The Other Side of the Traveling Coin

As a follow-up to my last super insightful and riveting entry; there is another side to the "how to best visit Paris" coin that is worth considering. Isn't there always?

In my last entry I opined on why people with limited time in this city might want to discard the "dream" of living like a local, and instead just soak up Paris as a tourist; to live it up in the way that you can live it up when you have only limited time somewhere. Because, unless you are conducting some sort of research project, there is really no need to spend the three or four or seven precious days you may have in the city of light really living like this average local: scrambling around the crowded metro, drinking instant coffee from a kitchen kettle as opposed to waffling the morning away at a chic cafe, arguing with bureacratic figures about the various impenetrable bureacratic processes, and eating at non-famous local establishments where no one wears a tux (though they likely have plenty of atttude).

HOWEVER, while I clearly do endorse and encourage the splashing out of visitors, here is the flip side to consider: if you have been here many times, or if you are able to have an extended stay here--say two weeks or more--then I absolutely would invite you to spend some time living more like a locale.

Because to really "get" Paris, you do have to wade in the trenches a little. You do have to take the metro. Even when it is crowded and smelly, and some guy with an accordian wants to set up shop millimeters away from your left, and soon to be partially deaf, ear. You must shop at the local markets on market day (which are different for every arrondissment but usually two per week per arrondissement), and you must therefore endure a little self-esteem crushing from the vendeurs as you attempt to order tomatoes.You will want to eat at your local bistro. Even if the food is not the absolute best to be had, and even if the service is deplorable--for at least six months if possible.

Because eventually, you will not blink an eye or wrinkle your nose when you are crammed into the smelly, crowded metro and an accordian is jammed up to your shoulder. You will find such inconveniences are worth it because it is only through the metro that you can buzz through Paris as quickly and adroitly as any resident. You will acquire an ease, an attitude, and an understanding that are simply not to be garnered through taxi-traveling. Eventually, you will adopt a sassy and indignant tone right back at the vendeur who is insulting your accent, or repeatedly igrnoring you in favor of waiting on locals/native French speakers. Once you do so, you might find him eyeing you with a bit of respect, waiting on you a little sooner the next time around and maybe throwing in a few beautiful ripe cherries with your tomatoes and aubergines. And eventually your local server who has been pouting at and borderline abusing you for months will one day ask you how you are doing and will maybe bring you a complimentary coupe de champagne.

And when any of those moments happen, it really is an amazing thing, an aha feeling. To borrow from the venerable Mr. Hemingway, your fitting in happens very gradually, then quite suddenly. Et voila! One day you are able to successfully function and feel like a real local. My golly goodness, wowzer. How to best describe it all? We can borrow from the decidedly un-venerable Mr. Sheen: winning!

Of course, rapport takes time and and, at times, sacrifice. But wait in line at the boulangerie with the impossibly long line, take 20 minutes to hear what the woman at the fromagerie has to say about cheeses that are in season, go out of your way to hit up the place with the best baguette around. Walk through the gardens, see a movie at an independent film house and browse in a tiny, stuffed-to-the-gills book shop (Paris has a good deal more of both than many other cities). Stay at a European hotel, even if they have no a/c, no room service, and a shower stall the size of a grade-school cubby.You might not have time to do these things on a short vacation, but if you are have the opportinuty for an extended stay, then take the time, make the effort. It will be worth it, because your overall experience will be richer, will be more "authentic"...and at the very least, the croissant will be better.

I know this "other side" can be a tough card to throw out: if I only have three days in a city, I often just want to take taxis, to maximize every moment. I do not always want to take chances on hotels or restos that may or may not prove fruitful. But, if I have longer to spend somewhere, then I do try to see some of the heart of a city, and I feel confident that Paris is a city with so much heart, so much more than the glitzy, glamourous sheen that coats its outer layers. So dig deeper, if you can, and I know you will be happy you did. Or, and at the risk of redundancy: at least the pastries you unearth will be TDF.