On Mar 27, 2010, at 7:39 PM, Keith Whaley wrote: > Bob W wrote: >>>> Paris is probably my favorite big city. Wonderful food, fabulous photo >>>> ops, and, for the most part, nice people. Paul > >>> Uhhh, nice people? Which Paris is that, Paul? > >> These things are probably all relative. I know some non-Parisian French >> people who think that Parisians are so far up their own culs they can see >> the Eiffel Tower from above. > > My wife and I talked, in soft-spoken English, to a number of French folks all > over the countryside, south and east of Paris, who felt exactly that way. > Even THEY were treated as 2nd class citizens and frequently snubbed by > Parisians. > >> However, as a Londoner who sometimes has to >> struggle to get through the tourist crowds, I can certainly sympathise if a >> Parisian is occasionally, er, more assertive shall we say than the tourist >> is used to. Especially when faced with crowds of Italian schoolkids blocking >> a doorway or standing fifteen deep right at the foot of a crowded >> escalator... > > Yessir, I tried to take that into account. > >> Nevertheless, even if Londoners are occasionally a little terse with their >> guests, please be assured that you are all honoured and very welcome. I'm >> sure the Parisians (and indeed New Yorkers) feel the same way, and my own >> experiences of Parisians have been generally positive. >> Bob > > Good for you, Bob. > > To be fair, we sometimes feel the same way about New Yorkers, and sometimes > even those in downtown Boston, for that matter!
As a former New Yorker, I have to say that the folks in the big city are generally very friendly and will go out of their way to help tourists if they recognize the need. Unfortunately, New York spins at 100 mph, so they rarely recognize the need. With elbow to elbow subways, a shortage of cabs, sidewalk traffic jams and the demands of daily life, it's tough for the locals to keep up . New Yorkers aren't rude, they're just busy. The upside of New York is the white noise of human existence. It has a way of keeping one sane -- believe it or not. Paul > On the other hand, our visits in London were generally positive and a lot of > fun. We know folks all over the Isles, including Wales and Scotland, and get > along with them very well. > > The only time I ever felt Parisians were helpful or even recognized we were > alive, is when we had our 16-year-old daughter with us. She was an attentive > 3rd year French language student, being taught by a Parisian citizen. So, she > knew the language reasonably well and spoke it with the proper accent. > > THEN they smiled at us! When they deigned to look at us at all... > > None of our family are stereo-typical Americans, loud, brash in manner or > dress, or demanding in demeanor. Long time travelers, we are respectful, > quiet and usually quite easy going. > > As such, we find those who act as tho’ we ARE undesirable or otherwise gauche > travelers, more than a bit puzzling... > > 2 1/2 trips in Paris without our daughter confirms our opinion. > > Best, keith > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
