Paris Trip (Blog)

[Savage]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

Paris Trip

[Bradshaw]

Me and my GF are interested in a meetup. Please make it happen.

[InnerEye]

This is funny, I was listing at your podcast this morning, and 1 hour after, I saw this article.

I live in Paris, so, I kind of know this town n_n
Welcome !

By the way, if you want to do something a bit different than touristy stuff, I know something amazing, that even a lot of people from Paris don't know : la promenade plantée.

This is really beautiful and different from everything you are going to see in this town.
This is a way, above roads, above people..., with beautiful nature.
I guess Google Images will be more helpful than my English abilities to help you to see what it is, haha !

If you want to take a nice walk and be able to see a part of Paris better than otherwise, this is for you.

[roxyruby]

That sounds fun! I'd like to spend a lot of time in France & Paris! I feel a sense of belonging there, I don't know why.

[Seldon]

yes, a meet-up would be very interesting, let us know

[Lynn 007]

What a great reward!!!

By the way, if you want to do something a bit different than touristy stuff, I know something amazing, that even a lot of people from Paris don't know : la promenade plantée.

If I were in Steve and Rachelle's shoes I would take you up on the offer. There are certain "must see" in every city, especially Paris, but to spend 10 days surrounded by tourists would never appeal to me. Spend time with the locals.

Have a great time and safe travels.

Hopefully we will read about your experience sometime down the road.

Lynn

[Olivier]

I laughed when I read this sentence

I’m aware that Paris and veganism aren’t the best of buddies

I'm vegan and I live in Paris.
I went to Vegas for the first time a few months ago and I used to think

The USA and veganism aren’t the best of buddies

Be reassured eating vegan in Paris is quite easy

You will enjoy my city, I think August is the best moment for visiting.

Olivier

[InnerEye]

I think August is the best moment for visiting.

Si le temps est meilleur qu'il ne l'est actuellement...
(If the weather becomes better than currently... )

Lynn 007: I'm glad you liked the idea Actually, this is quite difficult sometimes to find a place without tourists in a city like Paris (especially when someone doesn't know this town) but la promenade plantée is one of them.
This is nice to discover the city from another view, and, at the same time, to take a ride for free in a beautiful & vegetable way.

By the way about veganism, like Olivier said, don't worry. Actually, Paris is surely the best city in France for vegans, because it's quite "big & famous", so there are some shops especially for vegans. (I'm not so I'm not perfectly sure, haha, but I guess n_n)

[Nzinparis]

August in Paris for a meet up - yes please"
Sarah

[Mcoroklo]

Paris is a wonderful city. I went there with my girlfriend in April and we really enjoyed it. I would strongly suggest the following:

• The eiffel tower
• Versailles
• Louvre pyramid/museum
• Spending a night in a local bar
• If you do roller skates, there is a weekly race through the city you can participate in

Have a great trip! Take images and videos and share on your Facebook!

[coachdom]

Well, even if it's my first post in this board, i know you since long time and you also inspired some of my own article on my french blog.

As i live in Paris, and as i often play the tourist guide for some of my american friends, i would be happy to show you real Paris, and not only touristical traps, and cliche.

Feel free to contact me via my mail if interested.

It would be fun to meet the REAL STEVE in my own town !!

[Rubns]

I hope you enjoy Paris. It's one of my favorites cities in Europe together with London and Barcelona

[DCrawford]

Welcome to Paris, Steve.
I've been coming to Paris for 35 years and have lived here for half a dozen.
A couple of thoughts, therefore.
You haven't chosen the best time. Paris is full of tourists and there will be long queues for everything. Many Parisians are on holiday and many shops and restaurants are closed. Those that are open often cater very much to tourists. Under no circumstances attempt to eat drink or shop on the Champs Élysées: it's the biggest tourist trap in the universe and you will pay a fortune. For shopping, try the Bon Marché on the Left Bank or the Boutique de l'Hotêl de Ville (BHV) near Chatelet.
Paris is incredibly dense - a small city which has been developing for a thousand years. You can spend an hour in one street and an afternoon in one small area.
Don't be surprised by beggars and poverty. Successive governments have pushed the economy in a much more Anglo-Saxon direction, and extremes of wealth and poverty are much more common than they were. Most beggars are illegal immigrants from Africa and eastern Europe, but increasingly they are middle-class people thrown out of work. Give them something.
You can divide tourism in Paris into buildings, museums and places.
Buildings (not necessarily to enter) include obvious things like the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides and Notre Dame, but also the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Panthéon and the Opéra.
For museums, the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre are worth seeing just for the buildings, but there are so many museums that it's better to decide what interests you first, and then visit the museum. The Musée du moyen age, in the Latin Quarter is outstanding, and is in housed in a medieval nunnery. The Musée du Quai Branly is also outstanding as a collection of so-called primitive art.
Places are what Paris is really about. Squares - Place de la Sorbonne, Place des Voges where you can sit in cafés. Walking down by the river. The Ile St-Louis beyond Notre Dame. You can spend an afternoon in areas like the Marais (old Jewish quarter, now very trendy), the area between Sèvres-Babylone and the river, taking in the Rue du Bac, the Odéon, St Germain des Prés up to the Boulevard St Michel. The other side of the Boulevard is the Latin Quarter with its university, bookshops and medieval streets. And don't forget the gardens: the Tuileries, the Luxembourg Gardens (my favourite) the Jardin des Plantes and the gardens of the Palais Royal.
And do as the French do: sit in a café and watch the world watching you.
Enjoy Paris

[chrisfr]

Hi Steve and Rachelle,

Welcome in Paris! I hope you will enjoy this city, where I have been living for 17 years, and have a lot of fun!

Please organize a meet up soon! I am leaving on August the 5th.

Thanks!

[shmokes]

Hey, just thought I'd solve your Velib mystery.

European debit/credit cards have a microchip on the right-side of them (as you're looking at the front of the card). The microchip is an alternative to the magnetic strip (and is in addition to it--their cards have the magnetic strip as well). Card readers at Velib stations can only read cards with microchips. Go stick your card into one and you'll notice that the card doesn't go all the way in. It would actually be impossible for the reader to read your American card because it doesn't have physical access to the entire magnetic strip. Be advised, the same applies in quite a few bars and restaurants--it's good to always keep a decent amount of cash on you in case you find yourself in an establishment like this. You really don't want to find yourself with no way to pay for your bill, and no way to even communicate with the business owner about coming back after you find an ATM or something.

By the way, I found your site because I'm in the process of making a new blog for kids ipad apps (primarily a reviews website), and I plan to monetize it. This led me (though another site or Google, I don't remember) to your How to Make Money article. Thanks for that. It's Best Kid iPad Apps. If you ever have occasion to link to it, for example in an update to your Velib post I'd sure appreciate it.

Have a great time in Paris. It's the best place in the world. Like one of the previous posters, I've always felt at home in Paris in a way that is both profound and difficult to articulate. And, condolences on your inability to use the Velib. It's an awesome system. You only need the debit card the one time to charge your metro card at the Velib station. After that you just wave your RFID equipped metro card at the pay tower, just like getting on the metro, and a bike is unlocked for you. It's all super quick and painless (well, except the part about having to open a European bank account).