Interesting New York Times Article on Paris
 

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/10/20..._20131018&_r=0

The author is leaving Paris after some years as bureau chief of the NY Times. I think many of his observations are on point, but disagree somewhat with others.

And once again, a <i>haute bourgeoisie<i> neophyte gives his definitive enlightenment about Paris. The horror, the horror...

Well, he lived there for five years and is entitled to have formed some impressions, and to share those with readers. I in no way felt he was attempting to "enlighten" anyone.

What, in particular, did you find so egregious in the article?

"You only need to travel to the 19th Arrondissement, with the gorgeous Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, where young gangs of Muslims, Africans and Jews fight for turf,"

Chinese ladies doing line-dancing more like

fear of the 19th, probably.

but his remarks about the divisions underneath the surface are spot on.

Well I find the post very interesting. Will be returning to Paris tomorrow for a one week stay...been quite a number of years since I spent any length of time there. I do remember on a long layover at CDG deciding to take the RER into the city and getting on the wrong train (not a nonstop) and going through some areas that were ..well lets just say not the Paris I remembered. I was fairly turned off. I think as with any very large city in this changing world the visitor has to work at finding the Paris that they seek. No question there are major issues in some areas and of course living there is a totally different story. Having read this I would imagine that certain things that I see and hear might be interpreted in a different way and I'm glad to gain this perspective. Thanks to the OP for sharing it.