I’ve been living in Paris for years and it sill surprises me.
I’ll try to give you an idea of this city, based on my personal experience of it, positive experience, not easy to explain sometimes but I hope useful. It might help you when you’re here, living with these people, in this environment!!

Running and sport
Try going for a run in Bois de Boulogne (ok for cycling and canoeing too), or in Bois de Vincennes, or in Parc de la Villette. Anyway, all the parks in the city, even the smaller ones, are nice, and beautifully looked after.
I’d also suggest Quais de la Seine: the river bank makes a very interesting bike ride and is great for jogging and skating too. In the summer, part of the river bank is turned into “Paris Plage”, a real beach where you can sunbathe in comfortable deckchairs and chaise-longs, or enjoy the various activities they provide, all free (acqua gym, meditation, dancing, yoga and so on).
And if you like petanque, the national sport in France, go and play in the gardens just down from Chausèe de la Muette – M Passy.

Events
Every Friday there are tours of the city on rollerblades, and with a police escort to boot. You set out from Place Raoul Dautry and it lasts around three hours, for expert skaters. On Sunday afternoon there’s a similar tour but much softer (for families and kids). Info www.pari-roller.com.

For runners, amateurs or otherwise, I suggest the Paris marathon and half-marathon. Info www.parismarathon.com.

Every Friday at 9.30 pm, hundreds of people gather in front of the Hotel de Ville in place de Greve for the start of a splendid bike tour round the streets and squares of the Ville Lumiere.
And lastly, don’t forget the Parisienne, a women’s race in support of cancer research.

Food and Drink
It’s not easy to talk about food in Paris; there are so many delicacies. My favourites are paté de fois gras (goose or duck), all the cheeses, confit de canard, rillettes, terrine, stuff like that…
Wine, baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat, petit beurre, sables, tartes aux fruits, macaroons and cakes and pastry in general.
You can get most of these things in the supermarket, the biggest chain, for example is Monoprix; some of them are open till midnight, like the one on Champs Elisée. If you want something more chic, don’t forget “Bon Marché”, in St. Germain.
For oven products, any baker’s or pâtisserie will do: quality standards are always very high! Anyway a baker’s I like a lot is “Paul”, a chain you see all over Paris.
Macaroons are worth a mention: they’re sold in all patisseries and bakers but none can equal the legendary “Pierre Hermé” macaroons! The shop, the queue at the door and the slightly above average prices – it’s all worth the mystical experience of trying these very special macaroons! It’s in Rue Bonaparte, 54 I think.

Restaurants

• Try a steak in any bistrot (French meat is generally excellent).
• Paul Berthe Bistrot, at the Cliché flea market (the crêpes and the meat are very good).
• La Charlotte de l’Isle, on Saint Louis (marvellous tarts and chocolate; a very nice tea shop).
• The bar in the Mosquée de Paris (excellent cakes – honey of course – and mint tea).
• Behind St Germain, the church, there’s a restaurant that serves amazing buckwheat crêpes! Unfortunately I can’t remember the exact address …
• Resto de la Gare, Chausée de la Muette (when visiting the gardens).
• Falafel – takeaway or eat on the spot – in the Jewish quarter.
• Comptoir des canettes (try the fried eggs!). Rue des Canettes.
• Savannah Café (Lebanese –eccentric owner, interesting décor, good traditional Lebanese cooking). Rue Descartes.
• KRUNG THEP (very good Thai). 93, rue Julienne Lacroix.
• … and thousands of others!

Trends and novelties
Go and look around Antoine&Lili (www.altribu.com), stroll along Boulevard St. Germain and look at the furniture and interior design shops, visit La Villette, the building occupied by artists in Rue de Rivoli (can’t remember the number); and all shops in the Marais. Here you’ll find furnishings, clothes and original ethnic craft stuff. You won’t regret it!!
And then … remember objectif bois (soaps) in Rue de Poissy; for unbeatable bargain clothes, Mouton a cinq pattes, 8, rue St. Placide, is a must.

Press
For more ideas on what to do and where to go, buy Pariscope (all the city’s events) and Paris pas cher (available on the street – info on everything).

Books
Hundreds of course. My pick would be: “Zazie on the metrò” (Raymond Queneau), Pennac’s novels (about the Belleville quarter), “The parrot theory” (Guedj Denis – set in Montmartre), “Movable Feast” (Ernest Hemingway), “The mystery of rue des Saints Pères” (Izner Claude – interesting afterword on the historical context and its importance for the triumph of science) and, obviously, Maigret’s crime fiction.

Films
Hundreds here too. My favourites are: “Le 400 coups” (Truffaut), “Jules et Jim” (Truffaut – not all of it in Paris), “Le Fableaux destin de Amélie Poulain” (Jean-Pierre Jeunet), “Monsieur Ibrahim and the flowers of the Koran” (François Dupeyron).

Internet
www.paris.fr
www.parisinfo.com
www.paris.org

The 10 things you can’t not do when in Paris

1. a walk taking in rue Bucci, rue St. André, Galerie Vivienne, the Palais Royal gardens, rue de Canettes, Iles St. Louis, Pont des Arts, La Muette, rue des Barres, rue du Grenier sur l’eau, Parc Monceau, Rue Muffetard …;
2. hire an RATP bike (first 30 minutes free);
3. try Pierre Hermé’s macaroons;
4. eat a baguette campagne;
5. visit Louis Vuitton (there’s a small exhibition on the top floor of the shop);
6. go to a show at the Crazy Horse;
7. admire a sunset from the bottom of Jardin des Tuleries looking towards the Champs Elisée, with the sun dropping behind the Arc de Triomphe;
8. or a sunset from pont des Arts;
9. dine in the Jewish restaurant in rue du Grenier sur l’eau;
10. visit the Musee d’Orsay with a guide/volunteer/student.

Miscellaneous
On the first Sunday of the month, all the museums are free.
Try Velib! (bikes at all metrò stations, free for the first 30 minutes – for info: www.velib.paris.fr).