Something Old, Something New - Thursday, 24 October

The flight across the pond was nice and smooth.  Delta’s website had shown a totally booked flight, but actually there was a rather strange seating pattern on the plane – the rear section was cheek-to-jowl with passengers and the middle section less than half full, as if all those people decided to take a different flight!  Of course, many people shifted seats after takeoff, but I decided to stay put this time – once I was settled in I was too lazy to move. 

Some of you who say “Paris again? When are you going to try something new, Mariellen?” will be thrilled to learn that I tried something new!  Well, it’s a tiny thing and not totally new, but new-ish – I took a new shuttle service from the airport to the apartment I’m renting!  It’s called Bee Shuttle (http://www.bee-shuttle.com/shuttle-us.asp) and a unique feature of their service is that their driver meets you right at the “meeting point” for your terminal.  He stands there holding a sign with your name on it, and then helps you transfer your suitcases to his van, which is right outside the door.  With other services you book your transportation in advance and then call them when you’ve arrived at the airport and collected your bags.  But then you might stand outside for 30 minutes or more before the shuttle arrives.  The bad news with Bee Shuttle is that if you’re staying in a pedestrian district (as I am) with most of the streets limited to emergency and delivery vehicles (and those streets one-way to boot), and if the driver doesn’t have GPS (as was the case with my driver), he might take a long time figuring out how to get you to your destination!  Today it took about 1 hour to get from the airport into the center of the city (lots of traffic) and another half-hour to get to the apartment itself.  I ended up giving the driver turn-by-turn directions when we got close, and I think some of them were illegal turns, but at least I got to my destination in less than two hours! 

 I’m using the same apartment as I rented in April.  It’s in a 17^th century building in the second arrondissement, just a half-block from rue Montorgueil (one of the great food streets of Paris).  It’s cozy and convenient and has everything I need, so why change when the “something old” is also “something right,” right?  http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_79.htm

I was bummed to see that one of my favorite little shops close to the apartment has closed – some other business is moving into the “Pylones” location on rue Tiquetonne.  Bummer!  There are a couple other Pylones not too far away, so I will still be able to get my cheap-and-funky stuff, but I can’t stop in there every day.  Also, my favorite sidewalk café/bar on the corner of rue Tiquetonne and rue Montorgueil is closed – but the good news is that it looks like they’re just renovating it.  Things change, even here in the City of Light.  It’s enough to keep me coming back.  Wait.  It’s the things that DON’T change that keep me coming back!  Oh, well, either way, same outcome….