In Paris, “carpe diem” seems to mean “complain all day,” even in gorgeous weather. I think the French get an unfair rap in the national stereotypes department. They’re supposedly rude, snobbish, overdelicate, cowardly and indifferent to hygiene. Obviously, none of … Read More
Late-night nicotine fiends are giving everyone fits in Paris. Paris is now trying to resolve that age-old urban conflict between being a “city that never sleeps” and, of all things, sleep. It seems that the mayor’s office has been besieged … Read More
In a crowd, you’re just one of the overheard. Walking down Rue des Martyrs the other day I crossed paths with a young father and his three-or-so-year-old son. A police car was racing up the street in the opposite direction, … Read More
Just how modern is Paris’s modern trash sorting system? Like every other city in the emerged world, Paris has a trash sorting ordinance. Every building has three big plastic bins with color-coded lids: green for unrecyclable household wastes; yellow for … Read More
French kids have been slow to catch on to the niceties of trick-or-treating. When I saw the little girl picking her nose, it reminded me to buy candy. Wait – perhaps some explanation is in order: Having lived in France … Read More
Gone are the days when a traveler could sneak by security on the way in and customs on the way out. Like all Paris residents, I think of Charles de Gaulle Airport as being part of the city, a kind … Read More
The (unwritten) traffic laws are different for motor scooters. I grew up in a small town in the Midwestern United States, where pedestrians always waited patiently for red Don’t Walk lights even though there was virtually no traffic. (Anyone who … Read More
FOR PROFESSIONALS ONLY I live in an old building in Paris, dating from about 1800, before apartments had plumbing. The old communal overhead-tank-and-chain WCs on the stairway landings and the cold water taps on the top and ground floors are … Read More
WHEN GIVING IS NOT A GIVEN Like all city dwellers, Parisians are subjected to a daily barrage of solicitations. And I’m not just talking about the usual horde of beggars and buskers. For years, there have been survey takers outside … Read More
AU WC FOND DU COULOIR I remember seeing this in the United States about 15 years ago, and now it’s catching on in Paris: restaurants that take their name from their address. In Paris we have, among many, many others, … Read More
