Like a Local - Paris - page 82

cinquième étage, premier à gauche (5th floor, first on the left) or troisième étage, droite
droite (3rd floor, turn right twice). In all buildings, the 1st floor is the floor above the rez-
de-chaussée (ground floor).
Transport
Parisians of all walks of life - from students to celebrity chefs - use the metro. If you're in
Paris for a week or more, get a Navigo pass to save money and zip through the turnstiles
without queuing for tickets.
Virtually free Vélib' bikes have been hugely popular since they were introduced several
years ago and Parisians flit all over the city on these pearly-taupe machines.
In the wake of the success of Vélib', Paris launched the world's first electric-car-share
program, Autolib'. But this is one instance where you might not want to follow the locals'
lead - negotiating the city's unlaned roundabouts, one-way streets and scooters and cyclists
that appear from nowhere can be a nerve-wracking experience for the uninitiated. (Note too
that Parisian drivers frequently ignore green pedestrian lights - take care crossing roads!)
If you'd rather let someone else drive, regular buses are a much more local alternative to
tourist buses.
Thanks to (generally) clement weather and (generally) flat terrain, locals - even police of-
ficers - often whizz around the city on inline skates. Paris is also home to the world's largest
mass-skate, Pari Roller.