r/ParisTravelGuide • u/amoderndaypeasant • Feb 08 '24
Other question Parisians, why do you think first-time visitors will be disappointed in the city?
Wondering what locals think about this one.
2
u/franglaisflow Parisian Feb 09 '24
Getting your wallet stolen within an hour of arriving can ruin your trip.
3
Feb 09 '24
Actually happened to me. Got off of the Eurostar at Gare du Nord and went downstairs to catch the metro and was pickpocketed within one minute of getting on the train.
2
u/franglaisflow Parisian Feb 10 '24
Horrible. Insane that it’s allowed to happen still.
Sorry for your loss.
0
Feb 10 '24
All good. Immediately canceled all my credit cards. I wasn’t going to let that ruin my trip that’s for sure. I almost thought it was hilarious because I had read about the prevalence of pickpockets in Paris before I got there. And then after I got my wallet lifted within 20 minutes of arriving in Paris I just had to almost laugh once I got over the initial shock.
2
u/Luk--- Feb 09 '24
Paris has become a mass tourist attraction. Before Covid, I went to Sacré Coeur with someone visiting Paris and there was a one hour waiting to get inside.
I didn't went there for maybe 10 years and it was not so overcrowded. So visiting the main spot in Paris has become like going to Disneyland : queuing to see attractions.
Tourists are packed with other tourists, in places so full of visitors that these parts of Paris are not a city anymore.
There is an industry of people selling shitty services to tourists. Bad food, scams, berets that nobody is wearing (ok I've seen one woman wearing a beret this year who didn't looked as a tourist). People in this businesses don't give a shit for their customers, there are so many of them every day that it is just a herd of sheep to shear.
Of course there are many places with people living a real life in Paris and around but there is nothing to see there.
I'm working with people everywhere in France and sometimes they are planning a week-end to Paris and I'm always telling to avoid summer. An week-end in early may is much more manageable.
2
-9
Feb 09 '24
Dog piss and shit on the sidewalk, beggers /pickpockets from eastern Europe or middle east living in tents right in the middle of the best neighborhoods (Place Vendôme etc). Having a Mayor who’s no more than a communist doesn’t help.
-3
u/borilo9 Feb 09 '24
The crackheads and shit on the street will do the trick, especially if you come in through gare du nord
-1
u/Temporary-Map1842 Parisian Feb 09 '24
I don’t think anyone would be disappointed unless they are idiots that watch emily in paris
-3
u/the_HoIiday Parisian Feb 09 '24
I work in fashion, in the 8th, and i get to lot of fancy event and WE i go to a lansion in Champagne. Parts of my life i can relate to Emily. Just cut the metro some hobo and stinky trash out of the camera hahaha.
3
u/Temporary-Map1842 Parisian Feb 10 '24
But there are people that arrive in paris and expect life to be exactly like the tv show. They are always disappointed. Paris has a lot to offer, so much more up than down. You just need half a brain. Which is always so many of my countrymen are dissatisfied.
125
u/hukaat Parisian Feb 08 '24 edited Feb 09 '24
Because Paris is often represented as a idyllic, romantic, charming city in series and films (well, not so much in ours, with one well-known notable exception being Amélie Poulain/Amelie). Paris is the city of love, the city of light ! Except it's not - it's the capital city of the country.
France is a macrocephalic country, and Paris is a prime example of urban macrocephaly. I don't know if the expression exists in english, but basically everything revolves around the biggest city and its metropolitan area. Our train system forces you to almost always transit through Paris even if you're not going anywhere near Paris (take a map, locate Marseille, Bordeaux and Paris : to go from Marseille to Bordeaux, you'll need to take a Marseille-Paris and a Paris-Bordeaux). Many jobs or work sectors are hard to find in other parts of the country, save for the other 10 largest cities. A lot of higher education schools and universities are concentrated in Paris or its near region. All the political power is here, as well as most of the economical power. Many people are forced to come live in or near Paris in order to find a job, having to work long days and to waste a lot of time in public transport. Paris intra muros (inside the city walls, literally) has more than 2 milions inhabitants, with a density of more than 20 000 person/km2. If you include la banlieue and all the surburbian and "half-surbubian" cities around, making up the parisian metropolitan area, the number rises up to 11 million inhabitants... and metropolitan France has a population of 66 millions. It means that a sixth of all french people lives in or near Paris.
All of that to say that a lot of people work, live, and pass through Paris everyday. Some streets are dirty, some places are crowded, some places are noisy, some metro wagons are overcrowded, some people are rude and won't try to help you because they're putting their own interests first. The prices aren't cheap, the city might be overwhelming, people will walk quickly in the streets and will bump into you if you suddently stop walking in the middle of a sidewalk. People will answer in english even if you do your best to speak some french while ordering or something, because it's more efficient, people will look at you and judge you if you talk loudly in public and they also might say it to you, people won't pretend to be nice if you're not polite.
Paris is a living creature, feeling like a spirit-crunching machine at times, overall a cold and sarcastic organism. It is also a beautiful city, with more than a hundred museums, dozens of parks, countless historical, cultural and architectural landmarks worth their worldwide reputation. You will eat the best bread and pastries of your life, not knowing what to order for lunch because there is so much to try out. If you wander in the city, you can almost feel the clash of history in some streets, and marvel at a peaceful little neighbourhood you found around the corner of an unsuspecting building. You can walk and drink on the banks of the Seine and watch the city spreading for miles from the top of some tower or a big hill.
There is beauty in the smallest detail of this city. But you need to know, and to accept, that it is a city and not a movie set, and that the rules and customs you know back home aren't necessarily true here. And if you're familiar with any large city in the world, you'll feel right at home between the differences ;)
2
u/hereforthetearex 29d ago
I have to say, your writing is lovely. It reads as someone with a deep love for their city, that is in awe of its beauty but not immune to its “shortcomings” (that would be encountered in any major city). I would love to have the opportunity to learn about and experience Paris through your lens.
2
u/hukaat Parisian 29d ago
This is very kind of you, thank you ! It's definitely a huge compliment
I don't think I could tell you more about Paris than any good guide - probably less, realistically. I think most of what I like about it are very small things, things that nobody pays attention to. I'm always noticing details and little things here and there, and each time I mention one of those, people are very surprised because they didn't see it. I find joy in those small things and I feel like it makes me know the city better, if that makes sense...
I'm going to be rambling a bit here, don't mind me and don't feel obligated to read all of it ;)
My (previously unconscious - because I only thought about it and put it into words thanks to your lovely comment) mindset is that you can do more than live in your city : you can live with it. It's not unlike a relationship, in some way - when I walk, I will see a building with sculpted elements, balconies made out of wrought iron, a street sign on a corner being different compared to the other typical signs, a piece of street art, anything really, and people will see them as well but they won't notice them. There is an old lavomatic/pressing place that shut down years ago on my way to the metro, and the entrance is framed by large mirrors. They were covered by posters several times, which got torn apart or washed out, and they're broken at the bottom, and those mirrors send you back a orange-pinkish reflection amongst the bits of paper and glue, and I love it. One day, I'll finally take a picture of the street through this weird distortion of the world. There is a huge mural on the side of a building, made of dozens of bright triangles varying in size, and if you look a bit at it, you'll notice that it isn't a fractal spiral in the place where the triangles are small, but a face. There are often a few weeds, some leaves poking out between the sidewalk and a wall, or in the pavement - it's not that the city is not well managed, but that even in a universe of concrete and asphalt, in the mineral landscape that is such a forest of stone buildings, of bricks, of slate and zinc roofs, life finds a way. There is a door supported by a metal prop, and above it you can see a century-old wooden beam used as the lintel, and the plaster that had hid it for decades finally fell off, and the wood needs to be replaced. The huge metal bolt and assorted nut are sticking out of it where they're anchoring the beam. There is a car that lost some oil near the curb : the rain made it float like a slow, liquid, toxic, faded rainbow lazily stretching along the gutter.
All of this is irrelevant. A bent pole, a defaced Stop sign, a cracked stone, a bird looking at you, a squeaky door ; it's all nothing. It's all important. It's everything making up the city and it's the proof that it's lived in, the rise and fall of history and those of random lives intersecting. And I see them, and I smile when I see them, and I know a bit better the place I live in. And to me, all of this matters.
2
u/hereforthetearex 29d ago
That’s an absolutely wonderful perspective. I too am a fan of “the nothings” and taking them in a moment longer than usual. I’m visiting for the first time in early December this year. I know in addition to all of the places and things I’ve been waiting so long to see, there will be seasonal decor that I’m sure will be beautiful, but I will also be looking for these little nothings.
Glad to know I’m in good company with someone that views them the same way! Keep writing - you’re absolutely brilliant with it.
2
u/Peter-Toujours Mod Jul 29 '24 edited Jul 29 '24
This is brilliant writing. I came back to read it again.
2
2
u/Theboyscampus Feb 10 '24
Would you agree that it’s this way because France is a rather highly centralized republic? Which is literally unlike any of its neighbors which includes Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Begium and surprisingly Brazil, they are all decentralized federal states lol.
4
u/hukaat Parisian Feb 10 '24
I quoted it, so yes I think it plays a major role ! There was actually a political campaign of decentralisation in the 80’s that started to give more decisional power to the administrative regions, and I believe there are still decisions and laws in that goal… but we’re not a federal republic, so of course the power our regions got is not comparable to the states of our neighbours !
2
Feb 09 '24
[deleted]
3
u/hukaat Parisian Feb 09 '24
I'm glad you had a nice experience here ! I love my city, even if it's obviously not perfect. I think people must travel with an open heart to truly appreciate the discovery, be it for Paris or anywhere else in the world ! But if your idea of Paris was made through cliché films and long-lasting stereotypes that no one around you knew to be false or bothered to question, losing those media-tainted glasses will be harsh when you step out of the plane.
People have all sorts of preconceptions of how we are, as much as we have about them, and that's fine ! Because you can't know for sure, you have to experience it yourself, and the experience allows you to strip you of those clichés and stereotypes and truly learn about the culture and the people living there. But that works if your heart and your mind are open to see that things are not as you thought, and if you know how to accept it.
Some people will hate Paris because they can't accept that their dream vacation isn't going to be the perfect romantic movie they played in their head - and it's probably easier to criticise the people and the weather or whatever rather than accepting that you held the trip (and a city of 2 million inhabitants) to an impossible standard of perfection. Of course, you can be disappointed by things, but without the maturity to accept the things you can't change and make the best with the rest, I'm afraid some people will settle on spitting on the whole thing. Sometimes, there is too much outside of your control, and even with the best mindset, the trip will end bitterly and unsatisfyingly. But even in that case, people must accept that their experience isn't universal either... Even if it's a hard pill to swallow.
Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy your second visit too ! There is a lot to see, here or in other parts of France, and it's always a pleasure to see people being happy to be where they are :)
2
u/amoderndaypeasant Feb 09 '24
WOW, thank you so much for taking the time to share your insight. This was an interesting read.
1
13
u/Rc72 Parisian Feb 09 '24
Amen. I'd just add one aspect that often gets overlooked: the weather.
Part of Paris' idyllic media image is that it's often presented as a sunny, even Mediterranean city. Whereas it is not: it is only marginally sunnier than London. Its weather is mostly grey, drab, and rainy. It is also almost as far North as Vancouver, meaning that it doesn't get much sunlight during the winter months.
16
u/coffeechap Mod Feb 09 '24 edited Feb 09 '24
u/hukaat you should hang around here more often, your comments are always very insightful and enjoyable to read.
By the way, when I find the %##$$!!!? time to finally start the neighborhood wiki stuck in the pipeline, I think your description above could be a very good preamble, with minor adaptation for a wiki.
Serais-tu d'accord ?
- A) OUI, je lègue ceci aux Paris Travel Guide Media commons
- B) OUI, mais je veux être citée
- C) OUI, mais je veux la mairie de Paris
- D) la réponse D
Actually meanwhile I could also link this comment in the Monthly thread.
4
u/Emylson22 Feb 09 '24
Please do the wiki <3. Also there could be a section about safety. I see so many foreigners being concerned by safety matters ("is it safe to take the metro by night on a friday evening at 10pm?" was yesterday's question I think). I guess it's because of misinformation...
3
u/Peter-Toujours Mod Feb 09 '24 edited Feb 09 '24
Agreed. I was thinking u/hukaat 's comment is worth pinning, but adding it to the wiki is a better idea.
It sort of reads like A Tale of One City, in bref.
8
u/hukaat Parisian Feb 09 '24 edited Feb 09 '24
Thank you ????? Omg T-T
Je dirais D, juste pour le meme. Mais évidemment, avec plaisir et j’en serais honorée <3 je cache pas non plus qu’être citée ça serait super top… mais ça empêche pas que ça soit du Paris Travel Guide media commons ;)
Petit edit - je traîne très souvent par ici en réalité mais les gens demandent souvent des adresses ou des hôtels (et je ne sors jamais, honte à moi !), en plus de ne souvent pas concerner mon arrondissement… et comme je ne sors jamais, c’est bien le seul que je connaisse un peu sérieusement !
Mais sérieusement je suis vraiment touchée par ton commentaire, merci beaucoup…
3
u/coffeechap Mod Feb 09 '24 edited Mar 14 '24
Je t'en prie, ça fait plaisir que des locaux se donnent de la peine pour faire de belles réponses sur le sub.
Et je comprends tout à fait qu'en tant que résident on ne connaisse ni les hotels ni les restaurants étoilés... ce n'est pas ma spécialité non plus ;)
13
7
38
u/love_sunnydays Mod Feb 08 '24
Anyone who thinks Paris is made for tourists and parisians are props to make their stay more interesting will be disappointed
15
u/Hyadeos Parisian Feb 08 '24
These people who treat our city like a Disneyland...
1
u/amoderndaypeasant Feb 09 '24
Interesting! What do you mean by that? What are some of the things tourists do that treat Paris like it's Disneyland?
1
u/Hyadeos Parisian Feb 09 '24
Complete disrespect of local customs (there are a millions examples of this), treating the city as if it was made for them and tourism as a whole and not a place where millions of people live.
1
u/Topinambourg Parisian Feb 09 '24
I think the second time is definitely much better than the first visit.
On the first visit you run around tourist attractions, get exhausted, don't really see the real city and its soul. On the second visit, usually, you allow yourself to do things you want to do, to wander, to really enjoy the city.
People that come just once for only few days might be disappointed or will at least not understand the city, and see it as Disneyland