years, and chefs in Paris, more than ever it feels like, graft the two cultures and cuisines. One newer great: Maison by Sota Atsumi in the 11th, also known as Maison and Maison Sota. Atsumi earned fan as the chef at Clown Bar, and his own tasting-menu restaurant is warm and communal: Most diners sit either along the counter or at a comfortable, room-length table. The air smells of woodsmoke, a fascinating counterpoint (in a way that particular fragrance usually engenders casual and rustic) to the meticulous compositions in large ceramics that define the aesthetic. But all the foams and saucy dots and tiny flowers trick the mind after all: The flavors are shockingly soulful. A standout Moroccan restaurant: Marie-Jose Mimoun waves you to a table at Le Tagine in the 11th, and for a few hours you sort of absorb into the living entity of her dining room, flowing with the pace. I was sad that, pre-vacation, she had stopped making a special lamb and peach tagine advertised on a placard, but a variation with the meat flavored with raisins, onions, honey and almonds was still among the best tagines I've tasted outside Morocco. Ditto the couscous, served with plenty of broth and smoky harissa full of tightly knotted spices. Great natural-leaning wine list too. The dependable crêpe destination: Breizh Cafe has 13 locations around Paris, a chain by any standard, but it was recommended in so many publications it felt like the right recommendation for a group outing one night. We gathered at the location in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and we had the reliable experience we needed. The savory galette with ham, egg and Comté delivered lacy texture and deep buckwheat flavor (as is traditional in Brittany, where the company originates), and a sweet crêpes Suzette, flambéed with Grand Marnier, flickered with a taut dash of yuzu as well. To drink: dry pear cider. Perfect end-of-the-trip pizza: So many friends mentioned Oobatz, a pizza restaurant by Maine native Dan Pearson in collaboration with the owners of Le Rigmarole (roundly lauded but not open during my trip). I thought that the last thing I wanted in Paris was pizza. And then, after two weeks of nonstop eating and drinking, my partner and I looked at each other the evening after a wine-soaked lunch and said, 'Yeah, let's go have pizza.' So good. Pearson uses a sourdough base for his bready crusts; they'd be well regarded anywhere in America. Bonus that the menu lists a 'chef du surprise' pie; ours was a white pie dotted with meaty splotches of duck ragu. I recommend the list that Lindsey Trumata co-wrote for Conde Nast Traveler for a broader perspective on drinking coffee in Paris, but these three coffee bars stood out for me: Emily Wilson of The Angel newsletter has a very trustworthy list of Paris recommendations. She directed me to Téléscope Cafe, presided over by Nicolas Clerc, regarded by many as the (still young) godfather of Paris's fourth-wave coffee movement — by which I'll define as bars dedicated to working with roasters (or roasting their own beans) with direct relationships to farmers and an emphasis on unusually expressive coffees. Wilson loves Clerc's iced coffee; I admire his long list of pour over options listed by growing region and tasting notes in order of intensity. It was my first coffee stop on the trip, and the place to which I most returned. His banana bread with salted butter was, most days, the only breakfast I needed. The most dedicated coffee nerds should plan ahead for Substance Café, a reservations-only bar run by barista Joachim Morceau and his wife Alexandrine. Joachim has showmanship, charming customers from behind the counter but he's intensely serious about his craft. (The couple roasts their own beans.) He often encourages every person to start with one featured coffee to grasp individual tastes, and then he starts making excellent suggestions, equally compelling for pour overs or milky espresso drinks. Substance is one of those places where customers compare notes on where else they're drinking coffee in Paris, and based on those conversations I ended up at Tiba, a tiny shop that gets intensely busy on the weekends. Kevin Cerqueira, as friendly as he is passionate, mans the place by himself. He wasn't brewing a variety of Colombian beans roasted by local company Datura, but based on my very specific predlictions in coffee (notes dried fruits and booze) I bought them from his supply … and I already have an order in for four more boxes.
