Blocking it All Out or Taking It All In?

Le Métro by Erica Simone begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Blocking it All Out or Taking It All In?

Parler Paris Nouvellettre^®
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2010 • Paris, France

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Dear Parler Paris Reader,

It was a gorgeous day in Paris yesterday, but it didn't change the chaos from the transportation strike. It was a dumb thing to attempt to trek out to Ikea near the airport on an emergency mission to purchase the "pieds" (feet) for the kitchen that is in process of being installed at "Le Saint Tropez."

Without a car, Ikea is accessible, but by taking the RER (regional train) to "Parc des Expositions" and then a "navette" (shuttle bus) to the "Centre Commercial" and back again. Because of the strike, the return trip was a full three hours with an unscheduled walk from the Gare du Nord to home (2.5 kilometers) towing the marketing cart filled with purchases.

Once home, there was only 10 minutes to regroup and head out to Parler Parlor, the French-English conversation group, again with something in tow -- the laptop -- to catch up on emails and make up for the lost time. A dinner engagement followed and a hot bath in my too-small-bathtub didn't happen until close to midnight after such a grueling day jumping the hurdles of life in the City of Light.

There are not too many moments when I'd wish for a car, but this was one of them, although those stuck in the traffic complained about that, too, as when a strike is on, there is no reprieve for anyone. Taxis are tough to get, traffic is gridlocked and travelers on public transport are stranded. Unlucky for my bad timing, today the strike is over and service has returned to normal.

On the Métro last night after such a day, I noticed that about 50% of the passengers, although most were under the age of 35, were wired for sound. I tried to sneak a few photos with my iPhone, but was only able to capture one without making a scene...but if you look closely, you'll notice the man on the jumpseat behind her is wired, too. Both next to me and across from me were two young people wearing big head sets -- like one might wear in a recording studio. At one point, four people entered the car, all of which were wearing earphones of some kind. All were playing with their iPods, iPhones or Blackberries at the same time.

I can't explain why suddenly it struck me as a revelation that their behavior is perhaps a sign that they chose to block out the life around them. It's the opposite of what I choose to do -- which is to take it all in as much as possible and block out nothing, including the sounds of life, whatever and wherever they might be...even on such challenging days.

A la prochaine...

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris

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P.S. Hot Off the Press: Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, will be visiting U.S. cities Chicago and Washington, DC, between April 25th and 30th to reinforce the cities' bilateral cooperation. He will be meeting with Mayors Richard Daley (Chicago) and Adrian M. Fenty (Washington, DC) along with members of the French community. One accommodating friend in Chicago, architect extraordinaire Tom Marquardt, wrote this morning, "So, does he need a place to stay?"

P.P.S. Don't miss the upcoming events..."A Night at the Movies" with Judith Merians and upcoming Eye Prefer Paris Private Walking Tours. Scroll down for more information on both!