Have you ever gone around the streets of Paris at Google Earth Street level?

[MrScorpio]

It's beautiful, I tell you. It makes me very regretful for not going there first hand when I was in Europe.

But you should take a look for yourself, if you haven't seen it.

Lot's of healthy people walking around, new cars on the streets, well taken care of homes and lots and lots of strong commerce all over the place.

Not bad for SOCIALISM, eh?

[Happyhippychick]

1. I did it once while enjoying a handful of freedom fries.

:)

Seriously, Paris is simply gorgeous.

[zbdent]

18. ask for "french fries" in France, and, outside of doing so at the local McDonalds,

you'd probably get a bewildered look ...

[happy_liberal]

44. they are called chips

but they have them and they are way better than McDs. Not so much in France but in England and Amsterdam they had chips everywhere, couple bucks for a huge cone of them, probably five+ potatoes in there and they eat them with mayo.

[Kalyke]

47. Or pomme frites.

And they're served with either mustard or a gravy-dip, not with ketchup.

[zbdent]

50. I like, and have often adopted, Holland's condiment for fries ...

[Orrex]

2. All of Europe (and most of the world) is better than we are at developing its public spaces

Here in The Greatest Nation on Earth™ we cram a Starbucks or a Dollar Store into every last square foot of available space, but in all of those "other" countries they somehow manage to remember that people will actually be walking on sidewalks, for instance.

[KittyWampus]

10. Even in historical sites. South Street Seaport in NYC, for instance. It's small, evocative and

filled on the bottom floor with Gaps and other chain stores you can find on every other block in upper Manhattan. I understand using that space for retail. But the same boring crap you can get everywhere else? And the Mall on the pier was just as pathetic.

[Ninga]

3. Ah, Parisians! Their dogs snuggled at their feet while they dine on the best of the best, butter

cream, wine and grainy dense bread......they walk, they participate, they read, they take to the streets, they holiday in Italy and in Monte Carlo, and make frequent trips to the USA to tour and take in our history....then they return home to their Louvre, their commuter trains, their villages and quaint cities and Paris..places that boast and revere century old authentic buildings that cherish the sense of place.

[Lost4words]

5. What a picture you paint, I can see it, smell it and feel it under my feet.

The fresh warm bread, roadside cafe, the Southern coast, Viva la France!

[Ninga]

11. Since my youth long gone is truly lost, & having nothing left to lose I say grab that

back pack, get that eurorail pass, and let's get going!!!!!!!!!

[Lost4words]

13. if I could find a job for a few months I would,..........

but in my mind I am there with you :hi:

Have a great day Ninga :hi:

[bikebloke]

39. Ahh, the bread...

I remember wondering if I could get back to the hostel from the boulangerie and have any of my bread left.

[KittyWampus]

12. The young Muslims riot for 3 months. It's nice to romanticize about European countries.

Edit for clarity- the point is, every place has a plus and minus column.

[Lost4words]

15. A Greater Truth was never uttered!

and the + & - will change over time as well.

:hi:

[KatyMan]

27. Agree.

We lived in the UK for most of the last decade, outside of London. You still have to get up and go to work everyday, you still have the various hassles of every day life, you still get sick, tired, hungover, whatever. And in London and Paris, you have the added bonus of tens of thousands of tourists every summer...
But then again, there are big plusses, I just wanted to point out, like KittyWampus said, it's not all rosy.

[happy_liberal]

45. And the eiffel tower stinks...literally

When you are walking to the tower...lets just say that a lot of people don't bother using the hole in the ground toilets. And you have to PAY to use the bathroom. I was trying to come up with some other negatives but am having trouble.

The buildings there...are not just old, they are art. Even though it cost extra money and time(I know-crazy!) they make everything creatively. I don't recall seeing sprawling duplicate housing anywhere. Everything we build here is corners, squares, easiest cheapest and lots of it. Compare that to Gaudi all over Barcelona!!!! Where is our Gaudi?!!

Just like the food, I had never tasted cheese until I went to Europe. Cheese in the states is all about quantity not quality. Get a wheel of Gouda in Amsterdam and it's hard to go back. And the bread! We pretty much lived on bread and cheese, backpacking and camping (campgrounds are everywhere, convenient and way cheap and you get to see beautiful countryside) traveling for three months on very little money.

But when you go out to dinner, they don't bring you a huge plate, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Like in Italy, we searched everywhere for a huge plate of pasta. They don't eat like that in Italy. They call those "American sized portions" and many restaurants that cater to tourists will advertise this.

I want to go back someday, but I don't want to be treated like a criminal just for flying and trying to get back in the country. I don't want my or my children's naked bodies being photographed by creeps at the airport.

[Lost4words]

4. I have never been to Paris, Cann and Nice, wounderful!

And French wine with no preservitives is a real treat. I have also never been to google Earth.

[MrScorpio]

9. I've been to the South of France

Cannes, Nice, Antibes and Monaco

It was beautiful and romantic

And the Med was a stunning blue!

[Lost4words]

17. And you can spell Cannes too! I never remember,

Did you make it to San Tropez?

[MrScorpio]

24. No, we didn't make it there

It was only for a weekend in August 1997

We had enough on our hands where we were

[Lost4words]

I understand, it wasn't far. I love driving in foreign countries so we did some cruising

Monty Carlo just prior to the Gran Prix.

[GoneOffShore]

35. At the risk of making an already popular place more popular -

Go to Cassis.

It's one of the few villages on the Med that has no high rises, no McDo, no Starbucks and just gorgeous scenery.

This was the view from the apartment we rented in November.
It's near Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Bandol. Not many Americans go there and it's a total madhouse in the summer, as is most of the Med shore towns. But completely worth the time.

[kwassa]

6. We checked in our hotel, left our bags, and then walked Paris for 11 hours.

It is just a great walking city, the older parts of Paris. I'd like to live there for a year .... if somebody would simply finance me.

[Tracer]

7. Absolutely!

I've "driven" around the streets of Paris on Google quite a few times to re-live my year's stay there.

Checking out where I lived (hasn't changed)and other various haunts.

[populistdriven]

8. And yet they can't afford to repay Haiti the 21 Billion dollars they stole

Haiti had to make payments for their freedom until 1922

[Lost4words]

19. But a Black man or woman could walk into a resraunt in France in 1922 and not be shot

nt

[malaise]

21. Excellent point

but it is true that Paris is a lovely city.

[QC]

14. It's a good way to pick hotels.

I always take a virtual spin around the neighborhood before making reservations.

[titoresque]

29. We found wonderful flats

on craigslist. The first time we went, we dealt directly with the owner of the apt. The second time, (this past Nov.) we dealt with an agency. I found the experience with the owner to be less hassle! There are apt and homes all over Paris and the suburbs for rent. They are much bigger than the hotel rooms, you have a kitchen so you can dine in, and you get to feel more like a local.

[GoneOffShore]

30. Try renting apartments.

Much more fun than hotels.

[Fire1]

16. I've been three times. Paris has always been included in my

itinerary. But thanks for the tip.

[lse7581011]

20. Can Someone Please Tell Me How to Access This?

I went to Google Earth but am only getting sky views. Thank You!

[fishwax]

37. Here you go

(There might be an easier way, but this will get you there.)

First, go here: http://maps.google.com

Then, type "Paris" in the search box.

A map of Paris should appear. On the left hand side of the screen, it will say "Paris"; then the next row will say "Directions Search nearby Save to More."

If you click on "More" it brings up a drop down menu, and if you click "Street View" in the drop down menu, the map changes to a street view image, which you can then navigate using the buttons in the upper-left-hand corner of the map or by double clicking where you want to go.

Enjoy!

[lse7581011]

42. Got it!

Thank you very much!

[HipChick]

22. I went to Paris for my honeymoon...

2nd day,hubby(ex now) had a hernia and had to go the hospital..

wuss..

I spent the remainder of my honeymoon sight-seeing by myself..

[titoresque]

23. I've been there twice

Its a beautiful city! And yes, lots of strong commerce! We took the Metro to get everywhere we went, but next time I go, I'd like to master the city bus routes. Another tip: If you go, do not exchange your currency at the airport in the states. Wait until you get there and find a bank, you will get a much better return. I learned that one the hard way.

[90-percent]

25. I've heard

According to Frank Zappa; "The food ain't too shabby and they piss in the streets."

American land us does kind of suck sometimes, doesn't it? My wife's aunt lives in Reston Virginia, a DC burb, and I was very impressed with her neighborhood. Multiuse residential and light commercial, but so well planned. riding trails, parks, woods, natural settings. A well designed community with aesthetics foremost is pretty good in my book.

-90% jimmy

[MrScorpio]

26. The Reston planners made a total effort to do that

Pretty unique for an American suburb

[GoneOffShore]

28. Just came back after 9 days there.

It's one of our favorite places to go and live - not vacation, but live for a week.

We rent an apartment, take the buses, use the Vélib bicycles, walk, ride buses or trams or RER and visit the markets. An afternoon in the Jardin du Luxembourg watching the pétanque players, the tennis players, the little kids sailing the model boats on the pond outside the Senat, the tai chi class, the pony rides and the neighborhood people enjoying the park is one of the delights of Paris.

Just walking around the city makes you feel good and makes you realize that it's possible to have a civil society.

And yes, there are plenty of problems in France - there is racism and sexism and violence - but it's not nearly as crazy as it is here.

C'est mon reve, France.

[Loge23]

31. It's great to do without turd-hopping

Love Paris also, but it is one dirty city.
Turd's are like urban landmines in Paris.
Much prefer the South of France - Lyon is a sort of miniature Paris (without all of the essential sites, of course).

[MrScorpio]

33. You know, I love Amsterdam and Maastricht in the Netherlands

But the turds are pretty bad as well

[GoneOffShore]

41. Depends on the "quartier"

In the ritzier areas, there's more dog turds. But it's changing. And they clean all the streets in Paris once a week. You're always seeing someone sweeping, cleaning, picking up litter.

Paris is way cleaner than London, New York, Philadelphia or San Francisco.

[LetsgoWings13]

32. I lost 4 pounds walking around Germany as I was eating as many different foods

as I could! But Germany and the US is a different place. Over in Europe they walk every where because everything is close, where here is the US it is much larger and we have more open spaces making it harder for people to walk around and get in good shape.

[MrScorpio]

34. When I was kid, I could walk to Downtown Detroit

and I did.

Those were the days

[LetsgoWings13]

36. In Germany you could just walk to a different city, they are that close. here they are not, so

you are stuck not being able to walk because of others.

[JackDragna]

38. That's just central Paris..

..the outskirts of the city are rife with poverty and crime. I love Paris, but it's not completely idyllic.

[bikebloke]

40. I did the Google street trip through Basle.

Passed a former friend's house. He was out in the yard.

[happy_liberal]

48. whoa, cool!

...but kinda creepy...

[patrice]

43. I have fond memories of the week I spent there several years ago.The French know how to LIVE.

[Ysabel]

46. yes i've gone street view all over the world where-ever it's available...

- i love it...

[Cleita]

49. Yes, I have.

My stepdaughter, who visits Paris, every time she can scrape up the cash, does the Google street view just for nostalgia.