Things French (or at least Parisian)

Bon jour,

Debbie is making fun of me, but you might be interested. Paris street-sweeping: one thing about Paris, there is a serious attempt to clean up after everyone. And, believe me, there is a lot to clean up. I don't think anyone here throws things anywhere but on the ground - cigarettes is a big one, paper, etc. The city cleans up not only in the tourist areas, but all areas I've been in. At a high level, it starts with your normal large street-sweeping trucks. But then there are many golf cart-size vehicles that do the same thing on sidewalks, malls, small streets. There is the guy who walks next to a cart with a pressure sprayer, hosing off areas. They push water up through openings in the curbside to flood the street gutters. A guy with a fluorescent yellow vest and plastic broom sweeps the trash down into the drains. And, in parks and such, many guys work with their dust pans and brooms, just cleaning up. In some ways it reminds me of a trip to New Orleans - each night the streets would be a mess, but by the next mid-morning everything would be cleaned up.

Clothes - not unlike the US, women dress better than men in general. The exception is at work. There, I'm slowly making an attempt to convert them to casual Tucson dress (but they aren't ready for shorts, sandals and t-shirts). I did wear jeans today with a black dress shirt. In general, the men still wear a suit or sport coats, but we have gotten rid of the ties. It's a start. Dress shirts are different in Paris - there are maybe 3 or 4 buttons at the neck, very colorful (sometimes different colors for the collars or neck). Cuff links are still used. Of course, they are also fitted - no baggy shirts. Women, at work, dress comfortably but also chic. They may wear jeans, but they will still look good with a fancy top, hat, high heals, or scarf (scarfs are very popular). In general around town (excluding tourists), women wear fitted clothes or dresses. There are some interesting combinations of tights / stockings, shorts / dresses or skirts, and tops. Cleavage is featured usually. Debbie says on a sunny day, it seems like clothes from the 6o's are still in fashion here. Meanwhile, men are wearing baggie jeans and t-shirts... or suits! High heals are worn by women even walking around, or sandals. Pointy dress shoes or things that look like leather athletic shoes are popular with men. And, finally, if you ever think you must dress a certain way in Paris - forget it. You can wear anything! I used to think that French people looked better than most of the rest of us. Now I still think the women dress more provocatively (and Debbie disagrees on that one), but don't think they look any better!

Au revior