I am sure it depends on the amount of money one has, but I have always wondered, is it hard? Is it charming? Does the charm wear out? I think of New York City as an exciting city to visit but I would never ever want to live there. Not in the suburbs, not in Manhattan, not with lots of money. Is Paris like that? there are a lot of inconveniences, but the beauty is so overwhelming that it makes it seem worth it.

Paris has changed a lot and not for the better IMO, in terms of lots of things, including "beauty". The neighborhood I usually stay in has tons of street people now, trash, etc. Yes, there is beauty but when you live in a place on a daily basis, you aren't strolling the Seine or going to expensive restaurants. I remember when I was buying some books in Gibert Joseph many years ago, some American asking the bookstore clerk something similar, and he just rolled his eyes, and said sarcastically, pointing to bd St Michel with a zillion tourists on it -- oh, yes, you can see how charming it is.

Why not read all those starry-eyed books by expats trying to make an industry out of it (especially Brits) -- oh, look at me, I live in Paris and can take photos of my meals to post on the internet to prove how chic I am, and yet I had so little interest in France before that I can barely speak a word of French.

I'm sure you'll hear how perfect it is from some.

It is exhilarating and frustrating. It is never boring.

I lived in Paris for 6 years total, but kind of uniquely, (because of work) it was divided as 2 years in the 80's, 2 years in the 90's, and 2 years in the 2000's. Each time was a different experience partly because of the neighborhoods (first near the peripherique in the 14th, then right near the Eiffel Tower in the 7th, and most recently at the Marais border near the Pompidou and I have also spent around 6 months in the suburbs). The one thing that I think has gotten a bit worse has been the food-I tell friends that the food has been getting better in London over 30 years and worse in Paris. It used to be hard to buy a bad baguette or have a poor meal but now I really like to read reviews as a way to vet places. However, 30 years ago there was no way to do that-so with the internet that is an improvement! I also think that Paris is friendlier than it used to be for late night dining and entertainment and staying more open on weekends-so in my mind that is also an improvement. It is an amazingly beautiful city full of cultural opportunity but I must confess I always feel like I don't take as much advantage of the culture as I should.

Can I imagine living there again? Probably not, because these days I would prefer to be in a city like Bordeaux which is smaller with cheaper rental cost, and a bit more the right scale for me in my retirement years. For us the important thing is to have enough density of commerce so that we can walk to shop and eat out, good public transport-preferably tram, but to balance that with some "quiet" which can be hit or miss in Paris apartments. So we are considering a move to either a stand alone house in France in the suburbs of a "second" city like Bordeaux or Toulouse or maybe even a few other cities that entice us-but not so much Paris anymore. But if you have the dream of living in Paris even just short term, I would say to go for it-there are so many ways to live in Paris or around Paris and have good access by RER etc. that it would be worth exploring.

I've lived part time in Paris for 25 years now. I am at home in Florida for 6 months and in Paris for the other six. Life in Paris is easier in many ways than that in Florida as I am a carless, big city person not caring much for strip mall Florida. Florida's pluses are the weather, swimming pools and air conditioning. Paris has everything else, walking, public transportation, grocery deliveries, cultural activity . . .all those things one expects a big city to offer. Yes, exhilaration and frustration but overall life in Paris for my 85 year old self is easier in Paris. As one place of residence compliments the other, I wouldn't care to give up either. My neighborhood well out of the city center has changed greatly with the flow of young creatives bringing in more cafes, bistros, boutiques geared to that age group. The change has been interesting to watch, but Paris is dynamic and always changing unlike the Paris of many movies Americans see.

So interesting to hear from others who have called or still call Paris home. I totally agree with Envierges that Paris is certainly easier than most US cities (maybe except for NYC,DC or SF) when you don't have or want a car. We are also half time between the US and France for now-maybe we will be lucky enough to continue that as Envierges is at 85-you are my hero. But my dread of the long flight may eventually cause me to choose-and that would probably come down on the side of choosing France for all the reasons mentioned about it being easier as we age.

Ipie
The long flight dread, as I just discovered, is a lot easier in business or special something economy if you're not doing that already. And there's now a Marks and Spencer's at CDG at the taxi exit. I come to Florida to do my medical stuff . . .just easier in English with my regular Drs.

Yes-I totally agree about business class. We are currently based in Seattle so if Norwegian Airlines can weather their economic worries and continue their non-stop to Gatwick, Norwegian's Premium class is what we prefer. We like Norwegian since it gives us a little more flex than the non-budget airlines in terms of booking one way tickets which we prefer-that gives us the flex to return earlier or later. I definitely spoil myself compared to my younger years. The flight from Seattle lands at Gatwick at 7AM and our flight to Bordeaux doesn't leave til 4pm and since I can never sleep on planes (too busy helping the pilot keep the plane in the air lol), we check into the Yotel at Gatwick and get 3-4 hours sleep and grab a shower and check email-then we still have time for a quick lunch in the S terminal before our flight. Feels like the lap of luxury when you are exhausted!

As a native NY'er, I often find cities easier to negotiate than suburban, exurban, and rural areas. Cities have their own logic and rhythms. I understand how a subway works. Why you have to walk somewhere. Why we try to stay in more residential neighborhoods than tourist areas. We have been to Paris many times and I have basic understanding of the city, clearly nothing like a Parisian. We do not own a car in NY and the $1,000's it saves all sorts of expenses, even excluding garages, allows for taxis when needed and more money for other things.

Once you know where to get good quality food, clothes, etc for less and the better cheaper restaurants, you will feel at home.

Thank you all for your responses! They are very enlightening and help me deal with the post-Paris trip withdrawal and depression. I am going to plan another trip to Europe as a remedy.

I adore Paris. I could never live there, much as I could never live in NYC. I can take a big city for about 3 days tops, then I need to flee.

I do think Christina has a point that Paris has become less attractive and romantic over the years. The last time we were there we visited the Opéra and were practically trampled by young Asian tourists taking selfies with sticks, inside the opera house! I don't need or want that kind of BS when I visit Paris. I'll go for special exhibits, but Paris doesn't hold any special mystique for me any more. I'm glad I got my fill of it in the 80s and 90s.

It's not as though I don't love France, obviously. I'm just glad to be away from the hubbub here in the usually peaceful countryside. And yes, I can get a good city fix in Bordeaux or Toulouse if I need one. One doesn't need Paris to get fabulous city vibes or culture in France.

Let's not veer off the track here. The question was "What's it like to live in Paris?"
Neither Christine nor StCirq live in Paris so their answers might not be pertinent. Visiting Paris and living in Paris are apples and oranges.

We moved to the burbs for about 13 years and could not wait to move back to the City. We live in Manhattan, but there is a huge green expanse out the window.

Paris has many parks, although I guess the property around Place de Vosges is among the most expensive in Paris. But there are so many other parks.

There is nothing like having plays, art, museums, bookstores, restaurants, music all within walking distance. I could live in Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Bologna, Cefalu, and maybe a coastal town in Portugal.

Funny you should mention that IMDonehere. I just read an very good article about initiatives to increase green space in Paris-very excited about that. When I lived in Paris I worked a lot in London and really loved the green spaces there versus the many "white building" vistas in Paris-lovely too but nice to have some trees and green as well

https://www.euronews.com/living/2019...climate-change

Jpie-that would be awful, something that is aesthetically pleasing and helpful for the environment.

In NYC, we might have the world's must valuable undeveloped parcel of land-Central Park. Some sickeningly rich hedge fund manager paid $238 million for an apartment across the street from the Park. I believe it comes with indoor plumbing.

Out of the heavily touristed center of Paris, there are many large parks, medium sized parks and lots and lots of pocket parks. If you walk through these out of center neighborhoods you will find that locals have taken to planting around trees, installing beds around trees and installing planting spaces in front of their buildings all to put in more green. My short street just had many huge sturdy boxes for planting installed in former parking spaces that were also fenced off to allow the cafes on my street to expand into areas previously trafficked. Much of this doesn't take big initiatives but rather neighborhood residents working together on a small scale to improve.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...-paris-rooftop

In fact, Paris is one of the greenest major cities in Europe because of the number of tree lined streets. While they will never replace a park when you want one, all it takes is a visit to most of the other cities of Europe to realize how "mineral" they are with so many treeless streets.

And just look at this newby
You're even invited to pick the berries and reminded to wash them before eating.

https://quefaire.paris.fr/83415/la-p...-passe-au-vert

https://www.pariscotejardin.fr/2019/...passe-au-vert/