Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Paris' red light district, the infamous “Pig Alley,” is at the foot of Butte Montmartre.
Ooh
la la.
It's more racy than dangerous. Walk from Place Pigalle to Place Blanche, teasing
desperatebarkersandfast-talkingtemptresses.Inbars,a€150bottleof(whatwouldother-
wisebe)cheapchampagnecomeswithafriend.Sticktothebiggerstreets,hangontoyour
wallet,andexercisegoodjudgment.Cancancancostafortune,ascanconartistsintopless
bars. After dark, countless tour buses line the streets, reminding us that tour guides make
big bucks by bringing their groups to touristy nightclubs like the famous
Moulin Rouge
(Mo: Pigalle or Abbesses).
Evenstaunchanti-shoppersmaybetemptedtoindulgeinchicParis.Wanderingamongel-
egant and outrageous boutiques provides a break from the heavy halls of the Louvre, and,
ifyouapproachitright,alittleculturalenlightenment.Evenifyoudon'tintendtobuyany-
thing, budget some time for window-shopping. The expression for “window-shopping” in
French is
faire du lèche-vitrines
—“window-licking.”
Before you enter a Parisian store, remember the following points:
• In small stores, always say,
“Bonjour, Madame
or
Mademoiselle
or
Monsieur”
when
entering.Andremembertosay
“Aurevoir,Madame
or
Mademoiselle
or
Monsieur”
when leaving.
•Thecustomer isnotalwaysright.Infact,figuretheclerkisdoingyouafavorbywait-
ing on you.
• Except in department stores, it's not normal for the customer to handle clothing. Ask
first before you pick up an item:
“Je peux?”
(zhuh puh), meaning, “Can I?”
• By law, the price of items in a window display must be visible, often written on a slip
of paper set on the floor or framed on the wall. This gives you an idea of how ex-
pensive or affordable the shop is.
• For clothing size comparisons between the US and France, see
here
of the appendix.
• Forget returns (and don't count on exchanges).
• Observe French shoppers. Then imitate.
• Saturday afternoons are
très
busy and not for the faint of heart.