IntroductiontoParis

　　DiscoveringtheCityofLightandmakingityourownhasalwaysbeenthemostcompellingreasontovisitParis.Ifyou'reafirst-timer,everything,ofcourse,willbenewtoyou.Ifyou'vebeenawayforawhile,expectchanges:TaxidriversmaynolongercorrectyourfracturedFrenchbutaddressyouinEnglish--tantamounttoarevolution.MoreParisianshavearudimentaryknowledgeofthelanguage,andFrance,atleastatfirstglance,seemslessxenophobicthaninpastyears.Paris,awareofitsrolewithinaunitedEurope,isaninternationalcity.Parisiansareattractedtoforeignmusic,videos,andfilms,especiallythosefromAmerica,eventhoughmostFrenchpeopleviolentlydisagreewiththepoliticaldictatesemergingfromGeorgeBush'sWashington.

　　ThoughParisisinfluxculturallyandsocially,itlurestravelersforthesamereasonsitalwayshas.You'llstillfindclassicsightsliketheTourEiffel,Notre-Dame,theArcdeTriomphe,Sacré-Coeur,andallthoseatmosphericcafes,aswellasdaringlyfuturisticprojectsliketheGrandeArchedeLaDéfense,theCitédesSciencesetdel'Industrie,theCitédelaMusique,andtheBibliothèqueFrançois-Mitterrand.Anddon'tforgettheparks,gardens,andsquares;theChamps-Elyséesandothergrandboulevards;andtheriverSeineanditsquays.Paris'sbeautyisstilloverwhelming,especiallyatnight,whenittrulyistheCityofLight.