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Of the world's biggest cities, it seems that Paris is the one people either love the most strongly or seem to absolutely loathe. Some also love some aspects of it and hate others. On the other hand it seems most people love NYC and London, at least foreigners who don't have to work and live in these cities, Paris gets a bad rep yet people still have 'Paris syndrome' and see it as some magical place, the most beautiful place on earth.
Actually I know a lot of people who don't like NYC.
I think Paris has such a strong reputation around the world that expectations build up so much for some people that they are bound to be disappointed. If you dig museums and cultural offerings in general, Paris can't really let you down.
Parisians being rude seemed to be a bit of a myth from my experience. Some were a bit short with me, but that's fine. I don't need a fake smile and needless small talk.
When I hear that saying - 'London during the day, Paris at night'..I know exactly what that person is trying to say.
London is for living. Paris is for life. I made a B+ in French... stoned, and still don't know ten words of French. But if I'm going to sit on an airplane for ten hours then Paris is definitely in my plans. London is great, but optional.
I've been to Paris a few times. I've seen the necessary sites and found some of my own. And I've been places a guy wouldn't tell mom about. I've walked all over the central tourist area, from Montparnasse to Scare Coeur. From the mini-Statue of Liberty to the Bastille. And to Versailles. But my most outstanding experience in Paris...
After a long night of drinking and dancing I had a train to catch. The crowd was warming up, the hourly floor show was getting hot... but I had to go. Emerging from the exit of Club Le Queen on Champs Elysees, it was daylight. Early morning was breaking over the city. No buses, no cabs, no metro - or at least not that I knew of. No cars, no tourists, completely quiet.
I was the only tourist... the only citizen on the streets. It was awesome. Walking along the Avenue to the Seine, along the river to Ile de la Cite', across the river to Blvd St Michel, to my hotel near Blvd St Germaine. Probably the most mystical morning of my life. I owned the place and it wanted nothing from me.
And from street to street, that tower... stood silently and watched over all.
I studied in Paris during college and I had an overall great time. Yes, the French can be stand-offish but no worst than the average Bostonian. If you're from most places in America you would feel that way but it didn't bother me. I just felt like you have to earn a Parisien's friendship.
Yes, Paris can be dirty and no the food is wonderful...some of the best food I've had in my life. Paris is magical and overall a very beautiful city but I think some people go there thinking they're going to see a Frenchman with a beret playing an accordion under the Eiffel Tower. Not quite the case...
Of the world's biggest cities, it seems that Paris is the one people either love the most strongly or seem to absolutely loathe. Some also love some aspects of it and hate others. On the other hand it seems most people love NYC and London, at least foreigners who don't have to work and live in these cities, Paris gets a bad rep yet people still have 'Paris syndrome' and see it as some magical place, the most beautiful place on earth.
I've heard the cons that Parisians are unfriendly, the city is dirty, the lack of good food (amazingly), but of course Paris certainly has undeniably charm and beauty and culture.
Is it just the nature of the beast? Is Paris essentially a great city with a few glaring faults? What about the surrounding suburbs, don't they have a pretty bad rep?
I think the rudeness of french people is just a myth: never had a problem in France, and I have been there several times.
On the other hand, it seems to me that people always praise the niceness/friendliness of spaniards and italians: but as far as my experience is concerned, I found Rome's people unbelievably rude (lived there for 5 years) ad the spaniards quite snotty and grumpy...
I think some people go there thinking they're going to see a Frenchman with a beret playing an accordion under the Eiffel Tower. Not quite the case...
This is one of the problem about Paris.
People often come expecting a sort of disneyland of the "old romantic world", forgetting that Paris before being a big tourist place is a big real working city of 12 million inhabitants.
This why the Paris syndrome is in Paris and not in New York, New York is often protreyed as a big gritty city.
Paris is almost never in international media production.
The famous hollywood film director of the 1930's, Ernst Lubitsch, once said “There is Paramount Paris and Metro Paris and of course the real Paris. Paramount’s is the most Parisian of all,”.
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