Visiting Paris

The American journalist and blogger Rod Dreher posted that he would be visiting Paris with his niece in April. He asked for suggestions from readers. This is the response I posted:

Dear Mr. Dreher,

It's a pleasure to hear that you and your niece will be visiting my current hometown in a few months.

It's a fascinating city--I certainly chose to live here for a reason. But once you spend more than a week or so here, it's hard not to miss those aspects which complicate the typically romantic American view of the city. On my blog, I've written a number of posts trying to give a fuller, more well-rounded view of the city--trying to fight against the New York Times travel section's view of the city, since most of us can't afford that trip anyway (links below).

It's impossible to see everything in Paris, even if you live here. So here are just a few general suggestions.

1) Visit the main tourist sites: the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Montmartre, Notre Dame, etc. Even if you want to get off the beaten path and even if Paris is so much more, you have to start with the basics.

2) Try to help your niece grasp the French concept of laicité and how it is different from American secularism. A good place to start is St Etienne de Mont Church and the Pantheon. There she can learn about St. Genevieve and grasp the extent of France's Catholic heritage. But then she will walk across the street to the Pantheon and learn that during the revolution that grand edifice was re-appropriated for republican saints. She will hear the story of what happened to the relics of St. Genevieve and think back on the ornate tomb she just saw, and perhaps she will comprehend at least a small part of the dynamic between the church and the state here.

3) Show her the immigrant side of the city. In most restaurants, regardless of the type of food, the cooks are from Sri Lanka. Most cafés are now owned and run by immigrants from northern Africa, particularly the Kabyle (it's worth pointing out that one famous (half?) Kabyle of long ago was none other than St. Augustine) The 13th district is full of great Asian food. You could also take her to Barbes and walk around the market there, observing the large number of Arabs and sub-Saharan Africans. Remind her that France, unlike the U.S., is not traditionally a country of immigrants. Have someone teach her a bit of Verlain, the French equivalent of Pig Latin, that has moved from the immigrant banlieues into the average adolescent vocabulary.

4) Paris is and has been a city of students. Take her to the Latin Quarter and explain to her what being a medieval student was like. In April if the weather is nice enough, the quais of the Seine will be packed with students picnicking. Grabbing a kebab or some wine and cheese from a grocer and dining with your feet hanging over the Seine, watching the world go by.

5) Paris is a literary city. And not just for French letters. Many of the great Latin American writers of the Boom lived in Paris during the 20th century. I don't even need to start about the Lost Generation. Many writers of the African diaspora live in or around Paris. Visit Shakespeare and Co. just across the street from Notre Dame. You might even try stopping by a café that hosts readings by aspiring writers.

6) Lastly, it's entirely possible that you will be here during the first round of the French presidential election, which takes place April 22. French democracy functions much like ours at times, but there are significant differences across the board.

I hope that's of some use. I'm happy to provide more suggestions or answer questions as the case may be.