Lists

If there's one thing I've learned living in Paris alone, it's that sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. Can't read a word on the menu? Just go with the flow and point to something. Got off at Les Halles metro and found yourself in an impossibly large underground shopping complex?

Yeah, I got lost in this thing.

Just go with the flow, and ride around on some elevators (seven, to be exact) 'til you find a way out. Your local boulangerie is out of pains aux chocolat? Cry a little, and then just go with the flow and order a croissant. Then smother it in Nutella to compensate.Your place of residence, your home for the last month, refuses to let you check out on a Sunday? Just go with the flow, begrudgingly, and find a new room to crash in for the last two nights. A room that won't be nearly as cool as your little room in the 15ème. Having to find new accommodation on such short notice really made me realize how much I don't want to leave this family-friendly neighborhood I've grown so accustomed to.

With two days left, here's a list of things I will/won't miss about Paris in general and the 15ème in particular.

This city sucks. I certainly won't miss:

1) Living next to a hospital. Ambulances here have a siren that's higher pitched and generally more friendly-sounding than their U.S. counterparts, so whenever I hear one rolling down the street, I'm always like, "Oooh, where's the ice cream truck?!" You don't know how bitterly disappointed I am once I realize it's just another emergency vehicle on it's way to some lame emergency, that probably doesn't involve ice cream at all.*

2) Being clueless about cutlery. While lunching recently in Giverny (more on that later), I managed to use my fork, knife, AND napkin incorrectly. And I also poured my wine in the water glass. Took care of that though by pouring the wine back into the carafe as soon as the waiter wasn't looking. Classy.

This city rocks. I'll definitely miss:

1) Living 100 feet away from THREE different baby clothing shops. And all their baby-patrons.

2) Eating a pain au chocolat every morning without having to answer to anyone.

3) Beautiful boys on bikes. And not on bikes, for that matter.

4) Wonderful little "lost in translation" moments. Like how Tina Fey's movie "Date Night" is called "Crazy Night" here; they probably changed the title because, based on the amount of PDA I've seen, every night is date night in Paris. Oh, and Waldo of "Where's Waldo?" fame goes by Charlie here. Probably because Parisians just can't fathom how anyone could come to have such a dopey name like "Waldo."

5) Taking a 40-minute train ride into the countryside, and promptly forgetting that the city even exists.

Poppies and hills in Giverny, where Monet once reigned as man-about-village.

6) The drinking age. I think I'll finish off that Bordeaux now ... And I find it quite amusing that the standard "the abuse of alcohol is dangerous for your health" warning is printed below most lists of beers in the cafés I've frequented. Never, however, have I seen this message accompany a list of wines. Not surprising for a country that collectively spends 15 percent of it's annual income on the luscious liquid of the grape.

7) All the roses on steroids. Seriously, what are they feeding these flowers?

Climbing roses in Auvers.

And thats about it, besides other things like the art and the architecture and the pastries and the poulet and on and on and on. Please note that the will-miss list is over three times as long as the won't-miss one. Yep, that sounds about right.

*Well, probably not as disappointed (and/or dead) as the person who actually needs the ambulance.