Who loves Paris above all cities -- why?
 

There's the question! Do you want to tell me what about Paris captures your heart? Or, if you don't like Paris, why that is so.

Good question that it brought a smile to my face. I love Paris. My first time was in 2002 and have been back 3 times after that first trip. I think the history is awesome. Incredible to think what it would have been like to be there long ago. Something about this city captures my heart. The romance, the people and it is an easy city to get around. I would love to just sit in a cafe and people watch but there is so much to see.

Because it lives up to its enormous reputation for art, culture, cuisine, romance and fashion, and surpasses it. And because it's so French and so multicultural at the same time.
Paris gets inside your head and becomes an obsession, like a beaujolais nouveau.

Who loves Paris above all cities? I don't. I am not overl fond of any city, anywhere. How is that for a blunt answer?. Now do I have to go into why?

I like the art and music establishments that must have cities to exist, but other than that, I am yet to find a city I want to live in.

The fact that there is no other museum quite like the d'Orsay or a sculpture reserve quite like the Rodin does not make me "love" Paris. Or any other city for that matter.

Great to visit the institutions I find incredible. Great to leave the aspects of any and all metro areas I despise.

Doubt if your self serving question got the answer you wanted, but that's the way I look at it.

I was enchanted by Paris since I was 16 years old..
Since then it will always hold a special place to my heart..
Of course Rome will be always my first love...

I guess I'm one who does love Paris and always will! It began on a whirlwind escorted tour in '78 during high school. I didn't see any get to see the city at all during this tour so I decided to revisit but it didn't occur again until 1991 w/my husband. Paris is really special with your loved one(s). After that again in '93, '99, '02, this past Feb. and again this Dec.
I cannot explain completely why the city's captured my attention except other than its ambience, the great architecture, looking at the Seine during the day and at night, and the great pastries among many reasons. :)
I know people who don't see it the way I do and really don't like Paris. It's their choice but, honestly, I cannot understand why they feel that way.

to bob_brown: Dude, chill!

I'm a big fan of vibrant cities and Paris heads the list of the many I've visited on four continents. Great food; lively street life; wonderful preservation of historic buildings; a great metro system (coupled with fabulous "walkability"); a beautiful language; sidewalk cafes; eye-catching art; people-friendly public places; awesome cityscapes; comfortable hangouts; interesting characters; sensible priorities and an incredible "sense of place" all combine to form a city that I am always happy to return to. Paris puts a punctuation mark or two in my life experience each year and I doubt that I will ever tire of it.

Yes. It is the French spirit.

I'm not a fan of cities either, but for Paris I'll make an exception. The first time I didn't want to go but we landed there and needed to get over jet lag. I really did enjoy it. We've returned many times over the years and I do look forward to it now.

I like the ambiance. I love the churches. I love the museums. I like being able to eat in a restaurant where the men don't wear baseball caps and people don't yell at each other and the waiters don't wait until you have your mouth full and then come over and ask if everything is okay. Somehow, everything seems to fall in place in Paris and even on those days when you have nothing planned, you can walk along the Seine or pop into a museum and it's just a perfect day. It's even nice when it rains!

If you have to visit a city, Paris is the city to visit.

One possible reason, a quote from a collection titled "A Place in The World Called Paris" edited by Stephen Barclay:

"Everything I saw--the chestnut trees scarttering their leaves along the walks, the wide bridges clustered with bookstalls at either end,the medieval town of Ile de la Cite over which Notre-Dame raised its ponderous, Gothic stones--evoked that strange pang which even first time visitors to Paris recognize, with some astonishment, as nostalgia. A buried memory seems to stab at your consciousness in Paris, and you follow in the steps of an elusive phantom of deja vu, but never quite catch up. So deeply embedded in the world's dream of freedom, youth, art, and pleasure has this city become, that the feeling that the stranger in Paris feels is a feeling of return. Perhaps one misses friends so keenly there beause all of one's senses are pitched to such a keen note of receptivity, and one vibrates with an awareness that one longs to share."

"A Wake in the Streets of Paris",
John Clellon Holmes 1987

I have lived to return to Paris since I first visited in 2001. But I have always been fascinated by Paris. I just loved it even more after being there. I love the colour of all the buildings, the spirit, the memories of my honeymoon...everything...cant wait to return in Sept!

I too am a Paris lover; hard to describe the comfortable feeling I have walking everywhere; there is always something to wow me. The bridges and the views, how people live there. I try to avoid the more touristy areas, Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysées, after you've seen them once there's no need to return.......

Paris is unique in it's league.

To bob brown: Try taking more fiber!

There is just something about Paris. Everywhere you look, down every small side street or grand boulevard or around every corner, is beautiful architecture with wonderful details. The whole city is a museum. The first few times I went there I didn't spend much time in museumes, I couldn't tear myself away from the street scenes to go inside. Besides the buildings there's the courtyards, the parks, the street life, the shops. Just window shopping in Paris is more interesting than most things you can do other places. The windows themselves are art. And if you do want to go shopping - have you seen the inside of Galleries Lafayette? That dome would be a major tourist attraction in most cities, in Paris it's just a store.

Everything in Paris is like that. just take almost any building, church, monument, bridge - in most other places in the world it would be the central attraction, in Paris it's just a part of the whole.

It is such a walkable city, I can walk ten times as far as I can at home without getting bored or tired. But when I do, it has the most effecient, and most interesting, public transportation system of any of the major cities. When I get hungry - look in any patisserie window, or find a crepe stand, a cafe - you don't even need any of the multitude of great restaurants to find wonderful food. And if you do buy street food or something "to go" - no problem finding a scenic, peacful place to eat it. And while doing so there will undoubtedly be interesting people to watch, probably with their cute, well behaved dogs - and most likely even some street music do dine by.

Because it's so FRENCH!

I was talking about the issue of "national personality" with a German friend this morning on MSN Messenger -- with each comes good and bad -- that are explicable in terms of history, language and culture -- especially FOOD [not to mention wine :D]

Paris can be so many things including diry, noisy and annoying & aloof -- but then it can also be a flirty, passionate place -- I realized how "French" I had become when, on my last trip, I was defending the French quirks on manners and food to some friends traveling with me ;)

I can't explain it. I just know I am at home in Paris -- I accept and understand the bumps as they are part of a centuries long history of believing that life should have a certain quality and pace.

I feel so alive in Paris. There is such beauty everywhere -- the architecture, the bridges, the river, the art, the food & wine, the women who seem to make the simplest outfit look glamorous, even the dogs seem more beautiful in Paris...

My first trip was in December of 97. My husband and I had both lost our jobs that fall. We had a free flight to Europe that expired after December, but only enough money for one night in our hotel. We were only in the city for 24 hours, but it was one of the best days of my life. We took a quick nap & shower the morning we arrived, then walked around the city all day, stopping now and then to enjoy a cafe au lait or a glass of wine (our first introduction to Beaujolais Nouveau.) We did manage to buy a few postcards (our meager souveniers) which I framed & still treasure, and some delicious chocolates.

The city was absolutely stunning with the Christmas decor and lights. We ended up at the Eiffel Tower that evening, then enjoyed a late night dinner of cassoulet at a nearby bistro. We were both so sad to leave the next day, and several friends thought we were nuts to go at all due to the short stay. But I wouldn't trade this day for anything.

Even broke, the city was a magical place. I have returned once more since (without the money worries, luckily), and my husband travels there often on business. We both love this city and hope there many more trips for us in the future.

I love Paris for all of the reasons mentioned above and for so many others. As the song says, I love Paris in the springtime (and I love Paris in the fall). Most of all I love being there, I love thinking about my last trip and planning my next trip. Nowhere else is so much fun to look forward to and I have until September to look forward.

Thank you awbaker -- that's it! Paris makes me feel alive ;)

I also love the preciseness and the attention to detail in all social and gustatory matters.

Thanks to Croque M above, I'm adding "A Place in the World Called Paris" to my reading list.

For me,as for my other favorite things and people, it's more than the sum of the parts. Yes, there's the food, architecture, history, chic-ness, art. Even the grey weather doesn't bother me, it seems to fit. Also, no modern skyscrapers, well, hardly any.

And then there's that 'chemistry' thing, that indescribable something that makes us fall in love with one and not another.
For that reason, there's no point in trying to explain or convince someone who doesn't feel that way. It's the old "I don't know what you see in him/her." To which I reply, "I'm sorry, it's your loss."

I admit to agreeing with what other's who love Paris have said. I love its multiculturalism. Then, again, I really like the French. I respect them. I have that deja vu feeling of "whew...I'm home". People complain that the French are "cool" or even use the phrase "rude". I don't agree. I think Paris, a small space, and an ancient space, with millions of people, behave in a very civilized and polite manner. They expect their "space" to be respected and they respect other's. Good manners grease the wheels of a peaceful society. They have treasured and confidently valued themselves, growing, living, changing, adapting, making the "day to day" with a sense of accomplishment and style. They respect the individual and as a collective, seem to try to make life easier, comfortable and graceful for all.

Croque Madame, Elaine
You have both expressed my sentiments exactly. It really is a chemistry, because I have definitely fallen in love with Paris because of ALL of the above. PJ

It's strange, because although I like Paris, it's never going to be up there among my favourite cities. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I guess it's just the overall atmosphere of the place, the attitudes of the inhabitants (so few of whom prove to be true, born and bred Parisians). Of course, my relationship with Paris has rarely been as a tourist, but as a resident, and that changes a few things!

After living there for a few years, I realised that I was becoming impatient, aloof, even rude in my everyday dealings with others. Small things, like not acknowledging someone who holds a door open for you or gives you their seat in the metro. Stepping on someone's toes without apologising. A shopkeeper who pretends not to recognise you despite your having been a regular customer for months. Huffing and sighing and pouting when greeted with a busy metro car or long boulangerie queue. I realised it was time to move on, and what a welcome change it was to come to Lyon, where the people are so much more laid-back, and where the city somehow belongs to the residents, not the tourists.

Paris! The stress, the 3am traffic jams, the tiny, expensive apartments, the crowded pavements! Living and working in Paris, I began to feel utterly claustrophobic. You're never alone, and there's no such thing as open space.

Having said all that, now I no longer live in Paris, I am slowly beginning to appreciate the place. I was there last weekend and when we got off the train at the Gare de Lyon, we decided to stroll through the Marais. And as we wandered through the Place des Vosges in the warm evening sunlight, a group of jazz guitarists playing under the arcades, we peered into galleries and boutiques and wondered why we'd never noticed them before.

And, just for a second, I *almost* thought I understood why Paris holds such a special place in so many people's hearts.

I'm willing to give it a second chance ;)

Because it pleases every one of the senses to the nth degree.

I LVOE Paris...and there r many many reasons...the 1st and most obvious is that im studying French and Paris is the basis of French and French culture (even though there is more to it than just Paris! trust me i know) other than that, i think everyone has said it above...Paris is well just Paris!

my first trip was in september 2003 when i was moving over to Rennes for the year, we had a week long tour of Paris, and i instantly fell in love with it. when i realized that this was the city for me was the 1st time i saw the Eiffle Tower from le jardin de tuilieries! it was probably the best sight EVER in my eyes. after studying all about Paris and France for 9 yrs i was finally there. i came back in February with my parents when they came over and seeing it the second time was even better. for some reason i cant get enough of it, and ive seen all the same things!

to me, Paris is why i came over here and its why ive stayed and its France for me.

there really is no specific reason towards my love of it, its just Paris! everything is great about it! just one of those cities that has an air about it!

Although I fell in love with Paris as a teenager, I had a bad experience while I was there (I was somewhere where a 15-year-old girl shouldn't have been late at night and paid the price)and didn't really return until I was in my 30s.

My husband and I both feel a strong spiritual connection to France in general and Paris in particular. We both have French ancestors and so there's an almost genetic pull, although in my case, my ancestors were Protestants and any experiences they had in Paris could not have been especially pleasant.

I think Paris appeals especially to the creative, the sensuous, and the romantic (i.e., those who can feel the emotional draw of the idealized while rationalizing the grit of reality). Pragmatists may be less enchanted by the city.

For me, a lot of Paris's charm comes from its layout (the right combination of broad boulevards and narrow lanes, open to the sky and punctuated by just a few tall structures) and architecture (lots of light-reflecting limestone, the gorgeous grey slate of the mansards, which often takes on the color of the sky). I love the buildings with their casement windows, wooden shutters, and iron balconies. I love the way nature is brought into the built environment--the flowering trees, the wisteria, the tulips, lilacs, boxwood, and geraniums.

I love the pace, the parks, the public squares, the monuments, the museums, the markets, the cafes, the culture, the shops, and the dogs. Paris offers all that I value in life--in abundance.

That was stated beautifully, Elle.

For me, it's a combination of the food, architecture, shops, people & dogs! (Just watch where you step.)

I love Paris and visit at least once a year. The art, architecture, culture, cuisine, sidewalk cafes, fountains, museums and fashion all combine to make it a very wonderful experience for people of all ages.

Paris would be heaven on earth if the locals were not so arrogant and rude and could just smile a little more. They have so much to smile and be happy about living in such a great city, but many of them look like they just bit into a sour pickle!

However, that situation may never change and I don't let it reduce my many fond thoughts of Paris.