Tops on my list used to be a climb to the top of La Samaritaine (sadly, no more) to the free observation deck where you could see all of Paris (like in that famous Willy Ronis photo), guided by a painted tile chart of the names of all the distinctive landmarks on view below. Now, I'd have to replace that with a climb to either the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame (almost always long lines), or the Eiffel Tower (also long lines). ... At least, you can say you saw them, though you'll spend more time jockeying for position among the tourists than in getting a good view (time that could have been spent seeing the other thousands of pieces that any other museum would build their entire collection around) 3.
AutoLib!? A joke?
July 29, 2008
While Velib seems like such an organically (in more ways than one) good idea, AutoLib sounds like a dumb idea, and not one that would solve the major issue of traffic congestion in Paris. ... THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: July 29, 2008 PARIS (AP) — Parisians and tourists so eagerly embraced a citywide bike-sharing plan that was begun a year ago that Mayor Bertrand Delanoë is proposing a four-wheeled version, using electric cars. Under the plan, a driver could pick up a car on the Right Bank, snake up the slopes of Montmartre, then drop it off — and pay only for the minutes spent behind the wheel.
Adieu to the 35-hour workweek in France
July 28, 2008
Sarkozy came in promising to make changes and this one was a big one for many of our friends who came to see 35 hours as being symptomatic of a decreasing work ethic in France. ... Unfortunately, for many white collar workers, who were forced to be out on vacation enough to make the 35 hour math work out, they had to make up the time by increased output at other times, either by staying late or working more elsewhere. ... It was a well-intentioned blow for the worker to get back something from "the man," but ended up hurting French society and decreasing further a positive business environment that fosters the very productivity the workers want to have a share in, threatening the long-term French economy.
Google map directions to Paris from NYC
July 25, 2008
was like that - every day a new trick or utility that seemed to either amaze or help out. Google also may fall prey to its own success, playing it safe, killing off new product acquisitions after paying way too much for them, trying to "rationalize" its product offerings and business units, or just plain having their shareholders demand more in quarterly earnings, but for now they still have some fun. I tried to run this map from San Francisco, but had no luck.
Internet and WIFI in Paris – tips for tourists and travelers
July 22, 2008
If only the US were advanced as Europe: great subway systems, Velib bikes , the latest mobile phones, satellite TV that is truly global, and surprisingly more and more free flowing WIFI (or "wee-fee" as it's pronounced in France). While in the US, Starbucks is just announcing a few hours of WIFI with purchase after years of that T-Mobile racket, and hotels are still gouging us for $10 plus for a few radio waves, many cafes and hotels in Paris let the WIFI run wild, run free. ... The iPhone, especially, uses up enormous amounts of data as it provides up to the minute weather, pedestrian google maps, or web searches while you stand waiting for your spouse at another shoe store.
Op-Ed Columnist – Roger Cohen – France on Amphetamines – Op-Ed – NYTimes.com
July 21, 2008
A few decades back, when we were young, Joni Mitchell sang of “sitting in a park in Paris, France” but dreaming of California because “I wouldn’t want to stay here; it’s too old and cold and settled in its ways here.” ... All our friends saw Reagan era-like restructurings and firings as an immediate effect of a Sarkozy win, but even most leftists felt that a dose of tough love was necessary to bring the young and the unionists to their senses. ... , Sarkozy has circumvented the 35-hour week by slashing taxes on overtime, freed up universities, downsized the state functionary community (and mentality), spurred small businesses, cut public spending and set in motion a radical reform aimed at creating a 21st-century army.
‘Hyper-Chouette’ in France
July 18, 2008
I love it that their top celebrity is " BHL" as he is referred to in France, France's most visible public intellectual. ... Beautiful branding, logos, colors, matching decks and designed scenes, along with water sprays, a sandy beach, a nautical motif ship for the little kids, and a climbing wall for the older kids.
French Toast: A Salute to Our Favorite Parisian Things for Bastille Day – a blog posting from SeattlePI.com
July 15, 2008
This short article in Seattlepi.com is a mixture of the definitions of five pastries (good for anyone afraid to point at what they are slobbering over) and then a mixture of five other things to love: Markets, Bakeries, La Duree, and something called "Bagels and Brownies." ... The posting is worth it to just get a quick reminder of beautiful and tasty pastries on every street corner, just a few thousand miles away. ... An iconic-looking pastry, the Religieuse is apparently named for its resemblance to a nun's habit, although we're not sure if there is any further religious association with its invention.
Velib rental bikes update
July 14, 2008
They are grey, ugly, and heavy, but there is nothing like like a ride down an empty Paris street in August to invigorate the soul and make you feel like you're in another age or time. ... The stations are only some 300 yards apart, and there are four times as many as there are subway stations, even in a city so well served by its metro system.
...Cost of the bikes, which are made in Hungary, is $3460 3 People have died in Velib accidents, a 7% increase over a year ago, but bike ridership is up 24% .
Bastille Day is Monday – Remember the Blue, White and Red!
July 11, 2008
If you happen to be in France this year for the 14th, or just have an interest in revolutions, here's a good "revolutionary" walking tour that starts in our favorite neighborhood and ends at the Madeleine. ... Start your tour in Rue St André-des-Arts, which remains as narrow and dense as it was at the time of the Revolution This year, as you will have noticed, is the 40th anniversary of 1968. ... So let us ignore 1968 and turn instead to the real French Revolution, the one of 1789: the one that overthrew an absolute monarchy, turned France upside down and set the template for revolutions (and totalitarianism) to come.