Paris is always held up as the epitome of honeymoon destinations, the pinnacle of romance and chicitude, the be-all and end-all of urban wonderlands. Especially in America. Often I feel like Europeans don't quite understand the extent to which Paris is revered in the states.
This cult is nothing new. As early as 1732, according to Colin Jones, the Baron de Pöllnitz said that "Paris has been described so much and one has heard it talked about so much, that most people know what the city looks like without ever having seen it."
What other city is so exalted? I don't mean just great cities, but cities renowned for beauty, charm, you know; the local je ne sais quoi. Cities you would be lucky to actually live in. New York, certainly, especially to non-Americans. Maybe Kyoto, or New Orleans (as was). Paris, though... ah, Paris.
Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful or jaded. But I still haven't figured out a polite and true answer to the oft-posed (stateside, anyway) question "So aren't you just loving Paris?" Or the declarative variation: "You must be loving Paris." I get this all the time from acquaintances of my parents.
I know they want to hear that it's the Eiffel Tower and croissants every day. Sometimes it is. I swear, each time I pass Notre Dame all lit up at night, I try my best to enjoy it for every American who dreams of seeing it but will never get the chance. But mostly, it's like any liveable, walkable, bikeable European city, and I have my life there, my commutes, my grocery shopping, my six flights of stairs. I am very happy to live there, myself, but I know Parisians who can't wait to get out. And I choose to vacation in my childhood hometown in the states, backwards as that may seem. Paris may be a more desirable city than my hometown, but it's hard to base a life on the Eiffel Tower and croissants.
So, just a tongue-in-cheek word, ahem, to Barack Obama: You're not helping. You of all people should know better than to encourage a cult. Shame on you for emboldening my parents' acquaintances.
1 comment:
It seems Paris hasn't been updated in a lot of people's minds. I get the impression that there are people who come to live here who have a very romantic view of it. They don't seem to be let down, though, so I suppose they find it...
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