Advice for someone going to Paris for the first time (moving, UK)

[SophieLL]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

Glad you enjoyed Paris, Sophie. I've been there once and will definitely be returning. BTW, I disagree with you about the food. I thought it was amazing. But most of the places I dined in were 80 Euros per person and up.

I have no quarrels with anyone who calls Paris the best city on earth, because it could very well be. :-)

Thanks!
Yeah, i didnt have the money to eat in a 80 euro per person place, thats impossibly expensive for us (we have to multiply euros by 7 so it matches argentinain pesos. 1 euro=7 arg pesos), but i did ate in 20/30 euro places, and compared to what you can get in Buenos Aires for 20 or 30 euros (wich is AMAZING delicious food in the best restaurants here) it was nothing. And it wasnt good even compared to what you can get in BA for 5 euros.
But, of course, the really expensive food must be good, i didnt tried it. But when i compare what i did ate to what you can get in my city for same price or less....it was really bad.

[Entangled]

Originally Posted by SophieLL

Im back!!!!
And It was....OMG! It was!!! Let me tell you that i was almost a month travelling through Europe and ended up going to 4 countries (plan to write other thread about this) and Paris was my absolute favourite place!!
............

Some of our experiences were similar, but it's interesting that we had different opinions as well. I've never been to Buenos Aires, but if it's anything like Paris, I'm booking my next vacation to your city! I was so moved by the architecture, that I walked around in daze for days.

I did find the dog poo annoying, but I found the city to be cleaner than New York, where I notice mice, rats and garbage scattered about. I had the same view of the people, but we didn't encounter rudeness, just coldness at times. But people were more sincere. I do have to agree about the Metro workers, they always looked very disgruntled. Contrary to your experience, I found the city to be very relaxed, again, compared to NYC, the only rush time was around 5pm when people squeezed themselves into small subway cars, at one point I was sandwiched between a guy's arm across my breasts and the other guys crotch in my derriere, it was one of the most traumatizing experiences. I ran out of the subway car and we walked many many blocks home on foot.

Like you, I thought the men were gorgeous. Super sensual and masculine, without that overt macho-ness. The women were also quite beautiful, you mentioned that they were not as naturally beautiful as men, I'm curious... how so? They were slim with long legs, small waist, beautiful hair, tall, sensual face feature and had a great sense of fashion.

And food.... Here you shocked me! What? The food was outrageously good! We had food all over Italy and I found French food to be superior! Don't get me wrong, Italy had good food, but French dessert and their preparation style I found to be more exquisite.

Sophie, thanks for your in-depth review, so excited that I can read another traveler's observation! I'm glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did, it was completely magical for me.

[SophieLL]

Originally Posted by Glucorious

While you were apparently drinking in Paris, I met some of your people. And all of them were trying to get laid. I'm not kidding, though. Now that you mentioned the men, I'm wondering what happened.

All (5) chicks were from BA, as well. There seems to be a pattern there. The 3 friends I just met yesterday came back at 5 am. After a long night of heavy drinking.

I didnt understand your post at all?

Do you live in Paris?
Im not shocked at Arg girls trying to seduce parisian men, parisian men are so much betteer looking in general than argentinians. But in my trip i was just looking, i have an arg boyfriend who i love too much and has nothing to envy to those of Paris in beauty.

[SophieLL]

Originally Posted by Entangled

Some of our experiences were similar, but it's interesting that we had different opinions as well. I've never been to Buenos Aires, but if it's anything like Paris, I'm booking my next vacation to your city! I was so moved by the architecture, that I walked around in daze for days.

I did find the dog poo annoying, but I found the city to be cleaner than New York, where I notice mice, rats and garbage scattered about. I had the same view of the people, but we didn't encounter rudeness, just coldness at times. But people were more sincere. I do have to agree about the Metro workers, they always looked very disgruntled. Contrary to your experience, I found the city to be very relaxed, again, compared to NYC, the only rush time was around 5pm when people squeezed themselves into small subway cars, at one point I was sandwiched between a guy's arm across my breasts and the other guys crotch in my derriere, it was one of the most traumatizing experiences. I ran out of the subway car and we walked many many blocks home on foot.

Like you, I thought the men were gorgeous. Super sensual and masculine, without that overt macho-ness. The women were also quite beautiful, you mentioned that they were not as naturally beautiful as men, I'm curious... how so? They were slim with long legs, small waist, beautiful hair, tall, sensual face feature and had a great sense of fashion.

And food.... Here you shocked me! What? The food was outrageously good! We had food all over Italy and I found French food to be superior! Don't get me wrong, Italy had good food, but French dessert and their preparation style I found to be more exquisite.

Sophie, thanks for your in-depth review, so excited that I can read another traveler's observation! I'm glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did, it was completely magical for me.

I did find Paris to be relaxed too. I mean, it was chaotic and relaxed at the same time. The traffic gave me the impression of danger all the time, but i liked how parisians were in those chairs in the tulleries reading or even sleeping...so relaxed. It took photos of this, and i love this aspect about Paris. A city with so much going on but locals remaining so cool and stress-free about everything. Loved it.

Yeah, girls were pretty good looking too, but i was more shocked about beauty of men. You see a lot of good looking girls here in BA all the time, even more good looking that girls in Paris (though not as elegant). Man are a different story, though....wow!

Buenos Aires is called "the Paris of southamerica" cause of the similar arhcitecture, and i actually saw it when i was there. Of course, Paris is much much more beautiful! But BA also haves the cafe culture, all the bookstores, all the people drinking cafe in the tables on the street, many similarities. But Paris is OMG, dont come here, go there again!! Though if you liked the food there so much i guarantee you that here you would eat 10 times better at 1/5 of the price!

[SophieLL]

Originally Posted by

You told me about your planned trip to Europe a month before you made it public and created this thread topic.

We sent such magnificent, specific, fascinating, and impressive emails to each other about Argentina and Chile region of South America, and parts of Europe.

At first, you said your trip was only going to be Italy, so that is excellent you included even more places with France, and Netherlands for this international trip.

I hope you had good luck with the trip. I am sure the trip went well and smoothly, with plenty of exciting adventure.

When you come back and have enough time, you must write a reflection about this international trip since that can make you contemplate and remember most easily all of the best, most fun, and inspiring events of the trip.

You could also say all of the specific places you visited in Italy, France, and Netherlands.

I have similar opinions as you do for Paris. I do idealize places such as Paris a lot, but I am still realistic enough about it for my perception of various places in the world.

When I was 12 to 13 years old, I visited Paris in France, and London in UK after visiting Romania. That was a fine, and pleasant trip, but maybe I was a bit too young then to make the most of it. I definitely have to visit France and UK again, and to experience plenty of other places in those countries outside of Paris and London.

Paris for the most part met my expectations, even with my high standards for that place. London was kind of disappointing and I now view it lower than Paris, even while still enjoying London.

Paris has plenty of excellent tourist attractions but I also would include a wider variation in activities such as taking long walks in the best neighborhoods, cafes/espresso bars, nightlife clubs/bars, movie theaters/cinemas, restaurants for various types of cuisines, parks/squares, maybe even some festivals and music concerts etc. Those activities compliment well with the places usually associated and categorized as tourist attractions.

Also, France is a lot more than Paris, and has plenty of other inviting, wonderful places to experience such as Lyon, Grenoble, Chamonix, Alps, Marseille, Nice, Cannes, Mediterranean beaches, Corsica, Pyrenees, Lourdes, Montpellier, Toulouse, Bayonne, Bordeaux, some rural areas, Lille, Strasbourg, Versailles, Reunion, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, etc.

Italy and Netherlands are also very welcoming and satisfying for tourists, and for places to live in. Netherlands is more than Amsterdam and Italy a lot more than Rome.

Thanks TPTPATF for your nice wishes! Im so glad i added Paris to my scheduled trip to Italy, cause i ended up loving it and it ended up being my favourite place of the trip. I loved Italy too, everything i saw in europe i absolutely loved, theres no place i would say it wasnt beautiful, and every place i visited, though different, had many wonderful things about it. I also did a thread about trip in general in this same forum.

Wow, you did travel a lot, you are very well travelled for being so young. I would have loved to go to London but that will have to be at other time. Do you plan on going back to Paris anytime soon? what about the rest of europe?

[iNviNciBL3]

Sounds like you had a great time, thanks for telling us how it was. Your review of Paris was like my review of my first visit to New York City which was my favorite city at the time i was absolutely stunned walking around think "holy ***** this place is awesome!" wasnt use to the Chaos, the smell and all the trash but many of the worlds largest cities are like that.

[pigeonhole]

Well, Mister, I'm not "weird" only it's obvious someone as priviliged as you (I don't have the financial means to spend vacations in NYC, much less to eat at high end restaurants in Manhattan) doesn't have the slightest idea of the day-to-day life of a Parisian white collar worker , who commutes every day like me, your experience of Paris is lightyears away from mine, you're extatic about Parisian fashion, food and architecture, I don't give a crap about that , what is of interest to me for instance is that I'm paying an expensive monthly fee for crap public transportation (ratp="rentre avec tes pieds", "get back home with your feet"), often on strike, overcrowded, that stinks of urine, but I guess for Your Highness those preoccupations are desPicable...

[britinparis]

Originally Posted by pigeonhole

Well, Mister, I'm not "weird" only it's obvious someone as priviliged as you (I don't have the financial means to spend vacations in NYC, much less to eat at high end restaurants in Manhattan) doesn't have the slightest idea of the day-to-day life of a Parisian white collar worker , who commutes every day like me, your experience of Paris is lightyears away from mine, you're extatic about Parisian fashion, food and architecture, I don't give a crap about that , what is of interest to me for instance is that I'm paying an expensive monthly fee for crap public transportation (ratp="rentre avec tes pieds", "get back home with your feet"), often on strike, overcrowded, that stinks of urine, but I guess for Your Highness those preoccupations are desPicable...

You need to get over your rage issues mon ami. We don't care about your commute and the fact that you're too miserable to look up and enjoy the fact you live in, (or well, near) one of the greatest cities on earth. The original poster is a tourist from Argentina who wanted a tourists' vision of the city. Entrangled's post responded to this perfectly and was one of the best I've ever read on City Data.

If you stopped being so miserable and negative for a second I'll tell you that you don't need lots of money to enjoy Paris. When I first lived here I earned 600€ a month and lived in an illegal squat. Some of the best things you can do in Paris are totally free: a round of table tennis on in the jardins des luxembourg? A evening verre de vin on the Ile St-Louis (ok, that'll cost you 4€ for the bottle of wine)? A Sunday afternoon game of petanque by the Canal de l'Ourcq?

Try doing stuff like that in New York or London you'll be charged, moved on by people in high viz vests, and bombarded with advertising. Life just isn't as easy.

As for your comments on the metro - what are you on? Parisians are so spoilt as they're always moaning about it: but I would say that Paris's public transport (Metro, RER, bus) is the best on earth. Try London - where vast areas even in the centre are not served by the underground at all and you have to rely on lurching, slow red buses - and where a monthly pass just for zone 1 costs over 120€. And there's no RER. Or New York - where the stations are so badly lit you can hardly see and where the only source of information for trains that come along once every 10 minutes are from tramps who live on the platforms. Gliding through the 18ieme on the ultra modern line 2, or whizzing across to the Opera on the 14, are some of the world's best public transport experiences.

I advise you NOT to relocate to any other major world city. Chances are you'll be even more miserable!!

Originally Posted by Entangled

Sophie, can't wait for your report! I returned from Paris two weeks ago and man it was incredible! I fell in love with the city every single day, even after my cell phone was stolen. Paris and I have an endless and ironclad affair, nothing can break us apart.

Here are my impressions, which I've posted elsewhere as well.


Architecture and the city. When I was younger I loved skyscrapers, they were a testament to humanity. Their grandness and architecture were a sheer proof of what humans are capable of creating. I loved that they were so different and enormous. Paris doesn't really have any, and this time I didn't miss them, in fact I stopped being impressed by them a while ago. The blocks of steel would block the skies, the sun, and obstruct the view. Sure the skyline from the promenade and the FDR and the bridges is striking, but from a distance. In the middle of it all you feel cramped and overwhelmed. Paris had the views and the parks, the little charming streets and large tree lined boulevards, every building was absolutely gorgeous, with large floor to ceiling windows, ornate iron fence and flourishing flower boxes. The views were breathtaking. There is great care invested into the aesthetics of the buildings and the streets.

As far as the cleanliness... I found the city to be more clean than NYC, but it still had its' share of grittiness. Of course the 18th, 19th and 20th districts were grimier and run down, but the rest were quite clean with the exception of dog poo and abandoned homeless abodes made out of cardboard and other natural materials. The streets are constantly being cleaned with water hoses, swept and garbage trucks make their regular rounds. The windows of the shops were beautifully decorated, as well as the bakeries which designed their shops and their windows like little museums of pastries.

The subway system in Paris very organized, efficient and very manageable (feels better and more pleasant than NYC's subway system). They have their monthly passes, most trains interconnect, there is a digital board in almost every station indicating the time of the next train arrival. It does get very congested during the rush hour and people do pack themselves in just like they do in NYC. They also walk hurriedly in and out of the metro trying to catch their next train to work or home. This reminded me very much of New York.

The do have a lot of gypsies, which I found very unpleasant. They are sneaky, dirty and engage in panhandling and theft. It was disgusting how they would use their children to beg and the same children would participate in pick pocketing. You do have to be aware of your property and your surroundings, because theft happens very often there, I think New York is a little better in that regard.

There are cafes galore! People sitting at all hours of the day, having coffee, wine, having lunch or conducting a very casual and low key business meeting. Around 12pm-2pm the streets are full of buzzing cafes, as people spill into the streets to enjoy a very luxurious and generous lunch time. The amount of times I remember I had to run to get a sandwich and come back to work, skipping my lunch to complete my task...

The parks are gorgeous! The gardens are stunning. They are groomed, manicured, planned, full of diverse vegetation and flowers. The garden in the Latin Quarter is gigantic, containing one of the botanical gardens, an open zoo, a museum of natural history, a restaurant and a gorgeous library. The gardens, parks and little squares are scattered throughout the city, offering lots of greenery when you need a little break. The air is clean!!! You can actually feel that it's less polluted. The city is smaller than NYC, noticeably so, but I actually liked it. It's very manageable, with lots of options for attractions, entertainment, food, arts and parks.

The museums were magnificent. The art preservation was extremely impressive, the temperature control, the lighting, the cleanliness, the architecture of the establishment and the presentation were all superb. The buildings felt like they were newly renovated. The Rodin museum was one of the most striking museums I've ever seen. An open park with his priceless sculptures positioned in the most beautiful setting, in perfect harmony with nature. The building while historical, inside was beautifully preserved, as if they recently built it. They really do care about the arts there. I have to say, that this is quite different from what I experienced in Italy. They also offer many free deals for the museums in Paris, which makes them easily accessible, and I didn't find them expensive, like the Guggenheim and the MOMA can be. There is the gorgeous Opera and the Ballet, to be rivaled by ours.

The people. I was so taken by them. No, they are not as warm and emotional like the Italians, but they are so elegant, sophisticated and courteous. They don't walk around smiling, waving their hands and laughing, but they will always be polite, and will reserve their smiles for those they warm up to. In that sense I found a bit of the similarity with NYC, although I think that New Yorkers are more crass and often more loud (*also a lot of NYers are more stressed out, tense, overly judgmental. Parisians on average are more consistently pleasant). If a Parisian bumps into you, or steps on your foot, they will immediately apologize. The people are also more soft spoken there. In restaurants they constantly talking, engaged in a very interesting conversation, only stopping to take a breath, yet you never feel the noise so overwhelming that you can't hear your partner. There is a hum in the restaurant, a quiet buzz, but it never ever gets as loud as some of the popular establishments here, that's because everyone speaks softly and respectfully to their surroundings. You never hear an obnoxious roaring laughter of a loud bimbo, or some pompous broker. You can actually have a conversation regardless of the size of the crowd. They are also more bound to hold an eye contact for longer periods of time if they speak with you, more patient, slower and more attentive. I found them to be genuine. If they don't like you they will be cold, but always polite, and if they like you they will smile, throw in something extra or treat you for a glass of wine. And of course, they are all very very stylish and elegant. I hardly saw tackiness, sloppiness and sluttiness; this is sad but the only times I did see that was in Americans. Girls with shorts so short their buttocks were hanging out, while the hair was in some strange mess, or girl in a super tight dress looking like a Michelin man in drag, none of that was present in Parisian women, who seemed extremely beautiful and sensuous.

The food. Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. I expected to be so expensive, but it isn't when you think of what you're getting. In many good restaurants you have a prix fixe option. 28 Euros will get you an Entree (appetizer) + plat+dessert, a great bottle of wine can be 22 Euros or get a carafe of some local wine, or house wine for 14 Euros. Your total bill is easily under 80 Euros, and no tip. There is no tipping! The presentation and the quality of the food are exceptional. We never felt that we are getting cheated, and felt shocked that a similar meal would be at one of Jean George's restaurants for nearly $200+. Not fair! As for the food for grocery shopping it's the same. There are no likes of Stop and Shop supermarkets, there are very small supermarkets but most of your shopping will be individualized. Bakery, butcher, market, delicatessen, etc. And everyone knows their product! They will recommend their freshest cheese and will tell you a bit about it, the sausages, the sardines, the fish, etc. No more roaming in the isles asking associates to help you find an item only to see them shrug their shoulders with indifference and ignorance. There is no bulk shopping of corn starch filled, processed products. People buy fresh groceries to consume in the next 3 days, at maximum. And everyone there seems to be very very conscientious about natural, organic products. People dine out, but they also cook very frequently. Not to mention, that mostly all have regular, 2 hour long dinners with their family, because everyone works no more than 35 hours a week.

Socialism. Everyone already knows this, their benefits are amazing. There is no such concept of sick days, everyone I asked simply couldn't understand the question. They have no sick days, when you're sick you're sick, you go back to work when you recover, but you'll probably need a doctor's note if it's for an extended period of time. Yes, their vacation is a month. The maternity leave is 1 year with your full salary, but you also have paternity which is also a 1, so you and your spouse can take turns. Their tuition is free, plus they get 300 Euros for books. And if you loose your job, your high taxes will cover the unemployment at a very comfortable rate. The healthcare isn't fully free, you pay a very minimal amount for everything! A business owner I spoke with said that he pays about $200 a month for a family of 4 and that covers everything, medicine, hospital, doctor visits, he doesn't have to pay a penny more. Those who can't afford it get free healthcare anyway. That's what I understood. With a lifestyle like that who wouldn't want to pay higher taxes? No tuition to pay, no medical bills, low stress, and long vacations.

The culture. I found people to be very cultural there. They know their politics extremely well, they talk about literature, they travel frequently, they are knowledgeable about their history, world history and politics. There are bookstores everywhere. There were tons of Parisians at temporary art exhibitions, theater, cultural museums, concerts, etc. Many of them are quite intellectual without being pompous, rich or pseudo-intellectual, that's just part of their culture.

There is almost non-existent culture of consumerism. Sure there is shopping, but it's not compulsive and oppressive. People shop at smaller stores, buy less and are more conscious of the quantity. There was minimal advertisement, and you are not constantly bombarded with messages to buy buy buy, it's peaceful, you feel unburdened. It's very relaxed there, and you don't feel stressed, overwhelmed, immersed in the competitiveness, chasing "the dream," or keeping up with your neighbor's accumulation of material goods. People don't talk about their jobs at large there and they hate talking about money.

Overall, I felt that the difference between NYC and Paris can be summed in a paragraph. The people in Paris are less consumer oriented, they are more focused on quality over quantity, they are less stressed and more interested in having an enjoyable lifestyle. As one of the Parisians said (and many of you won't like it), when he meets Americans he sees dollar signs in their eyes. People don't flash and talk about their wealth and status, the way they do here. They live a more modest lifestyle and focus on other values. There is however, one other big difference, in NYC there is more of a "convenience" factor, not really present in Paris. You can go to any store and get what you need in one trip. You can drive to the mall park and get all of your shopping done. You can go to the supermarket and get all of your food for the next month or so (the kind of food you're getting is another story.) That part doesn't really appeal to me anyway. The fact that Parisians have to go to different places, or have less conveniences makes them walk more, which is a major reason why they are all so incredibly slim and fit. The inconvenience makes them BUY LESS STUFF, and makes them examine what they really need, rather how many items they can buy on sale because they can just load it up in their gigantic SUV, by means of a huge shopping cart.

So here's my long but brief summary of my observation, and what I've absorbed from my visit. I'm not naive by any means, thinking that everything is honky dory isn't realistic. Every society has its' major problems and setbacks. And all of my observations are of course generalized, but there is something to be said of every culture having its' general description.

Perhaps I am somewhat tired of the stressful environment, consumerism, saturated capitalism (and I used to be so incredibly anti-socialism it's strange), pollution, competitiveness, fast pace of life, materialism and superficiality. This doesn't exist in some other places as much, or at least to a bare minimum of stress?

Originally Posted by Entangled

Thanks for defending my magnum opus and for a rep point. I did get carried away, but I couldn't help it I was on that "Paris high!"

My reputation comment to you was sincere and honest with “This was an excellent, impressive, and specific post! I agree with a lot of what you said. It is valuable and important for people to reflect about life similar to this.”

I also live in New York City right now.

I have a lot of similar opinions as you do with Paris vs. New York City. I decided to highlight in bold the parts of your earlier post that I agree with for how Paris is better than NYC in certain ways, and other related topics.

I prefer to be in a place such as Paris or Seattle recently, and have that preference for the past few months.

I am mentioning Seattle because that is the other place I lived so far other than New York City, and a small town in Upstate NY.

I still enjoy plenty of aspects about New York City, such as my favorite places in it, but I feel more mixed about New York City compared to places such as Paris, and Seattle. NYC still has some flaws/weaknesses, and that is especially true when having a long term busy day to day life in this kind of place.

Paris, Seattle, and a lot of other locations in the world are just more easily relaxing, laid back, easygoing, peaceful, easier to find contentment in, while still offering a lot of excitement and vibrancy. Outside of that, there is some other flaws/weaknesses that can be found in NYC.

The type of fast pace, crowds, and chaos in NYC feels different from Paris’s form of it. In Paris it just feels more manageable, more relaxing, and less overwhelming, which might be surprising and a bit of a paradox, but its still true.

My few years living in Seattle was an excellent break from NYC, and I simply found it rewarding for my mind, soul, and gaining more clear perception that is more consistent.

If I didn’t have that break from NYC, I would probably feel more lost, distracted, over stimulated, and not feeling like myself as much.

I am still realistic for my perception of places such as Paris, Seattle etc, so there is no bias and there is a lot of legitimacy related to that.

I enjoy having plenty of variety in my life, and I find it valuable, intellectually stimulating, and exciting to live in a few more other places in my life.

Within a few years, I might move back to Seattle, or move to Chicago, Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, or somewhere more international such as Paris, but also plenty of other inviting possibilities in Europe, Asia, North America, Oceania, and South America.

[britinparis]

Originally Posted by Entangled

So do you mind pointing out the errors of my post? I wanted to share my observations specifically for this reason, for people to comment and criticize my view, but with the specifics not just "your post is naive/stupid/superficial/etc. and that's it."

As I said, IMO your post was pretty spot on. You seem to have understood Paris pretty well - and got beyond the lazy stereotypes of expensive/rude/dirty easily. Perhaps because you're a New Yorker - you can compare and contrast Paris to another great world city with ease, in a way that your tourist from provincial England or small town America cannot.

Cleanliness - personally I don't find Paris to be especially dirty. The urine issue is a bit odd, and for some reason just isn't a problem in London, but I have got used to it and view it as an eccentric oddity. The street cleaning by the municipality is second to none. Some areas have more grittiness and "edge" than others - but personally that's what makes Paris great... it isn't all a sanitised playground (yet..) I'm a big fan of graffiti and street art (although that's personal taste...) and Paris beats NYC and London hands down in that respect, as in the latter two, there is zero tolerance and whatever art there is just gets washed away.

Metro - I agree, the Paris metro/RER system beats the London tube and the NYC subway hands down. It takes you ANYWHERE in the city, it's cheap, modern, well lit, regular... Parisians complain about it all the time, but honestly, they don't know how lucky they are!

Parks - again, spot on. My favourite is the Buttes Chaumont, up in the northeast of the city. Incredible views over the city to rival Montmartre, and amazing people watching on Sunday afternoons. However, I feel this is one factor where London at least has the edge: as in there are just not enough of them in Paris. And what's up with New York claiming it invented the idea of the High Line?! In Paris, we've had the Promenade Plantee for years!

People - Yes, Parisians are great, if a little snooty at times . Corteous, elegant, and generally very well educated. I love the way everyone says "Bonjour Monsieur" in a shop, and the way they politely nudge past you on the metro. I think some of this comes from the near Japanese-levels of population density Paris has: you have to be tolerant of your fellow citizen because sometimes you are brushing your teeth mere metres away from where he and his wife are watching tv. I feel that neighbours here also are much more corteuous of each other than they are in London - while noise is an issue, it's normally totally fine to politely ask for them to turn the music down. In London, you generally get told to f**k off. I also loved your observations about the hum of conversation in restaurants - spot on! In London pubs you're constantly getting drunken morons coming up to you, or irritating pissed women shreiking at their friends. Pas a` Paris...

Food - yes, the best city on earth for food - and I'll tell you why. While London and NYC have amazingly innovative dining scenes and a huge variety of ethnic food, the indigenous tradition of cooking is not strong - and many people are just not interested in food. In Rome or Madrid - the opposite is true; the local cuisine is delicious and love of good food flows through the peoples blood day and night, but there is a lack of variety and innovative stuff going on. Paris has both - an incredible gastronomic tradition, plus the varitety and inventiveness befitting of such a world city. Plus, the quality of the fresh produce on offer - even in supermarket chains like Monoprix - is by far superior to what's on offer in the Anglo-Saxon world (even if it is more pricey). It's a cook's dream living in Paris.

Socialism - I think this is the one area where appearances can be deceptive. Maybe because I come from England, which also has a fairly extensive welfare state, that I am seeing it from a different angle. And yes, as an American, particularly a liberal New York times reader, I can see how the idea of a European social democracy looks wonderful. My two cents' worth is that although the French welfare state is actually very good at looking after people who are in work, and middle class families - due to extensive social security, holiday entitlements, you name it... It's very bad at looking after the very poorest: the homeless, new immigrants, ethnic minorities stuck in high rise hellholes in the suburbs... Britain's the opposite: if you're totally destitute, there's an extensive safety net there to help you... but it's much stingier for middle class benefits than France.

Non-existant consumerism - no, it does exist. French people just spend their money on different stuff than do Americans. They love food and wine, and holidays, and decorating their apartments with trendy furniture... and for a real Wallmart experience, visit any Carrefour in provincial France. McDonalds'? They love it... much more of a bigger thing than in Britain actually. The French like to pretend they're all communists, but at heart they like the good life as much as anyone else. However, I agree - in Europe generally this kind of consume 24/7 type of capitalism that you get in America is sort of diluted - by high taxes, higher prices and generally lower salaries.

But above all, it seems like you had a great time in Paris. I hope you come back soon - and visit London too on your next trip, I'd be interested in what you make of it!

I personally loved NYC when I visited, although it was just as a tourist for four days. It totally lived up to the hype for me and more. Despite also what you read about London being more diverse, I think NYC is still more cosmopolitan. Times Square makes Piccadilly Circus look like a sign in a village green! Williamsburg is so much more extreme in its hipsterishness than Shoreditch or the 19th arrondissement. Etc. However, I don't think I'd rush to live there... so fast paced... and nothing impresses a New Yorker, they've seen everything!