Daily Archives: May 31, 2010

Paris City Life

Posted by Doug on May 31, 2010
Travel / No Comments

Paris is lovely in the springtime, and any other time of year. It’s a city of great mystery and romance, celebrated the world over for its incredibly rich city life, offering classical and contemporary amenities that speak of an exquisite taste for the finer things in life. Visitors drawn to the city by the lure of its famous Paris hotels will likely find plenty of good food and amenities that might make it seem almost unnecessary to even set foot outside. However, the real magic of Paris is in the streets.

Great discoveries can be made by walking, although it’s sometimes a good idea to get to know Paris’ city metro . This is where the city’s residents can be observed in their natural state, with all the sound and fury, and all the liveliness and passion that the metropolis can draw from its people. There has been some talk about arranging for a line that can reach the outlying suburbs , but for now it’s pretty much an inner-city line. This is because the lines were designed to run on the opposite tracks from the rest of the country, in order to keep the suburban element out of the city proper. When in Rome, learn how the locals take the trains.

On the streets and in the cafes, one will be provoked to salivating over the smells of fantastic food. It truly is as good as everyone claims, and after even a short stay here, it is hard to adjust to anything else. This is where the real essence of Paris city life takes hold, when brie and brioche become part of the working vocabulary every day, and the taste buds start to adjust to the subtleties that make life worth living. What might be impossible to tell from the ground or the first floor is that there are many rooftop gardens in the city. This is an old custom that was invented out of necessity, but has been gaining traction in recent years, especially among cities who have an eye for urban planning and sustainability.

Paris is certainly at the forefront of world cultures in this regard. At times the city might seem wonderful, and at other times impossible to grasp, but there are touches here and there, like the dizzying number of free wi-fi spots. The trick here is to join the network labeled “orange” rather than the one marked “free,” because that one is actually a paid network. It’s just one example that demonstrates that this is a city in process, with designs that aim toward the needs of the residents to make their urban living experience a fulfilling one.

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