Paris, unlike NYC is not a city that one can easily navigate without some assistance. One of the most indispensible resources to anyone living in Paris is the Paris Pratique, which one rarely leaves home without. The Paris Pratique is a handy dandy map divided by arrondissement which is very useful when navigating throughout the city and trying to figure out which way to go after exiting the metro. There are several versions of this guide but I highly recommend the slim blue one pictured above which devotes 2 pages or so to arrondissement. Now while I praise the usefulness of this little blue book I must admit to rarely ever using one. During my first year in Paris I heavily relied on my Moleskine Paris City Notebook which was indiscrete, included detailed maps of most arrondissements and could be used as a notebook as well. The only drawback was that it was severely lacking in usefulness when it came to navigating “Real Paris” and you all know how I feel about “Real Paris”.
Now that I am no longer an indentured servant working for the state and am actually pulling in a salary, I upgraded to a handy dandy iPhone which essentially does everything (when I actually have a connection and the battery doesn't die on me).
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6 comments:
j'adore mon Paris pratique! c'est tres facil d'utilizer :-)
I stole mine from L'etrangere...LOL.
The last time I was in Paris, I got REALLY lost...at night...by myself! I was terrified. The metro didn't seem to be working. Men were being aggressive. I will try to find Paris Pratique lol.
I can't imagine how NYC could be easier to navigate than Paris. But that's a matter of experience, I guess. NYC has all those subway lines with funny letters and numbers. Where do they start? Where do they go? How many boroughs are there anyway? I hope there is a NYC equivalent of the Paris Pratique guide.
Ken what I meant was that because most of NYC is on a grid system it is inherently easier to figure out than cities that aren't. So if you walk for 1-2 blocks in the wrong direction you can relatively easily figure that out and self correct.
Yes! I'm a huge fan of Paris pratique. I'm also considering getting an iPhone, though . . . do you have any suggestions for cell phone plans in Paris? (Also, I'm sorry to hear about your iPhone loss!! C'etait vraiment mechant!)
Paris Practique is a must. You know its good when you see Parisians using it.
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