Valued in Paris

One of the great things about living in another city is to be immersed in its rhythm and discovering how a new place infiltrates every aspect of your life. Last week marked my one-month anniversary in Paris (and it was appropriately celebrated with the arrival of all my furniture!). In just a month, I have started to notice that the things that I seek out and value in Paris (and what are sought by others) are different than the things that were highly coveted in New York.

New Yorkers often take the time to note that a place has "great outdoor space" or a dish that is "totally organic and only [X] calories." A Parisian would never think to note something so pedestrian. Every restaurant has outdoor space (for the smokers). Anything worth eating in France is totally organic. As for the low caloric content? It just means they need to add more butter.

So, what are the things that Parisians (or expats in Paris) look for? Here are some examples:

• Anything open after 8pm
• Anything open on Sunday
• Air conditioning (Fellow Parisians, this technology exists!)
• Any place with good service
• Proximity to a Monoprix (it's like a mix of Duane Reade and Whole Foods)
• A large and diverse marché (farmers' market)
• Thai food/Indian food/any food with spice
• Metro plans of one train transfer or less (okay, so this would be coveted in NYC as well)
• A view of the Eiffel Tower

Thus, it's not rare to hear, "It's a great restaurant -- and it's open on Sunday!" or "I actually found a good Thai restaurant!" By the way, I'm still looking for both, so if you know of one, please let me know!