Ah, what to do when I feel the need to write, but am not ready to haul out the typewriter? Write in my journal, of course.
Today dear reader, I offer some thoughts on Paris old and new, in no particular order, just the way they come up.
The old:
Dog Shit. Still everywhere. Watch your step.
Trash. Also still everywhere. It amazes me, often, on my walks, just how much trash people in a city the size and density of Paris can generate. Myself, I make a small (a gallon or two) sack of garbage every day. But everywhere on the street, I see trash. Cigarette butts, sinks, furniture, appliances and just plain garbage. And that's not even in the garbage cans, the ones that line the street at all hours of the night and day. The trucks seem to run continuously, but they hardly get one street clear before it's full again.
Bums: I saw my first Parisian bum way back in 1976, and they are still here. They sleep on the street, in corners and sometimes just right in the middle of the sidewalk. They shuffle down the street, accosting passersby and patrons in the cafes. There are at least two that I now recognize on my own street. I wonder how long they've been here, how long they will last. The Parisian winter is coming.
Beautiful People: It should come as no surprise, I guess, this being one of the fashion centers of the world, that people look so good, dress so well, just going about the regular business of life. Men in sharply tailored suits made of delicious looking materials. Women, in delightfully colorful and stylish outfits, carefully matched and combined elements. Shoes, oh man the shoes, on both men and women.
Traffic: Streets are congested, horns blare, drivers sit stuck behind delivery vans and people trying to park in impossibly small spaces.
The New:
Scooters: They are everywhere now. Just six years ago there were none. Now they zip along the bike lanes, in and out of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks and through the slow (and often stopped) traffic in the street. Once used, they are abandoned, often right in the middle of the sidewalk. Of course, the riders all young and oh so stylish, likely on their way to some hip little cafe to meet their hip and good looking friends--see above.
Bike, moto and car self-services: In addition to the scooters, many places for these services have been carved out of what would have been parking places just a few years ago. Often--especially the car services--the spaces are empty, prompting me to wonder if they really have enough vehicles available that actually work. I've seen one bike parked in the storage area of my building every day, as if someone has figured out a way to keep it without paying.
Art: There has always been street art in Paris, but in the past six years, it has exploded. Murals, graffiti and stickers cover every square inch of many walls. Some of it is interesting, but for the most part, it's just dull and repetitive, as if the artists are trying to be the next Banksy, but can't figure out how to do that without just imitating. One the other hand, I did see my first Bansky a couple of days after arriving.
Diverse People. When stayed here in 2012, I could not help but notice the number of black Africans in our neighborhood. It seemed natural, though, as one of the streets near our apartment was lined with hair salons dedicated to blacks. Today, however, the number of black Africans in this neighborhood has increased many times over. Just a short walk up the rue Faubourg St. Martin in the late afternoon leads me through throngs of young black men, usually dressed well, leaning on storefronts, sitting on motorbikes and scooters, drinking, laughing and talking loudly. They are not at all threatening, at least not to me, but I have to wonder what they do for a living, where they live. Blacks are not the only diverse people, I see Asians, Arabs and of course, Whites.
Today dear reader, I offer some thoughts on Paris old and new, in no particular order, just the way they come up.
The old:
Dog Shit. Still everywhere. Watch your step.
Trash. Also still everywhere. It amazes me, often, on my walks, just how much trash people in a city the size and density of Paris can generate. Myself, I make a small (a gallon or two) sack of garbage every day. But everywhere on the street, I see trash. Cigarette butts, sinks, furniture, appliances and just plain garbage. And that's not even in the garbage cans, the ones that line the street at all hours of the night and day. The trucks seem to run continuously, but they hardly get one street clear before it's full again.
Bums: I saw my first Parisian bum way back in 1976, and they are still here. They sleep on the street, in corners and sometimes just right in the middle of the sidewalk. They shuffle down the street, accosting passersby and patrons in the cafes. There are at least two that I now recognize on my own street. I wonder how long they've been here, how long they will last. The Parisian winter is coming.
Beautiful People: It should come as no surprise, I guess, this being one of the fashion centers of the world, that people look so good, dress so well, just going about the regular business of life. Men in sharply tailored suits made of delicious looking materials. Women, in delightfully colorful and stylish outfits, carefully matched and combined elements. Shoes, oh man the shoes, on both men and women.
Traffic: Streets are congested, horns blare, drivers sit stuck behind delivery vans and people trying to park in impossibly small spaces.
The New:
Scooters: They are everywhere now. Just six years ago there were none. Now they zip along the bike lanes, in and out of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks and through the slow (and often stopped) traffic in the street. Once used, they are abandoned, often right in the middle of the sidewalk. Of course, the riders all young and oh so stylish, likely on their way to some hip little cafe to meet their hip and good looking friends--see above.
Bike, moto and car self-services: In addition to the scooters, many places for these services have been carved out of what would have been parking places just a few years ago. Often--especially the car services--the spaces are empty, prompting me to wonder if they really have enough vehicles available that actually work. I've seen one bike parked in the storage area of my building every day, as if someone has figured out a way to keep it without paying.
Art: There has always been street art in Paris, but in the past six years, it has exploded. Murals, graffiti and stickers cover every square inch of many walls. Some of it is interesting, but for the most part, it's just dull and repetitive, as if the artists are trying to be the next Banksy, but can't figure out how to do that without just imitating. One the other hand, I did see my first Bansky a couple of days after arriving.
Diverse People. When stayed here in 2012, I could not help but notice the number of black Africans in our neighborhood. It seemed natural, though, as one of the streets near our apartment was lined with hair salons dedicated to blacks. Today, however, the number of black Africans in this neighborhood has increased many times over. Just a short walk up the rue Faubourg St. Martin in the late afternoon leads me through throngs of young black men, usually dressed well, leaning on storefronts, sitting on motorbikes and scooters, drinking, laughing and talking loudly. They are not at all threatening, at least not to me, but I have to wonder what they do for a living, where they live. Blacks are not the only diverse people, I see Asians, Arabs and of course, Whites.
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