I Just Got Here

So here I am, another ugly American in Paris.

This is where I'm staying. This is the Hotel Cayré in the 7th arrondissement. I didn't know anything about it when I chose it (in a panic, but my neuroses are only interesting to myself) except that it had no-smoking rooms. As things turned out, not only did I get a really-o truly-o non-smoking room, but I got upgraded to a larger room. Could business be slow this time of year? Who knows. Anyway, it's a nice place, even though it costs an arm and a leg.




Here's a view from one of the windows. I hope this doesn't sound intolerably pretentious, but there's something . . . Parisian about the architecture. Maybe it's only because they don't pull down every good looking building just because some scumbag with $ (or in the case of France, €) wants to put up a monument to his ego. Imagine how cool New York would still be if the original Pennsylvania Station were still there. But I digress.


The hotel is across the street from the Rue du Bac subway station. Unfortunately, the Rue du Bac subway station is under construction until sometime in December, so there's a fence around it, and a lot of debris within, as you can see from the photo at left. The hoop with a green bag hanging from it is the moral equivalent of a trash can. It's ugly, but it makes a lot of sense. Besides, this town has looks to spare. To whit:



On the right is a view down (up?) the Boulevard Saint Germain (whoever he was.) The Hotel Cayré is on Boulevard Raspail just off the intersection with Blvd. St Germain.

That's all for now because I'm really tired.