Chinkerfly has landed.

When we told our friends that we would be spending ten days in Paris, we got more suggestions and recommendations than I could sort through. We made good use of those recommendations (see interactive map below) but at the end of the trip there were definitely some practical details that if we'd known prior to arrival might have made us slightly savvier travellers.   

Icon Key available on the Full-sized Paris Map

For a look at Paris through my eyes check out my Flickr - Chinkerfly's Paris 2011

Not So Common Sense

1. Almost everyone seems able to speak English. They seemed to enjoy watching you struggle and butcher their language though before letting on that they can speak English. 
2. French people don't snack... Most restaurants opened around 11am or 12pm and then closed again between the hours of 2pm to 7pm. If you're starving in the afternoon, that might be a good time to step into a bakery (boulangerie) for some fresh baked bread and pastries.  
3. And they like to take lots of time off... Lots of places were closed at least one or two days a week. Many boulangeries are not open on Sundays, many restaurants not open on Mondays. Be kind to your hungry self and check the hours of operation before going. 
4. Appetizer, Entree, Dessert = Entree, Plat, Dessert. Many places offer a set meal price where you choose one item for each of the three courses, and the expectation at most restaurants is for you to order either all three courses (portions are accordingly smaller than their monstrous American equivalents) or a combination of entree + plat or plat + dessert. Depending on where you go they might give you a dirty look for ordering just an entree for your meal.  At least one restaurant we went to had it explicitly laid out on the menu that each person at the table had to order a plat. 
5. Public restrooms are few and far between. In some heavily trafficked areas there are functioning self-cleaning public restroom stalls. If you have your location and data services turned on, the Paris Way app mentioned in the next section will tell you where the nearest restrooms are!  

Getting Connected

1. Free Wi-Fi connection at all the McDonald's without needing a password/login. Since I didn't pay for international data this was great for quickly stopping and connecting to get reoriented (I just stood outside the entrances). 
2. Helpful iPhone Apps: MyCityWay - Paris (has pretty much everything you could need); and Paris - Offline Map (decent static map with a lot of detail)
3. Yelp! alternative: It took some searching, but the most impressive (and useful) restaurant review site I came across for Paris restaurants was La Fourchette (English version: The Fork). It seemed to have a more intuitive user-interface and accurate pricing and menu information than CityVox, and many more reviews per restaurant than Yelp! or Qype. 

Getting Around

1. HopStop is able to calculate public transportation routes in Paris, Google Maps currently is not. 
2. Metro: Subways don't run 24/7. From About.com - "The metro runs Mon.-Thurs. and Sun. from 5:30 a.m. to 1:15 a.m., and Fri.-Sat. from 5:30 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. Arrive at the station approx. 30 minutes before closing, as last trains depart at different times depending on the station."  
3. Weekly unlimited metro cards (Navigo Pass) are valid for Monday-Sunday. Same week passes can be purchased up to Wednesday at midnight, so if you arrive Thursday and leave Sunday, it seems you're out of luck. Navigo cards could only be purchased from the staffed booths, not from the ticket machines.  Alternatively, you can purchase a "carnet" or group of ten tickets at a discounted price from the machines. Depending on how much you travel that could get you through a whole weekend.  Here's an extensive (albeit slightly dated - 2008) guide to Paris Metro. 
4. Bikeshare: The Velib bikeshare program was awesome, you could easily bike across huge swaths of Paris in less time than it took to get to from point A to point B by metro. With the Navigo pass taking bikes out was super convenient, just follow the directions on the ticketing machine.  If you don't have a Navigo pass, it's still possible to take out the bikes, but you don't get to have as much control over which bike you take and some are understandably beat up. Ride for 30 minutes without any additional fees, and there was almost always a Velib station near every subway station, some heavy traffic areas like the Opera House had several closely spaced stations. There is a slight delay between when you drop off a bike and when you can check out the next one, about 5 minutes. If the station where you want to drop off or pick up a bike is full/empty there's always a map on the kiosk that will show you were the other Velib stations are nearby.  Here's the English guide for the bikeshare program from the official website: Velib (English)
5. Getting to the Airport when the train/metro isn't running! During the daylight hours it's cheapest and easiest to take the train/metro to and from the airports. Between the hours of 1am to 6am though... There were nightbuses, but we didn't want to chance it so we took a shuttle which was a bit cheaper than taking a metered taxi. There are a few options but this one may be the cheapest: Bluvan

Using Notebooks and Tags in Evernote with the "Getting Things Done" (GTD) methodology. Tagging for me is most useful for separating out project categories or maybe/somedays into meaningful groups that I can review at a glance when the time is appropriate. 

(download)

Click here to download:

getting-things-done-evernote-egretlist-nJBpclqxEBsiqHChseEF.zip (443 KB)

EDIT: The Evernote iPhone app was updated soon after this post and now it's so much faster that I don't have to use Egretlist anymore! Sweet.  I will continue waiting patiently for rich text editing on iPhone. 

In conjunction with Egretlist for iPhone, primarily for Next Actions notebooks. I find it easier to jot down all the steps that come to me as they come to me under each "project."  Granted it's less clear that way what the immediate next action is, but most of the time doing any of the actions on the list is a step forward.  

(download)

Click here to download:

getting-things-done-evernote-egretlist-FaGcHBmDmpCawrkgxlAJ.zip (1.26 MB)

I should also add that Egretlist has made it much more feasible to get things down the instant I think of them. Evernote took way too long to load on it's own, not to mention navigating to appropriate location to add notes.  I use Egretlist as my dumping place and then during review times reorganize my Evernote accordingly. 

#2 Foursquare tips. When combined with the GPS location services on my iPhone this is QuestHelper for real life. Only geeky gamer nerds will understand the significance of the previous statement. For the rest of the world I will provide an example of what I mean. I take on the challenge of "trying the top 20 burgers in NYC." Then, I enter in tips at each of the top 20 burger locations. Finally, next time I'm roaming around the city and suddenly become hungry, I just pull up my To-Do list on the Foursquare app and... Voila! The top 20 burgers in NYC appear before my eyes in order of proximity. Granted, I never take on one food quest at a time, so at the present my burger list is mixed in with my ice cream list, etc, but you get the idea. Technology is bringing me closer every day to doing exactly what I want to be doing and being exactly where I want to be at any particular moment in time. Not to mention the added sense of accomplishment of being able to cross something off my ever growing To-Do list.

#3 Ordering groceries from my phone. For those of you who thought it was extravagant to order groceries online and have them delivered to your doorstep... someone else clearly disagreed and took it one step further. Thanks to this nifty FreshDirect app on my phone (knowledge of which a Blackberry user shared with me), I can now put something right into my shopping cart whenever I happen to think about it, and checkout whenever I know I'll be home to "pick up" my groceries. I ordered groceries this morning, right after I turned off my alarm and before I rolled out of bed to go put in my contacts and brush my teeth. Extravagant? Maybe. Efficient? Definitely. 

#4 Cold showers in the summertime. Here's one even non-smart phone users can appreciate. There are few things better after coming home from the sweltering humidity of a NYC summer than rinsing off the sticky layer of sweat and city grime under a steady stream of clean, cold water. 

#5 Learning to kick a** in a pressure free zone. Back at the end of March I opted into a complimentary class of Aikido Kokikai (the first class at our dojo is always free). There are so many things I enjoy about this martial art practice, but here are a few things that make it what I consider a pressure free zone. First, it's a safe environment. Our Sensei and the upper-belts always show us how to protect ourselves and not get hurt. Second, everyone practices together, from those who are just stepping on the mat for the first time to sixth degree black belts who have been practicing for over ten years. You never feel like you're being limited as a beginner, and it never feels like you're repeating the same thing over and over ad nauseam. Third, unlike most other martial arts there are no competitions. When you go for your belt test everyone in the room is cheering for you, your only real opponent is yourself. And yes, after only four months of practicing once a week (twice if I'm lucky), I already feel a bit more kick a**. The stuff we're learning is similar to the submission techniques they teach in self-defense. In the unlikely event that anyone will ever try to punch, grab, or choke a small person like me, I will know exactly what to do to make them wish they hadn't. ;)

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#1 Rainboots. After finally investing in a pair of sturdy rubber boots, this year I can finally walk around after a blizzard and not have to worry about stepping into deep slushy puddles every time I cross the street. Goodbye to wet, frostbitten toes and soggy tennis shoes. Hello to more time to step back and admire the scenery. 

#2 Walking around to the corner diner for a midnight snack. 2 am to be precise. Back in Oklahoma we had our 24 hour IHOPs and Waffle Houses, but New York (particularly East Village and LES) is an insomniac foodie paradise. 

#3 What's better than walking to the corner diner for a midnight snack? Free delivery. It's room service in the comfort of your own home. Monte Cristo sandwich, banana pancakes, omelettes... hunger doesn't stand a chance, and neither does my waistline. 

#4 Becoming accustomed to Winter. The first winter in China, and my first time to experience no central heating, was brutal. Coat, gloves, scarves... nothing ever came off. The first winter in NYC was almost as bad, but for different reasons. The sun setting before you've even had a glimpse of it, and the corresponding dreariness of cold and dark days that seemed to start in November and last straight into June. Maybe it's the additional layers and warmer shoes in my wardrobe. Maybe it's been the intermittent warm spells. Or maybe it's because this year I have someone to help take my mind off the weather. Whatever it is, winter #2 in NYC has been much more bearable. 

#5 The work situation falling back into place. After three months of limbo, things are finally concrete and settling back down. The thing that made me dread going into work each day is no longer an issue (ceased to be an issue back in November). And after three months of limbo, I not only still have a job, but I also got a promotion, and my new program assistant starts next week! Good things come to those with the patience to grin and bear it?

#1 A warm day in November in NYC. We didn't have to wear our coats and walked by the river under the bridges and a cotton candy sky.

#2 Freshly paved asphalt. I always knew it felt nice to drive over the smooth black surface of fresh asphalt, but evidently I enjoy walking on it just as much. Especially when accented by glistening white lines that shimmer opalescent in the sunlight.

#3 When something you expect to be incredibly painful ends up only stinging a little. Here's to hoping that by the time I decide to have babies, giving birth will fall into this category.

#4 Limited edition Edy's ice cream. In yummy flavors like Girl Scout Thin Mints, Apple Pie, and Mint Brownie Chocolate Chip.

#5 Deodorant, aftershave, mouthwash. And all those other wonderful things that ensure that most people born and raised in the US do not smell like sweaty socks ripening in a gym bag. Particularly grateful for these things during rush hour on the subway.

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#1 Winning when you didn't think you stood a chance. Free yourself of expectations and you will never be disappointed. When I told my mother about my somber approach to life she shook her head, "How pessimistic." But without expectations I suffer less when nothing happens or bad things happen. And when good things happen, well, then I can revel in the sheer joy and unexpectedness of it like a brilliantly staged surprise birthday party. That's how it feels to win things. Every now and again I'll submit a story or a photo to a contest and then promptly begin the process of convincing myself that the chances of winning are about as likely as getting struck by lightning. Twice. So when the phone call or letter comes announcing that I am, in fact, a winner, I am stunned into silence. The above photo was one of three I submitted to a photo contest in Chongqing. Weeks after I had forgotten all about the contest I found out that they had given one of the photos first place and the other two honorable mention. The prize money was a small fortune compared to what I had been living off of for the past two years as a volunteer. Lightning struck again today when I received an email announcing that my trip submission to the Trazzler NYCGO contest was selected for an Editor's Choice Award. A more religious person than I would be thanking the heavenly powers that be right now. God, if you were here right now, I would give you a big hug.

#2 Patient leaders. I put myself out on a limb last week by going to three of Dance Manhattan's practice sessions. One of which was for salsa, which I haven't danced in close to six years. I am always burdened with a tinge of guilt when someone asks me to dance and I am so obviously inferior to them in skill. I turn to the left when I should have turned right, miss a step here, lose a beat there. Inwardly my partner must be sighing, "How long will this song last, anyway?" So I am grateful for every one of the patient leaders who have offered me a dance. The ones that talk me through a move that I missed, or count out the beats when I have lost them. The ones who gently tread out into uncertain waters with probing questions, "Do you dance on one or two? Can you do a tuck? Have you learned the whip?" And those that don't get frustrated when I haven't a clue what they are referring to. Hopefully with enough practice I will get better and will stop being too ashamed to ask for a second dance.

#3 Free free free. Everyone knows New York City is one of the most expensive cities to live in. All the more reason to be grateful for all the fantastic free stuff that's out there, if you just know where to look. Yoga, bike rentals, dance classes, donuts, haircuts, live music. All for free and free for all.

#4 People who can break out of their bureaucratic chains. This is something that I love about America. Every now and again, you will meet people who feel empowered enough to work the system on your behalf. In China, dealing with customer service, department heads, and middle management was dealing with a giant triple-enforced adamantium wall of NO, I CAN'T HELP YOU. People did not bother with looking for creative alternatives, or ways to bend the rules, they did not even seem very apologetic for being helpless. That's not to say that Chinese people are incapable of such things, I am aware that when it comes to their own personal wants and needs, they can be very imaginative. But most saw nothing to gain by helping someone else out in the same way. In America you can still find the occassional person who will take the extra two minutes to suggest a loophole and give you a way out. There are still people who see the bigger picture and know that by giving the customer a break, the business will not go spiralling towards insolvency. There are still those who understand that slipping one person a freebie isn't going to bring a fire breathing supervisor down upon them. On the contrary, the good customer service model makes for loyal customers. But since there is such an abundance of customers in China, I suppose businesses can afford to lose one or two.

#5 The Vendy Awards. An event that celebrates the best street vendors in the city? What's there not to love? And on Saturday from 9 to ? (showing up early to help set up), this girl, is going to be there.