PARIS RIVER: HOW WATER MAKES THE CITY

The Paris river divides the city like the Willamette divides Portland. But instead of an Eastside / Westside divide, Paris goes with Right Bank and Left Bank.

One method means knowing the compass, the other is much more simple.

Think of finding a place with directions that include east, west, north, and south. I’m already lost.

Or go forward, turn left, turn right. That’s three commands instead of four to keep it simple, and who doesn’t like simple.

After getting The Seine correct, I’ve learned Paris is far from simple.

Or is it?

Consider this: American public spaces seem to include lots of pavement. We like it ordered and clean.

Paris public spaces are like the Paris river separating left and right. Instead of pavement all over the place, Paris uses small gravel and dirt. Which is better?

The walk up to the Louvre is gravel and dirt. So are the walkways around Napoleon’s tomb and other monuments.

I was surprised, then not because it felt so natural. The city could change the Paris river and it could pave the heck out of every walkway but it wouldn’t be better.

With thirty seven bridges crossing the Paris river, it sounds like the Seine is nearly paved with a few more. Thirty seven bridges within Paris city limits are lots of crossing. Get on the road at rush hour and you’ll see the bridges packed with traffic.

More than bikes, cars, scooters, motorcycles, and pedestrians, the bridges carry hope. Who isn’t drawn to water and the metaphor of washing away the bad things in life. Or at least taking a look.

Paris river invitation

Would you rather have a house near water or a suburban tract house if there were a choice to be made?

The Seine is a vision of Paris moving through the ages, moving people and what they need from century to century. And it’s still working with barges, tour boats, and riverside restaurants.

Who wouldn’t want to hear, “Meet me at the Paris river?” You’d know where to go.

The city feels the same, an implied notion of being in the right place at the right time once you arrive. What makes it even more certain is a man named Rick Steves.

In spite of building a travel tour empire, he still comes across as an unlikely expert. But he is. And so are his guides.

Today Paris opened a few more doors with their help, with many more to come.