As my roommates will probably agree, you are going to get so tired of me comparing Paris and New York but there is no holding back. They are so alike and so different in their own ways...it's hard not to constantly compare.
Over the past few weeks I have realized how small of a city Paris actually is!! Or maybe just how large New York is?? In Paris I could hop on the metro at the very end of the line and be at the other end of the line in 45 minutes...maximum. We are talking clear across the city!! In New York, I guess the network is extended over a larger amount of land, so it takes forever to get from one end to another. If we take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) which is about three blocks from our house, we can get to Penn Station (the middle of the city) in just under 15 minutes. If we take the bus or subway (I still call it a metro no matter what city I'm in...) it takes at least 45 minutes just to get to Rockefeller Plaza or Times Square.
The subway in New York is way more ratchet and gross than the metro in Paris. Built around the same time as the metro, the subway feels a hundred times older. France obviously puts more money and time into it's public transport. (surprise, surprise? NOT.) It's not as clearly marked nor as user friendly. I remember when mom and I came to New York for my 21st birthday and we only rode the subway once...it was so complicated! Having figured out Paris first has really helped in figuring New York out. Positive: it runs 24 hours. Negatives: the delays and construction are not announced or put on a screen before you descend to the platforms so you are either surprised after you wait 30 minutes for your non-existent train or surprised that you must get off before your destination and take a connecting "shuttle bus" because a section of the subway is under construction. Try that at midnight??? No fun.
If it weren't for the price difference (one way is $5.75 for the LIRR and $2.50 for a subway/bus ticket) we would take the LIRR all the time. And the buses are so old....there are a few electric ones circulating around but the chance of getting on one in Queens is slim to none.
There is no walking from The Louvre to the Notre-Dame in 30 minutes time. It takes about an hour to walk from Times Square to the Metropolitan Museum of Art...maybe more if you stop and enjoy the scenery around you. And another hour to get from Times Square to Battery Park...and that's hustling! Public transportation is necessary in a city like New York to get around....why doesn't the city of New York put more money/ANY money into it?? I need to research it.
Despite such a negative review, I'm loving New York and discovering a new city and new people. I love my roommates and my apartment. I love our neighborhood, I love Queens and the different personalities it brings to the table. I love my job and the people I work with. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity in my life to live in not one but two incredible cities such as Paris and New York. Most people only dream! Too bad Paris was first because New York.....................
I am still waiting to be impressed!!!
Paris: 1 / New York: 0
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