— Le vieux Paris n’est plus (la forme d’une ville Change plus vite, hélas! que le cœur d’un mortel Escúchela, la ciudad respirando In honor of an article I had run in The Classical, “Paris is Earning,” I watched Paris brûle-t-il ? earlier this week. The 1966 movie, with a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola [...]
Great news: Vélib’, the Parisian bicycle-sharing system I have previously described in detail and mapped, had a huge revamp of its website last spring. This coincided with a handful of new features that are of crucial importance to (especially) Anglopone/American tourists. First, the new website is entirely available in English. The old version seemed to [...]
After my maps of public transportation distribution in Chicago and Paris got a bit of publicity, people started asking for more. Here, I try to consider issues of population density as well as the role of buses.
Continue reading about On comparing Paris and Chicago public transit
When I made my Paris Métro map, the joke was that the next step would be the leap in order of magnitude between subway stations and Vélib’ stations. For those who don’t know what Vélib’ is, it’s the Parisian bike-sharing system that I’ve already described in great detail. But I knew there was no way [...]
Anecdotally, I have felt since moving to Paris that one is never, ever too far from a Métro station. This is in contrast with Chicago, where one can be literally over a mile from an El stop. But I had not, until now, measured it out. Similarly, last year, a friend, who was living in [...]
Sad news. The Sarkozy régime has reduced French culture to “Who’s the Boss?” remakes.
Continue reading about Sad news. The Sarkozy régime has reduced French culture to…
Paris is still totally safe to bike in, if you stick to the streets (or street-grade bike lanes). The non-street bike lanes, usually carved out of sidewalk, can be rather dangerous, as I slipped leftward curving on these cobblestones today going at top…
Continue reading about Paris is still totally safe to bike in, if you stick to the…
Members of the CGT sing “L’Internationale” during the French general strike on 12 October.
Continue reading about Members of the CGT sing “L’Internationale” during the French…
Notre Dame + full moon. Right place, meet right time.
Continue reading about Notre Dame + full moon. Right place, meet right time.
When I came to the center yesterday, it was clear that I had rolled in via Vélib’. “Be careful tomorrow with Vélib’,” one instructor warned me, because today’s general strike will make the bicycles extremely valuable. With at least the RER B scheduled to be out of commission, it’s entirely possible that I would have [...]
Continue reading about Are grass’s roots that much more impressive than trees’?
