Aurélie Hagen

I was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. I always dreamed about NYC (how cliché) and my first trip in 2008 confirmed I belonged there. 

I moved to NYC in 2011 for a job in fashion (my absolute dream back in the days). It helped me develop my creativity and also realize that I really loved fashion but not enough to devote all my time to it! I stayed in NYC and started to work as an event manager for a French jazz band while also teaching French. 

I’m the author of 2 lifestyle travel guides, The Lazy Frenchie in NYC and The Lazy Frenchie in LA. When I first moved to NYC, I was craving a book made for locals to explore their (new) city. I couldn’t find exactly what I needed so I decided to create it. I moved to LA in 2017 and I started to work on the west coast version right away. 

I became a vegetarian in 2016 and half of my meals are now vegan. 

I love everything about self development, social justice, yoga, crime documentaries, cats (animals in general actually) and food related. I love to learn new things and I’ve been digging into meditation lately with the book EFF this! Meditation and the Inscape app. 

The basic me is addicted to Lacroix, cruelty free beauty products and avocado toast. The Belgian me has a sweet spot for dark chocolate and light beers. 

I moved back from LA at the end of 2019 and I now live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with my two cats, Gorilla and Philippe. When the world isn’t in a global pandemic, you can find me sipping coffee and trying new food all over the city. My new favorite gem is RAS plant based, a new Ethiopian vegan restaurant in my neighborhood.