Thursday, May 23, 2013

Repeat Visitors to Paris: Pursue Your Passions - Street Art, Photography, Bouldering, Yoga and More



No one visits Paris for the first time, as Tim Freytag notes in his article Déja-Vu: tourist practices of repeat visitors in the City of Paris. The icons of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur, are universal in their appeal and presence and even first-time visitors arrive with distinct impressions of the City of Light. As the European capital of city tourism, Paris invites repeat visitors. There is so much to see in Paris, that it often takes more than one visit to cover the main sites.
Even novice tourists shy away from the ‘tourist’ label.  Think Adam Goldberg’s Jack in the Julie Delpy movie 2 Days in Paris when he, just arriving in Paris himself, sends a group of American tourists off in the wrong direction. Repeat visitors, defined by Freytag as those having visited at least three times, tend to distance themselves even more from the typical tourist experience.  They focus less on ‘checking off’ the major sites and more on exploring their own personal interests in the city, generally seeking out a more authentic, local experience. Living like a local may include heading off the beaten track to explore the newly hip neighborhoods of Eastern Paris or discovering the city through the lens of personal hobbies, passions, or a particular shopping mission (a vintage pen and inkwell – stylo plume et encrier, for example). 


Stylo plume et encrier
cmalojikamoi.centerblog.net

Here are a few ideas for seeing Paris through a different lens (pun intended).


Isabelle Vianu © 2011
Street Art Tour - a walking tour of Paris’ finest street art. Learn about the culture, visit a street art gallery, and meet the artists. Tours are every Thursday and Saturday at 11AM and last approximately 3 hours. 20€ (15€ online). You can cover more ground on the Street Art Bike Tour (20€ plus 12€ bike rental) every Sunday at 10AM. If you want to learn graffiti techniques, take the Stencil Art Workshop Thursday and Saturday at 3pm (20€). The Stencil Art Workshop can also be combined with the Thursday morning Street Art Tour (40€). Reserve at tours@undergroundparis.org.

Photography
Better Paris Photos founder Sophie Pasquet oversees several international photographers from Ireland, Russia and the US. Basic Private Day Tour (for 1-2 people) 195€ half-day; 290€ full day; Shared Tour 145€ and 215€; Night Tour 240€ for 1-2, then 60€ per additional photographer. The web site has a nice presentation of the different instructors. Pasquet’s company has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Trip Advisor (132 excellent; 4 very good – Ranked #11 of 305 Activities in Paris.)

Bouldering
If the idea of visiting another Paris museum or monument has you climbing the walls, go bouldering, escalade de blocs, at Blocbuster in the western suburb of Courbevoie, a five minute walk from Métro/RER La Défense) or Blockout in the northern suburb of Saint-Ouen (metro line 13). These climbing gyms also organize outings to Fontainebleau, renowned in Europe for its climbable rocks.

www.blocbuster.fr

Yoga
American-style yoga is everywhere in Paris. Yogateau seems to be the main resource for yoga classes and workshops in Paris. Here you’ll find a listing of studios and information on types of yoga and classes taught in English, French or both. The studios that get a lot of press are Rasa, Beyoga and Guerilla Yogi (Mark Holzman) at the American Church. Classes cost around 20€ per session. Affordable Yoga lunchtime classes are only 5€ per session.  

Movie Walks
Download maps with explanations in French and English from Paris Film Trails and follow in the footsteps of stars from your favorite Paris-based movies, from Ratatouille, The Devil Wears Prada and Midnight in Paris.

Participatory Tourism
There are several organizations that facilitate meetings between visitors and Parisians. Ça se visite offers urban walks in Paris and the Club International des Jeunes à Paris brings together French and international students.  If you are tempted by an evening of conversation, food and wine around the table with locals, check out Beyond Croissant, a dinner-with-the-locals organization founded by Sarah-Lou Gervais and Aurélie Daniel to gather “travelers, expats and locals in their homes to share (more than just) a meal”.


Post Scriptum
Julie Delpy’s mother, Marie Pillet, who plays herself in 2 Days In Paris was one of the original 343 Salopes in 1971. In this hilarious exerpt from the movie, she explains to Jack that she was one of women in France who signed the charter of the 343 Salopes (bitch, slut, take your pick) who, risking prison, openly announced that they had had illegal abortions. 



Addendum: 22 July 2013: For runners, here's another way to see Paris. See Vivian Song's New York Times article Paris at the speed of sneakers.