[Prudence]

I am so jealous! Just last weekend when we were on the patio at the Cheesecake Factory I was trying my best to pretend that Bellevue was Paris, and that we were under a red and white striped awning watching the city go by.

Are you renting a car? Because lane markings are merely a suggestion. At one point our tour bus was passed on the sidewalk. By a jeep.

The metro is very convenient -- unless it's on strike. Seriously, if they're on strike, just stay within walking distance. It's sometimes hard to find metro stops. Unlike London, there didn't seem to be many signs. Maybe this has changed. (It *has* been mumble-mumble years...) But I remember just looking for stairs into the earth.

You *must* eat in a cafe. And visit a patisserie. And get lost in the Louvre (you think it won't happen to you, but it always does!) And eat crepes from a sidewalk vendor. And visit the most beautiful co-ed bathroom I've ever seen (in the Galleries Lafayette.) And walk down the Champs Elysee at night. (Bonus points if you sing the song!)

Oh, and in Paris no one wants to hear Americans try to speak French anyhow. Seriously. Even your cafe waiter speaks English.

Oooh! You're going to have a blast!