Parisians
I spent a week in Paris three years ago. I was absolutely amazed at
how NICE Parisians were, including most crusty old taxi drivers!
Tourists and locals I talked to during my visit all commented on
this. Many locals claimed it was mostly due to more exposure to
strangers and the hard economic times in Paris. "We
need the tourists" said one taxi driver, "we better be nice if
we want them to come back." And, contrary to accepted lore,
most actually wanted to speak and practice English!!
Special note: I use a wheelchair and expected all kinds of
limitations. After all, Paris is old and all the guide books say
you have to be ready to put up with quite a lot.
Well, they couldn't be more wrong. Paris has made an enormous
effort in the last few years to become more accessible and
friendlier to visitors with disabilities. It was hard to
believe! Everyone went out of their way to offer assistance,
taxi drivers would accommodate me willingly and never tried to
avoid picking us up.
In Paris, I never had to wait in line in
any of the museums. You know what a huge break it is! Museum
guards actually came out to "pluck" me from the line before I
knew) and said I didn't need to wait and didn't pay to get in.
What can I say? I'm sold! I'd go back in an instant and would
very definitely recommend it to anyone!!
And, hey, did you notice even New Yorkers are becoming more
friendly? (I was pleasantly surprised during my visit to the
Big Apple last fall.) But New York taxi drivers have a lot to
learn from their Parisian counterparts!
Esti
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