Whenever I get tired of the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, I have a secret escape plan: I leave my apartment and walk ten blocks to this Greenwich Village archway…

Pass through the arch, and–mon Dieu!–you feel like you’ve been whisked to Paris. The Washington Mews, between 5th Avenue and University, is a quiet, private cobblestone street with charming houses, which were formerly horse’s stables…

You’ll see window boxes…

and tangled roses…

and twisting ivy…

…and sweet old gentlemen walking their dogs. Voila. Does the trick every time. xo

(Photos by Joanna Goddard)