When you live in Los Angeles, you are always looking in front of you, because you are mostly driving everywhere you have to go, (so you'd better be looking straight ahead, to avoid crashing into the car in front of you!) But in Paris, I find myself always looking down at the ground everywhere I go, not because I am shy or avoiding the gaze of another, but to avoid stepping in the dog remains that are everywhere!
The French also don't seem to understand the concept of a washer and a dryer being separate machinery. My machine is a one unit washer/dryer combo, and is about 1/3 of the size of a standard American model. You're lucky if you can fit in more than one bedsheet at a timeI It works well for washing, but try to dry something - it takes about 3 hours, if not more. Go figure.
I have also searched high and low for a dry cleaners in my neighborhood, and have yet to find one. Los Angeleans (including myself) don't know how to get through a week without a dry cleaners to take care of us - this has been an ongoing dilemna. I am having withdrawals...
And lastly, it is lovely that there are people out on the streets until all hours of the night, though it astonishes me that the concept of keeping their voices down at 4 am is an unknown quantity, and are oblivious to the fact that people are actually in apartments above the streets, trying to sleep.
On the flipside, I can get anywhere in the city pretty quickly and easily because the metro is so efficient, it is turly the prettiest city in the world, hands down, shopping for food isn't a chore but a ritual, a coffee at Starbucks doesn't hold a candle to a cafe creme ici, and you'll never find a better cheese, crusty bread, or patisserie than en Paris!
A Bientot!
2 comments:
The reason the washer/dryer are one unit is lack of space. And it's only the "service apartments" that have dryers included. Most Paris residents eschew dryers, as electricity is very expensive here and the dryers are inefficient. The thing I miss most about the US is the washing machines!
P.S. But there should be a drycleaners nearby - usually there's one every six blocks or so.
Post a Comment