Why are you going to Paris again, for six weeks!

Paris again? You're going for six weeks? Why not try some place else?

These are questions our friends ask us and that we ask ourselves. When we were in Rome last week we seriously discussed the possibility of going there or somewhere else instead of Paris. I have a strong bias towards cities and there are a number of world-class cities we could visit. Compared to Paris, cost is not a major issue with any of them. To me, the list of world class cities begins with New York and Paris followed by London and Rome and maybe a few others. After that, there is a break before a large group of nice cities that I would love to visit; but not spend six weeks.

The issue for me is that I want to go away for long enough to really feel like we're living there, not just visiting and sightseeing. I want to get up each morning, not with a checklist of things I to do before leaving, but with the thought that I just want to enjoy the day in the best way I can. That can mean just getting a baguette and a newspaper and sitting and watching the people go by; or it can mean going to see a wonderful show at a museum. It all depends on the day and what's available.

When we arrive in Paris, it's like coming home. We're like kids rushing to our favorite store to buy the bread and cheese we love. We spend hours going over Pariscope to see what's happening at the cabarets, museums and movie theaters and we start going over the Michelin and Pudlo restaurant guides to decide where we will be eating - old favorites and new. And, Chris starts planning her trips to the market - think of 10 Union Squares arranged end to end with incredible variety. They have more kinds of mushrooms, potatoes and beans than we ever dreamt of. We're much more organized here than we are in NY! I can't explain it but it's like being home. We love to walk the streets, miles of them. There's so much to do we feel like we're "bathing" in Paris. We know we won't get to it all, but we're also never bored. There's always next year.

I would be willing to go just about anywhere for a week, maybe two; but compared to New York or Paris I can't imagine staying any longer.

September 20/07