Dear Paris

Dear Paris,

In the last few days, you may have noticed that an element of freedom and democracy was missing from your large crowds of grouchy pedestrians. You may have noticed the painful absence of a certain purse-wielding American hip-checking and tripping his way through your rues. You may also have noticed a sharp decline in the purchases of two euro “lager” brand beer and rum soaked twinkies. Perhaps you have convinced yourself that this American who has become such a vital part of your identity as one of the world’s great cities must be on another one of his weekend jaunts to Strasbourg, Chantilly, Le Havre, or Brussels and that, certainly, he will be back soon. I am presently spending a few days in Nice, reminiscing about the time we have spent together over the past 10 months or so and, while you may be waiting with open metros for my return, I will not be returning for some time.

We’ve had our ups and downs, but who hasn’t? I remember walking to the bus stop by les Invalides in late March wearing my fleece jacket under my leather jacket as the wind blew my rain-soaked scarf to and fro. At that point, I couldn’t help but think what a cold, merciless, heartless wench you had become. I was ready to be done with you. Over the past ten months you have given me about 8 of cold, 6 of cold and rain, and one month of possibly the worst heat I have experienced sans air conditioning. But that left six weeks. During those weeks your streets were beautiful – with the constant hum of street cleaning trucks in the background, the trillions of overfed pigeons begging for more baguettes, your pedestrians a tad less grouchy, and the metro smelling of springtime. Then there was the 50 square meter screen across from the Eiffel tower that you provided for me to watch the world cup, nearly enough to convince me that there was no need to move on…but move on I must.

As I stated earlier, Paris, I will be returning to the United States, not to you, after my brief tenure here in Nice. It’s not you, I promise, it’s me. Sure the US has its problems – oil spills, an ever widening gap between the increasingly vocal extremes of our political spectrum in an unceasing attempt not to win but to see the other party dragged through the mud on their way to losing, two wars that, regrettably, don’t seem to be ending any time soon, lack of efficient public transit in many major cities, fast food, intolerance, and the mets – but, to be honest, I miss it. While, in terms of historical significance, there is nowhere in the states that can attempt to compete with you for at least another couple centuries, there’s a certain je ne se quoi about it that is drawing me back…or maybe it is just the impending expiration of my French visa. Either way, I’m sure I’ll be back…one day, but for now, I think it is best if you and I take a break, see the world, meet new people, build new relationships and rekindle old ones (maybe you can use this time to work on the relationship of your country to its football club).

Perhaps one day we’ll meet again and reminisce about the times we’ve had. Perhaps I’ll write a book cataloguing all of our mishaps and adventures. Perhaps our time together will simply live on as memories, photographs, and witty blog posts. Winter with you may be miserable, though not nearly as miserable as your heat-stroke-inducing summers; most of your citizens will be embedded in my mind as gruff, disgruntled imbeciles who don’t know how to walk in a straight line; and your metro, while convenient, often smells less than pleasant. But the good times we had together were great. I know you’ve been going through some identity issues over the past year and I really hope you get those figured out, but I must move on.

Next time I pour myself a glass of vin rouge or dunk a twinkie in a shot of Bacardi, I’ll be sure to pour one out in memory of the time we’ve spent together. While this blog may take a new character in the coming weeks, just know that I started it to catalogue our time together and, at it’s heart, that’s what [TBA] is all about.

I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors. Please stay in touch.

A bientôt,
Tommy