Recently images from the new book have been making waves across social media sites, particularly Muratyan’s map of Paris that replaces arrondissements with New York neighborhoods.

The Café Francais, in Bastille. Photo: SSedro

For those who know both cities, the comparisons are uncanny, so I thought it might be fun to see which ones are spot-on and which ones seem like a stretch:

1. Bastille – Bowery, East Village: Spot on.

The young, artsy, still up-and-coming Bastille neighborhood where the Revolution ceremoniously began (well, for some) reflects the same vibe you get walking through the gentrifying East Village – although Bastille is much better serviced by the subway system.

2. Marais – West Village, Chelsea: Spot on.

The quirky gay-friendly Marais has all of the vivacity of Chelsea and the West Village, with pricey boutiques to match.

3. Latin Quarter – Greenwich Village, NYU: Stretch.

50 years ago it would have been true, but besides being student neighborhoods, the Latin Quarter feels much more like a tourist trap than the Village. It’s a place where students occasionally study and party, with none of the urban campus vibe of NYU where thousands of students actually live.

4. Montmartre – Gramercy: Spot on.

Severely gentrified since its Belle Epoque bohemian days (think Moulin Rouge) Montmartre, much like Gramercy Park, is a charming place that most people just look at with so few possessing the keys (read: money) to truly access this neighborhood.

5. Passy – Upper West Side: Stretch.

Young people live in and like the Upper West Side. Some young people live in Passy, but no one likes it.

Tourists stream down the Champs-Élysees. Photo: Caribb

6. Champs Elysées – Times Square: Spot on.

Both are equally avoided by locals. At all cost.

7. Arc de Triomphe – Washington Square: Stretch.

We get the similarities, but the Beatniks and students at the Washington Square arch have nothing in common with the Napoleonic greatness of the military-inspired Arc de Triomphe.

8. Choissy – Chinatown: Spot on.

Porte de Choissy is Paris’s liveliest Chinatown, though New  York’s version is even more vibrant.

Taking in Times Square. Photo: Ed Yourdon

9. Saint-Germain – Upper East Side: Stretch.

While they share similar qualities like museums and old rich people, Saint-Germain has many redeeming ones for locals, including great restaurants, boutiques, and endless café culture. The Upper East Side has redeeming qualities as well.  Just give me a few minutes…

10. Louvre – The Met, Union Square: Stretch.

Two big museums, OK, it was necessary. But I’m not sure about the Union Square comparison aside from the skateboarders.

11. Opéra – Theatre District: Spot on.

Locals and visitors alike flock to the area around the Opéra for a night of ballet, music, or comedy in one of the many smaller venues that fuels Paris’s theater scene. Even though theaters are found all over the city, the majestic Opéra Garnier and its little brother the nearby Opéra Comique are two of the most popular.

Your comparisons? So urban dwellers, what do you think about the comparisons between these cities?

The post Paris vs. New York… The neighborhood showdown appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Grab the flashlights, marshmallows and sleeping bags while I light the fire. Boo la la! Who’s there?!

1. Eiffel Tower
16th arrondissement (Metro: École Militaire or Champ de Mars)

The Eiffel Tower is a virtual magnet for suicides. From the get-go, folks have been jumping off it like there’s no tomorrow. In fact, it’s one of the most popular spots to commit suicide in all of Europe.

She may not have been the first to say it, but perhaps she was the most memorable: “So sorry to rain on your parade,” Princess Anna Troubetzkoy shouted, as she fell from the top on Bastille Day in July 1931. At first it was ruled accidental, but a farewell note was soon found in her bag.

Turned out that back in May, Anna had married a certain Prince Serge in New York. They kicked off their European honeymoon in June and were set to renew their four-month vows in August when they reached Russia.

So what happened? Was the prince really Mr. Wrong or was she already envisioning endless crash diets and yet another round of dress fittings? Nobody knows for sure, but obviously something had already gone astray between the lovebirds to make her decide to fly the coop so dramatically.

2. Arc de Triomphe
Place Charles-de-Gaulle, 17th arrondissement (Metro: Charles-de-Gaulle)

Almost immediately after it was completed, desperate women began heaving themselves off its rooftop parapet, after climbing all 284 steps to get there. Occasionally their skirts tangle and catch on a cornice, leaving the poor women dangling a few long moments above the horrified crowds below, before the seams give way and they plunge to their deaths.

Figuring out which police station to contact after one of these unfortunate incidents is always a major source of confusion because the monument sits at the juncture of four arrondissements and they’ve never clearly settled whether it’s the departure spot or the point of arrival (i.e., the sidewalk) that should be the proper determining factor in establishing jurisdiction.

Atop the Arc, keep your eyes peeled for a particular spirit named Rose. After quarreling with her beau on Bastille Day in 1914, Rose jumped, narrowly missing throngs of tourists in her tumble. She is said to repeat this every time a parade goes by.

Is it uniforms? The music? Just what is it about Bastille Day that makes folks want to make a real splash?

3. Notre Dame
4th arrondissement (Metro: Cité or Saint-Michel)

A young woman known only by the initials “M.J.” appeared at the cathedral on a cold and rainy October day in 1882, begging to climb the tower. She was refused, because back then women weren’t allowed to ascend without a chaperone.

What to do? She quickly spotted an elderly lady who was also touring the church and decided to make friends. After buying her breakfast at a nearby café, M.J. asked the old lady to tour the tower with her. The lady agreed and they headed back to the church.

By the time they reached the upper parapets, rain had started to pour. While the elderly woman sheltered in the bell-ringer’s room, the young woman screamed and apparently jumped. According to witnesses, she fell onto the spiked railings below and was neatly severed in two.

No identification was found in her bag, but her kerchief was marked with the initials “M.J.” As for the elderly lady who agreed to escort her, she seems to have disappeared into thin air. If you happen to be up on Notre Dame, keep an eye peeled for either one—they’ve both been seen flitting between the gargoyles.

4. Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, The Grave of Allan Kardec
20th arrondissement (Metro: Père-Lachaise or Philippe Auguste)

In Pere Lachaise Cemetery, you’ll not only find the graves of famous folks like Chopin, Balzac, Modigliani, Proust, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and, some say, Jim Morrison, but a few final resting places that are even more interesting because of the behaviors they induce. It’s worth buying a map at the entrance to help you locate them. The best time to catch the action is early in the morning.

One of my favorites is the grave of Allan Kardec in section 44. Here you can discreetly watch as true believers in spiritualism not only come to caress the shoulders of the bronze bust glaring from its niche (under what looks to be a crude prehistoric dolmen), and to whisper messages to their dead loved ones in his ear, but often also to put in requests for winning lottery numbers.

On the backside of the tomb is an official warning from the city of Paris (akin to the surgeon-general’s warning on a pack of cigarettes) that the municipal government can’t be sued if the numbers don’t win.

5. Dalida
At the dead end of rue d’Orchampt, 18th arrondissement (Metro: Abbesses)

Not all spirits are from the days of yore. On May 3, 1987, Yolanda Gigliotti, better known as the great pop idol Dalida, took a handful of pills, put on her sunglasses and “left our world for another,” as the official fan website puts it.

Ever since, the house has never quite felt the same. Though no one lives there anymore, sometimes a shadowy figure appears at the window as if to greet her fans—and she certainly still has them by the millions.

In addition to the house, the late diva’s grave is in the Cimetière de Montmartre, while her bust is at rues Girardon and Abreuvoir. Pilgrims still visit all three shrines to the “female Elvis” of France.

6. Pont-de l’Alma, Princess Di
7th arrondissement (Metro: Pont de l’Alma)

One more for the road. Just outside the Pont de l’Alma Métro station is the “Flamme de la Liberté” memorial, which now serves double duty as the unofficial Princess Di shrine, where pilgrims still leave poems, flowers, and love letters there.

According to my friend Ghislaine, who worked on two documentary films about the crash that killed her, “there are definitely ghosts in the Alma tunnel. After many nights spent filming there, I can tell you it’s eerie. It was as if Diana’s ghost was trying to urge us to find the truth. And I was certainly not the only one to feel this.”

Cheapos, do you have a tale to tell?

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Come on, Cheapos, walk this way!

Getting there

Along the Champs-Elysées

For instant gratification or if you’re pressed for time, get off at Metro “Place Charles de Gaulle.” But for the love of anticipation, take the Metro to either “Franklin D. Roosevelt” or “Porte Dauphine.”

Center of attention

Like a sympathetic angel in a Wim Wenders film, the Arc de Triomphe looks down on the city of Paris from her post on top of the hill of Chaillot. Located at the center of the heavily trafficked Place Charles de Gaulle, she is the key piece of L’Axe historique — a series of monuments that starts at the Sun King’s equestrian statue in the Musée du Louvre courtyard and ends in the outskirts of Paris at La Defense.

L’aimant (The magnet)

Although the Arc was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, she didn’t reach her full regal glory until the 1860s when city planner Haussmann made her an urban center of attention. At 165 ft high and 150 ft wide, she’s the second largest triumphal arch on earth (a slightly larger one is an expanded replica in Pyongyang, North Korea).

Her domineering stature has made her the perfect staging ground for pageants, parades, and demonstrations. She’s attracted lovers, daredevils, and more than the occasional suicide.

View from the top.

Bit-o-history

Almost immediately after her completion, desperate women started throwing themselves off the rooftop parapet, climbing the 284 steps to reach it. Figuring out which police department to contact after one of these unfortunate events was often a major source of confusion for French officials, because the Arc de Triomphe sits at the juncture of four arrondissements and they had never clearly settled whether the departure spot or the point of arrival should be the determining factor in establishing proper jurisdiction.

In 1919, French aviators were somehow left out of the planning for the WWI victory parade. They were quite sore about it, so they decided at an impromptu meeting at Fouquet’s bar on the Champs-Elysées to “repair the affront.” Lieutenant Charles Godefroy was assigned to the task of rectifying the omission. On the 9th of August, he flew his Nieuport biplane through the womb-like arch with the greatest of ease, after practicing with a wooden replica of the same size.

It was a risk worth taking, as the aviators were never left out of any future celebrations. In fact, nowadays the French Air Force provides the finale for the Défilé militaire du 14 juillet (The Bastille Day Military Parade) the oldest and largest military parade in the world, which has been held each year in Paris since 1880.

This has been Theadora Brack! Keep on flying, Cheapos!

More info

Arc de Triomphe
Official website

Hours:
April 1 to September 30: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
October 1 to March 31 : 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Admission:
Adults: € 9
Reduced rate: € 5.50
Free: Children under 18 (and citizens of EU member countries under 25 years old), disabled visitors and unemployed visitors.

The post Paris: Visiting the Arc de Triomphe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

There are plenty of other places where you can see the city from above, and for cheaper than a ticket up the crowded tower. Here’s a list of my other favorite birdseye hot-spots that will allow you to take in the majesty of Paris.

Climb Notre Dame’s tower

Perhaps my favorite views of Paris are from the towers of Notre Dame. There’s something  serene about looking down on the surrounding waters of the Seine and watching all the tiny people scurrying around in front of the cathedral. There is one drawback: only a certain number of visitors are allowed up in the towers at a time, so the wait can be considerable. Also be prepared to climb the 387 stairs.

Access to the towers is outside the cathedral, around the corner to the left of the entrance (if you’re facing the cathedral). Tickets cost €8, and you must pay in cash. From October 1 to March 31, the towers are open every day from 10 AM to 5:30 PM. From April 1 to September 30, the towers stay open until 6:30 PM, and from June through August until 11:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. The last group enters 45 minutes before closing.

Romance and music in Montmartre

Many visitors to Paris rave about the views from outside Sacré Coeur in Montmartre, especially at sunset. My opinion: it’s really difficult to make out any of the landmarks from that high up, and the Eiffel Tower and setting sun are completely hidden from view by trees and buildings.

Still, you can’t beat the atmosphere, with a rotating set of semi-English-speaking musicians performing on the church steps nightly. This vantage point is free and thus worth taking a moment to enjoy after touring the basilica.

Institut du Monde Arabe: Freebie!

Okay, so from the top floor of the Institut du Monde Arabe you can only vaguely see the Eiffel Tower through the corner of the glass building. It is, however, a great place to gaze out over the Seine and Notre Dame. On a clear day you can see Sacré Coeur and the Arc de Triomphe. There’s also an outdoor café/restaurant, although it’s a little pricey.

The institute is located at 1 rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard; opening hours are 10 AM to 6 PM, every day except Monday. Entrance is free.

Commanding views from the Tour Montparnasse

The Tour Montparnasse, the blight of the Paris skyline, is actually one of the best places to see the rest of the city. Take Europe’s fastest elevator to the 56th floor, which has floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides of the building and offers spectacular views in all directions. From there, walk up to the roof on the 59th floor for outdoor viewing. At €10.50 it costs almost as much as going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but the expense is well worth it.

The Tour Montparnasse in located in the Fifteenth Arrondissement outside Montparnasse station. From October 1 to March 31, the tower is open Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 AM until 11:00 PM. From April 1 to September 30, the tower is open every day until11:00 PM. The last elevator leaves a half hour before closing.

Majesty (and a museum) at the Arc de Triomphe

For views of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe can’t be beat. It’s not a bad place to see the Grande Arche at La Defense or the Champs Elysées either. You can look all the way down Paris’s most famous avenue to the Place de la Concorde and the Jardin des Tuileries beyond. If you decide to walk up, there are 284 stairs, with a small museum dedicated to the history of the monument about three quarters of the way up.

Tickets cost €9. From October 1 to March 31 the monument is open from 10 AM to 10:30 PM; closing time is 11 PM April 1 to September 30. The last entrance is 30 minutes before closing.

What do you think?

What is your favorite spot to view the City of Light? Tell us about it below!

About the author: Liz Webber is a freelance journalist living and working in Paris. She has previously worked for the International Herald Tribune and Budget Travel.

The post Paris: Where (else) to find the best views appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.